arXiv:2505.07661eess.IVcs.CV2025-05被引 4

只处理图像中最关键的15%像素,实现高效生物细胞分类

Hierarchical Sparse Attention Framework for Computationally Efficient Classification of Biological Cells

  • 通过分层注意力动态筛选最相关像素,仅处理关键区域
  • 在三种成像模式下仅用15%像素即达可比精度,计算量大幅降低
  • 适合资源受限场景,且能解释哪些区域影响分类结果

我们提出SparseAttnNet,一种新型分层注意力驱动框架,用于高效图像分类。传统CNN会处理整张图像,无论信息密度如何,导致计算效率低下并关注无关特征。本方法利用下游层细粒度多头注意力蒸馏出粗粒度注意力,动态选择最具信息量的k个像素(k在训练中自适应学习,基于损失收敛趋势)。选定前k个像素后,模型仅处理这些像素,将其嵌入为语言模型中的“词”以捕捉语义,再通过多头注意力融合全局上下文。在生物细胞图像上,SparseAttnNet仅需处理约15%像素即可完成分类。应用于三类成像模态:数字全息的无染色细胞光路差(OPD)图像、事件相机的无染色细胞图像、染色细胞的明场显微图像。在所有模态中,该模型均达到可比精度,同时显著降低参数量与每秒浮点运算量(FLOPs),优于传统CNN和Vision Transformers。由于聚焦于生物学相关区域,模型还具备更强可解释性。其自适应、轻量化特性使其特别适用于资源受限且高通量的场景,如成像流式细胞术。

原文摘要 · Abstract (English)

We present SparseAttnNet, a new hierarchical attention-driven framework for efficient image classification that adaptively selects and processes only the most informative pixels from images. Traditional convolutional neural networks typically process the entire images regardless of information density, leading to computational inefficiency and potential focus on irrelevant features. Our approach leverages a dynamic selection mechanism that uses coarse attention distilled by fine multi-head attention from the downstream layers of the model, allowing the model to identify and extract the most salient k pixels, where k is adaptively learned during training based on loss convergence trends. Once the top-k pixels are selected, the model processes only these pixels, embedding them as words in a language model to capture their semantics, followed by multi-head attention to incorporate global context. For biological cell images, we demonstrate that SparseAttnNet can process approximately 15% of the pixels instead of the full image. Applied to cell classification tasks using white blood cells images from the following modalities: optical path difference (OPD) images from digital holography for stain-free cells, images from motion-sensitive (event) camera from stain-free cells, and brightfield microscopy images of stained cells, For all three imaging modalities, SparseAttnNet achieves competitive accuracy while drastically reducing computational requirements in terms of both parameters and floating-point operations per second, compared to traditional CNNs and Vision Transformers. Since the model focuses on biologically relevant regions, it also offers improved explainability. The adaptive and lightweight nature of SparseAttnNet makes it ideal for deployment in resource-constrained and high-throughput settings, including imaging flow cytometry.

图像分类注意力机制生物医学轻量化

Thank you to arXiv for use of its open access interoperability. PaperDance 不是 arXiv 官方产品;中文卡片由大模型生成,请以原文为准。