Blind Source Separation Algorithm Research Articles

Voluntary co-contraction of ankle muscles alters motor unit discharge characteristics and reduces estimates of persistent inward currents.

Motoneuronal persistent inward currents (PICs) are facilitated by neuromodulatory inputs but are highly sensitive to local inhibitory circuits. Estimates of PICs are reduced by group Ia reciprocal inhibition, and increased with the diffuse actions of neuromodulators released during remote muscle contraction. However, it remains unknown how motoneurons function in the presence of simultaneous excitatory and inhibitory commands. To probe this topic, we investigated motor unit discharge patterns and estimated PICs during voluntary co-contraction of ankle muscles, which simultaneously demands the contraction of agonist-antagonist pairs. Twenty participants performed triangular ramps of both co-contraction (simultaneous dorsiflexion and plantar flexion) and isometric dorsiflexion to a peak of 30% of their maximum muscle activity from a maximal voluntary contraction. Motor unit spike trains were decomposed from high-density surface EMG activity recorded from tibialis anterior using blind source separation algorithms. Voluntary co-contraction altered motor unit discharge rate characteristics. Discharge rate at recruitment and peak discharge rate were modestly reduced (∼6% change; P<0.001; d=0.22) and increased (∼2% change; P=0.001, d=-0.19), respectively, in the entire dataset but no changes were observed when motor units were tracked across conditions. The largest effects during co-contraction were that estimates of PICs (ΔF) were reduced by ∼20% (4.47 vs. 5.57 pulses per second during isometric dorsiflexion; P<0.001, d=0.641). These findings suggest that, during voluntary co-contraction, the inhibitory input from the antagonist muscle overcomes the additional excitatory and neuromodulatory drive that may occur due to the co-contraction of the antagonist muscle, which constrains PIC behaviour. KEY POINTS: Voluntary co-contraction is a unique motor behaviour that concurrently provides excitatory and inhibitory synaptic input to motoneurons. Co-contraction of agonist-antagonist pairs alters agonist motor unit discharge characteristics, consistent with reductions in persistent inward current magnitude.

RF-GymCare: Introducing Respiratory Prior for RF Sensing in Gym Environments

Exercise-induced sudden death has become an increasingly serious health issue in recent years. Fortunately, respiratory monitoring can serve as an effective early prevention solution. In particular, radio frequency (RF) sensing has emerged as a promising solution due to its contactless nature and privacy preservation. Existing RF-based respiratory monitoring solutions for homes, offices, or vehicles would suffer from significant performance degradation when deployed in typical gym workouts, where respiratory and physical movements are mixed in the RF signals in an unpredictable manner, leading to a blind source separation (BSS) problem. What is worse, the prior assumptions of source independence in existing BSS algorithms no longer hold, leaving respiratory monitoring in gym scenarios as an open issue. In this paper, we propose RF-GymCare, which introduces respiratory priors into the BSS problem and utilizes knowledge distillation to transfer these priors, aiming to learn the demixing weight from mixed signals. With the demixing weight, the respiratory signal can be obtained through a linear combination of the mixed signals. Our experiments with 13 hours of data across nine types of exercises demonstrate its superiority over existing methods, achieving a median similarity of 0.75 and a median rate error of 0.5 respiration per minute (RPM), respectively.

Underdetermined Blind Source Separation of Audio Signals for Group Reared Pigs Based on Sparse Component Analysis.

In order to solve the problem of difficult separation of audio signals collected in pig environments, this study proposes an underdetermined blind source separation (UBSS) method based on sparsification theory. The audio signals obtained by mixing the audio signals of pigs in different states with different coefficients are taken as observation signals, and the mixing matrix is first estimated from the observation signals using the improved AP clustering method based on the "two-step method" of sparse component analysis (SCA), and then the audio signals of pigs are reconstructed by L1-paradigm separation. Five different types of pig audio are selected for experiments to explore the effects of duration and mixing matrix on the blind source separation algorithm by controlling the audio duration and mixing matrix, respectively. With three source signals and two observed signals, the reconstructed signal metrics corresponding to different durations and different mixing matrices perform well. The similarity coefficient is above 0.8, the average recovered signal-to-noise ratio is above 8 dB, and the normalized mean square error is below 0.02. The experimental results show that different audio durations and different mixing matrices have certain effects on the UBSS algorithm, so the recording duration and the spatial location of the recording device need to be considered in practical applications. Compared with the classical UBSS algorithm, the proposed algorithm outperforms the classical blind source separation algorithm in estimating the mixing matrix and separating the mixed audio, which improves the reconstruction quality.

Real-Time Motor Unit Tracking from sEMG Signals with Adaptive ICA on a Parallel Ultra-Low Power Processor.

Spike extraction by blind source separation (BSS) algorithms can successfully extract physiologically meaningful information from the sEMG signal, as they are able to identify motor unit (MU) discharges involved in muscle contractions. However, BSS approaches are currently restricted to isometric contractions, limiting their applicability in real-world scenarios. We present a strategy to track MUs across different dynamic hand gestures using adaptive independent component analysis (ICA): first, a pool of MUs is identified during isometric contractions, and the decomposition parameters are stored; during dynamic gestures, the decomposition parameters are updated online in an unsupervised fashion, yielding the refined MUs; then, a Pan-Tompkins-inspired algorithm detects the spikes in each MUs; finally, the identified spikes are fed to a classifier to recognize the gesture. We validate our approach on a 4-subject, 7-gesture + rest dataset collected with our custom 16-channel dry sEMG armband, achieving an average balanced accuracy of 85.58±14.91% and macro-F1 score of 85.86±14.48%. We deploy our solution onto GAP9, a parallel ultra-low-power microcontroller specialized for computation-intensive linear algebra applications at the edge, obtaining an energy consumption of 4.72 mJ @ 240 MHz and a latency of 121.3 ms for each 200 ms-long window of sEMG signal.

SA-UCBSS: Sparsity-Based Adaptive Underdetermined Convolutive Blind Source Separation

Blind source separation is the process of separating unknown source signals based only on the received mixing signals when the source signal cannot be accurately known. Traditional methods are mainly based on linear approximate transformation models that often have large systematic errors in high reverberation environments, resulting in poor separation performance. To avoid these limitations, a sparsity-based adaptive underdetermined convolutive blind source separation (SA-UCBSS) algorithm is proposed by unifying a convolutive approximate transformation model and an Lp(0<p≤1)-norm regularisation penalty. A crosstalk canceller is designed for room impulse response pretreatment with p-norm optimisation to eliminate audible echoes, and a sparse optimisation scheme is designed for the parameter initialisation to accelerate the convergence of the iterative recovery process. Subsequently, a convolutive approximate transformation model is built to achieve a more accurate estimation of the mixing system. The SA-UCBSS algorithm is proposed to achieve better source separation by adaptively tuning the value of parameter p. Experimental results including BSS of the synthesised and live-recorded speech convolutive mixtures showed that the SA-UCBSS algorithm had superior separating properties and better robustness than several popular algorithms.

Method of field measurement of electromagnetic environment of high speed maglev train

Abstract In order to reduce the complexity of the magnetic field test of maglev trains and improve the accuracy of measurement data, this paper proposes a field measurement method of maglev train radiation emission based on high-speed parallel adaptive filter denoising technology. This measurement method is not limited by special measurement sites, and has the characteristics of high-speed measurement, real-time data processing, and large-capacity data storage. It breaks through the technical bottleneck of the traditional measurement system. The electromagnetic radiation emission of high-speed maglev trains is measured in real-time through multi-antenna synchronous measurement technology, and multi-channel high-speed RF signal measurement and acquisition of external signals are further carried out by blind source separation technology, environmental pre-scanning is carried out, environmental interference characteristics are obtained through feature statistics, and the radiation signal to be measured is estimated by blind source separation algorithm. It helps to achieve the purpose of accurately measuring the electromagnetic radiation emission of high-speed maglev trains. Through field testing, the denoising performance of the method reached 20 dB. Through field testing, the denoising performance of the method reached 20 dB.

MAGPRIME: An Open‐Source Library for Benchmarking and Developing Interference Removal Algorithms for Spaceborne Magnetometers

AbstractMagnetometers are essential instruments in space physics, but their measurements are often contaminated by various external interference sources. In this work, we present a comprehensive review of existing magnetometer interference removal methods and introduce MAGPRIME (MAGnetic signal PRocessing, Interference Mitigation, and Enhancement), an open‐source Python library featuring a collection of state‐of‐the‐art interference removal algorithms. MAGPRIME streamlines the process of interference removal in magnetic field data by providing researchers with an integrated, easy‐to‐use platform. We detail the design, structure, and functionality of the library, as well as its potential to facilitate future research by enabling rapid testing and customization of interference removal methods. Using the MAGPRIME Library, we present two Monte Carlo benchmark results to compare the efficacy of interference removal algorithms in different magnetometer configurations. In Benchmark A, the Underdetermined Blind Source Separation (UBSS) and traditional gradiometry algorithms surpass the uncleaned boom‐mounted magnetometers, achieving improved correlation and reducing median error in each simulation. Benchmark B tests the efficacy of the suite of MAGPRIME algorithms in a boomless magnetometer configuration. In this configuration, the UBSS algorithm proves to significantly reduce median error, along with improvements in median correlation and signal to noise ratio. This study highlights MAGPRIME's potential in enhancing magnetic field measurement accuracy in various spacecraft designs, from traditional gradiometry setups to compact, cost‐effective alternatives like bus‐mounted CubeSat magnetometers, thus establishing it as a valuable tool for researchers and engineers in space exploration and magnetism studies.

Blind source separation algorithm for noisy hydroacoustic signals based on decoupled convolutional neural networks

Wireless communication technology has been widely used in marine engineering, marine ranching and Marine environmental monitoring. However, structural redundancy and functional confusion exist in applying neural networks in signal separation technology in underwater communication environments, which can result in a slower rate of signal separation and lead to confusion of parameters during transfer learning. Based on this, an end-to-end, internal functionally structured decoupled neural network (D-CNN) blind source separation (BSS) model is proposed in this paper, which can realize a neural network BSS algorithm with a well-defined structure and function. The one-dimensional convolutional neural network layer is used in algorithm to automatically extract observed signal's features, based on the features, and there are two generation modules of separation matrix and scaling coefficients. Then the two modules can be used to separate the observed signal and adjust the signal coefficients to obtain the separated signal. Finally the transfer learning technique is used to generalize the model, which reduces the transfer cost of the model in different application scenarios. Experimental results show that when the communication distance is set to 0.02 km–2 km, the MSE of independent signal and related signal can be reduced by 14.24% and 14.95% respectively compared with the nearest Neural FCA algorithm. The results prove that the proposed algorithm can accurately estimate the source signal and improve the signal reception quality.

Improvements of EEG Signal Quality: A Hybrid Method of Blind Source Separation and Variational Mode Destruction to Reduce Artifacts

The electroencephalogram (EEG) is a crucial tool for studying brain activity; yet it frequently encounters artifacts that distort meaningful neural signals. This paper addresses the challenge of artifact removal through a unique hybrid method, combining Variational Mode Decomposition (VMD) techniques with Blind Source Separation (BSS) algorithms. VMD, recognized for its adaptability to non-linear and non-stationary EEG data, as well as its ability to alleviate mode mixing and the “endpoint effect,” which serves as an effective preprocessing step. The paper evaluates the performance of two integrated BSS algorithms, AMICA and AMUSE, across various criteria. Comparisons across metrics such as Euclidean distance, Spearman correlation coefficient, and Root Mean Square Error reveal similar performance between AMICA and AMUSE. However, a distinct divergence is evident in the Signal to Artifact Ratio (SAR). When employed with VMD, AMICA demonstrates superiority in effectively discerning and segregating brain signals from artifacts, which gives a mean value of 1.0924. This study introduces a potent hybrid VMDBSS approach for enhancing EEG signal quality. The findings emphasize the notable impact of AMICA, particularly in achieving optimal results in artifact removal, as indicated by its superior performance in SAR. The abstract concludes by underlining the significance of these results, emphasizing AMICA’s pivotal role in achieving the highest measurable evaluation value, making it a compelling choice for researchers and practitioners in EEG signal processing.

Exploiting Time–Frequency Sparsity for Dual-Sensor Blind Source Separation

This paper explores the important role of blind source separation (BSS) techniques in separating M mixtures including N sources using a dual-sensor array, i.e., M=2, and proposes an efficient two-stage underdetermined BSS (UBSS) algorithm to estimate the mixing matrix and achieve source recovery by exploiting time–frequency (TF) sparsity. First, we design a mixing matrix estimation method by precisely identifying high clustering property single-source TF points (HCP-SSPs) with a spatial vector dictionary based on the principle of matching pursuit (MP). Second, the problem of source recovery in the TF domain is reformulated as an equivalent sparse recovery model with a relaxed sparse condition, i.e., enabling the number of active sources at each auto-source TF point (ASP) to be larger than M. This sparse recovery model relies on the sparsity of an ASP matrix formed by stacking a set of predefined spatial TF vectors; current sparse recovery tools could be utilized to reconstruct N&gt;2 sources. Experimental results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed UBSS algorithm with an easily configured two-sensor array.

A single-channel blind source separation algorithm based on improved wavelet packet and variational mode decomposition

A single-channel blind source separation algorithm based on improved wavelet packet and variational mode decomposition

Co‐channel interference cancellation based on BSS for multi‐satellite MIMO communication systems with FFR

SummaryMultiple‐input multiple‐output (MIMO) technology can boost the capacity of conventional satellite communications, and full frequency reuse (FFR) can further improve the capacity by making full use of frequency resources. However, FFR will cause severe co‐channel interference and lead to a degradation of channel capacity. Blind source separation (BSS) algorithm can be used to eliminate co‐channel interference and does not require prior information, which avoids the extra occupation of channel frequency resources. While the multi‐satellite MIMO communication system have delay mixing characteristic, the separation performance will be degraded if the delay is ignored. In this paper, DMBSS algorithm for delay mixing is proposed. Firstly, the DMBSS algorithm utilizes Taylor expansion to achieve dimension expansion of observed signals and so as to transform the delay mixing into instantaneous mixing with extended dimension. Secondly, complex non‐orthogonal joint diagonalization algorithm is used to solve the separation matrix equation of extended observation signals and extended source signals and thus to eliminate the co‐channel interference. Simulation results show that for multi‐satellite MIMO communication scenarios with FFR, the proposed algorithm can effectively improve the performance of co‐channel interference cancellation and reduce the value of BER. Furthermore, the influence of order of Taylor expansion on the separation performance is also analyzed and simulated in this paper to show the cost performance of the proposed algorithm.

Relationship between objective measures and listener intelligibility of speech processed by source-separation algorithms

A major determinant of success for separating a speech signal from a noisy environment is the intelligibility of the extracted speech signal. Intelligibility is best measured as the fraction of words correctly recognized by listeners, but computational measures are often preferred because they are less labor-intensive than collecting listener judgements. We compare listener intelligibility data to three acoustically derived measures: (a) SNRs estimated from the processed mixtures, (b) coherence and (c) speech-based Speech Transmission Index (sSTI). Sentences were recorded against restaurant babble, white Gaussian noise, and nonstationary noise by four microphones at different SNRs ranging from +4 dB to −8 dB. Processing conditions included (1) the original mixture; (2) the mixture processed by a critically determined 4-channel blind source separation (BSS) algorithm; (3) the mixture processed by a 2-channel, underdetermined, BSS algorithm; (4) the residual after subtracting noise estimates determined using a least-mean squared (LMS) algorithm; (5) an estimate of speech extracted using an LMS algorithm to remove the two noises and then 2-channel BSS to separate the sentences from the babble; and (6) pristine speech recorded with no noise. The computational measures are compared to gold-standard intelligibility results from listening tests.

Multi-leakage localization in water supply pipes based on convolutional blind source separation

In acoustic-based methods for water pipeline leak localization, there are few studies on complex multi-leak localization since these sources mix with and affect each other during propagation. In this paper, a novel multi-leak localization method based on the convolutional blind source separation (CBSS) algorithm is proposed, in which the time delays are estimated by the quadrature filter of the demixing matrix or the cross-correlation function between the separated signals and the measured signals, and then the leakage locations are found by linear localization formula. In theory, this paper analyzes the basic principle of the algorithm for locating multiple leaks. In simulation results, the algorithm’s feasibility is verified. In addition, it is obtained that the location distribution of the leakage sources will affect the location of the peak of the delay, and that strong noise will reduce the applicability of the algorithm. In prototype experiments, the algorithm is verified to locate the leaks effectively. This paper is the first to apply CBSS to multi-leakage localization, providing a feasible solution to this complex problem.

Least-Squares Algorithms for Complex-Valued Blind Source Separation

Least-Squares Algorithms for Complex-Valued Blind Source Separation

Dynamic mode decomposition for blindly separating mixed signals and decrypting encrypted images

In this paper, we introduce the dynamic mode decomposition considering a lag $ \tau $ ($ \tau $-DMD) for solving the blind source separation (BSS) problem of chaotic signals and images. $ \tau $-DMD can be used in BSS-based image decryption with good separation performance. The unmixing problem was formulated as a modal decomposition problem. $ \tau $-DMD was applied on separating linear mixed chaotic signals showing a better separation performance than the existing blind source separation algorithms (Amuse, SOBI, FastICA and JADE). In addition, the case of adding noise in the mixing process was considered, and wavelet de-nosing before $ \tau $-DMD improved the separation performance. For the application, $ \tau $-DMD can be used to remove the noise in electrocardiograms (ECG) and the ocular artifacts in electroencephalograms (EEG). $ \tau $-DMD can also be applied in image processing, showing good separation performance of $ \tau $-DMD for both synthetic mixtures and real-life mixed texts. Structural similarity index measurement (SSIM) and peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) were selected as the evaluation criteria. We tested the separation performance of $ \tau $-DMD on natural images, fingerprint images, and real-life text images and compared the results with other methods. Furthermore, $ \tau $-DMD was applied to decrypt the BSS-based encrypted images. In the process of encryption, we set up the underdetermined problem of BSS by mixing the original and key images, and then $ \tau $-DMD was used to extract the original images in the process of decryption with the secret seeds provided. Two simulations were performed to illustrate the performance of $ \tau $-DMD for image decryption, showing a better decryption results than FastICA.

Adaptive Subband Forward Blind Source Separation Algorithms Based on Kalman Mechanism

Adaptive Subband Forward Blind Source Separation Algorithms Based on Kalman Mechanism

Real-time infrared spectroscopy coupled with blind source separation for nuclear waste process monitoring

On-line infrared absorbance spectroscopy enables rapid measurement of solution-phase molecular species. Many spectra-to-concentration models exist for spectral data, with some models able to handle overlapping spectral bands and nonlinearities. However, model accuracy is limited by the quality of training data used in model fitting. The process spectra of nuclear waste simulants at the Savannah River Site display incongruity between training and process spectra; the glycolate spectral signature in the training data does not match the glycolate signature in Savannah River National Laboratory process data. A novel blind source separation algorithm is proposed that preprocesses spectral data so that process spectra more closely resemble training spectra, thereby improving model quantification accuracy when unexpected sources of variation appear in process spectra. The novel blind source separation preprocessing algorithm is shown to improve nitrate quantification from an R2 of 0.934 to 0.988 and from 0.267 to 0.978 in two instances analyzing nuclear waste simulants from the Slurry Receipt Adjustment Tank and Slurry Mix Evaporator cycle at the Savannah River Site.

A Novel Underdetermined Blind Source Separation Algorithm of Frequency-Hopping Signals via Time-Frequency Analysis

To address the significant performance degradation of conventional underdetermined blind source separation algorithms for frequency-hopping (FH) signals under time-frequency (TF) overlapping conditions, this paper presents a novel three-stage scheme based on the TF distribution of FH signals. In the first stage, key parameters of the FH signal are estimated using a TF binary graph. In the second step, the initial mixing matrix is estimated for non-overlapping and overlapping carrier frequencies employing density peaks clustering and tensor decomposition methods, respectively. In the third step, the final mixing matrix, directions of arrival (DOA), and source signals are estimated using the expectation-maximization algorithm within the nonnegative matrix factorization model. Finally, different segments of the FH signals are spliced together based on the DOAs of different source signals. Comprehensive experimental results demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed algorithm compared to state-of-the-art algorithms. Even at a signal-to-noise ratio of 5 dB, the correlation coefficient of the estimated source signals can still reach 0.91.

A Blind Source Separation Method Based on Bounded Component Analysis Optimized by the Improved Beetle Antennae Search.

Currently, the widely used blind source separation algorithm is typically associated with issues such as a sluggish rate of convergence and unstable accuracy, and it is mostly suitable for the separation of independent source signals. Nevertheless, source signals are not always independent of one another in practical applications. This paper suggests a blind source separation algorithm based on the bounded component analysis of the enhanced Beetle Antennae Search algorithm (BAS). Firstly, the restrictive assumptions of the bounded component analysis method are more relaxed and do not require the signal sources to be independent of each other, broadening the applicability of this blind source separation algorithm. Second, the objective function of bounded component analysis is optimized using the improved Beetle Antennae Search optimization algorithm. A step decay factor is introduced to ensure that the beetle does not miss the optimal point when approaching the target, improving the optimization accuracy. At the same time, since only one beetle is required, the optimization speed is also improved. Finally, simulation experiments show that the algorithm can effectively separate independent and dependent source signals and can be applied to blind source separation of images. Compared to traditional blind source separation algorithms, it has stronger universality and has faster convergence speed and higher accuracy compared to the original independent component analysis algorithm.