Refactored MTCNN codebase with significant optimizations and added ba…

…tch processing support

- Completely refactored the MTCNN implementation following best coding practices.
- Optimized code by removing unnecessary transpositions, resulting in faster computation. Fixes #22.
- Transposed convolutional layer weights to eliminate the need for additional transpositions during preprocessing and postprocessing, improving overall efficiency.
- Converted preprocessing and postprocessing functions into matrix operations to accelerate computation. Fixes #14, #110.
- Added batch processing support to enhance performance for multiple input images. Fixes #9, #71.
- Migrated network architecture to TensorFlow >= 2.12 for improved compatibility and performance. Fixes #80, #82, #90, #91, #93, #98, #104, #112, #114, #115, #116.
- Extensively documented the project with detailed explanations of thresholds and parameters. Fixes #12, #41, #52, #57, #99, #122, #117.
- Added support for selecting computation backends (CPU, GPU, etc.) with the `device` parameter. Fixes #23.
- Added new parameters to control the result format (support for x1, y1, x2, y2 instead of x1, y1, width, height) and the ability to return tensors instead of dictionaries. Fixes #72.
- Configured PyLint support to ensure code quality and style adherence.
- Organized functions into specific modules (`mtcnn.utils.*` and `mtcnn.stages.*`) for better modularity.
- Created Jupyter notebooks for visualization and ablation studies of each stage, allowing detailed exploration of layers, weights, and intermediate results. Fixes #88, #102.
- Added a comprehensive training guide for the model. Fixes #35, #39.
- Updated README with information on the new version, including the complete Read the Docs documentation that describes the process, theoretical background, and usage examples. Fixes #53, #73.
- Configured GitHub Actions for continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD).
- Fixed memory leak by switching to a more efficient TensorFlow method (`model(tensor)` instead of `model.predict(tensor)`). Fixes #87, #109, #121, #125, #128.
- Made TensorFlow an optional dependency to prevent conflicts with user-installed versions. Fixes #95.
- Added comprehensive unit tests for increased reliability and coverage.

.github/CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+# Contributing Guidelines
+
+Thank you for considering contributing to this project! Please follow these guidelines to ensure smooth collaboration.
+
+## How to Report a Bug
+1. Search for similar issues in the existing issues list.
+2. If the issue is new, open a bug report using the provided template.
+3. Provide as much detail as possible, including steps to reproduce the issue.
+
+## How to Submit a Pull Request
+1. Fork the repository and create a new branch.
+2. Make your changes following the code style guidelines.
+3. Run tests to ensure everything is working.
+4. Open a pull request with a detailed description of your changes.
+

.github/FUNDING.yml

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+github: ipazc

.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug_report.md

@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+---
+name: Bug Report
+about: Report a bug to help the project improve
+title: "[Bug] Your bug title"
+labels: bug
+assignees: ''
+
+---
+
+**Describe the bug**
+A clear and concise description of what the bug is.
+
+**To Reproduce**
+Steps to reproduce the behavior, numbered if possible.
+
+**Expected behavior**
+A clear and concise description of what you expected to happen.
+
+**Screenshots**
+If applicable, add screenshots to help explain your problem.
+
+**Environment (please complete the following information):**
+ - OS: [e.g., Windows, macOS, Linux]
+ - Python version: [e.g., 3.9]
+ - Version of the project: [e.g., 1.0.0]
+
+**Additional context**
+Add any other context about the problem here.
+

.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/feature_request.md

@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+---
+name: Feature Request
+about: Suggest a new feature or enhancement
+title: "[Feature] Your feature title"
+labels: enhancement
+assignees: ''
+
+---
+
+**Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.**
+A clear and concise description of what the problem is. Ex: I'm always frustrated when [...]
+
+**Describe the solution you'd like**
+A clear and concise description of what you want to happen.
+
+**Describe alternatives you've considered**
+A clear and concise description of any alternative solutions or features you've considered.
+
+**Additional context**
+Add any other context or screenshots about the feature request here.
+

.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md

@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+# Pull Request Title
+
+## Description
+Please include a summary of the changes and the related issue. Please also include relevant motivation and context.
+
+Fixes # (issue)
+
+## Type of change
+Please delete options that are not relevant.
+- [ ] Bug fix (non-breaking change which fixes an issue)
+- [ ] New feature (non-breaking change which adds functionality)
+- [ ] Breaking change (fix or feature that would cause existing functionality to not work as expected)
+- [ ] Documentation update
+
+## Checklist
+- [ ] My code follows the style guidelines of this project
+- [ ] I have performed a self-review of my code
+- [ ] I have commented my code, particularly in hard-to-understand areas
+- [ ] I have made corresponding changes to the documentation
+- [ ] My changes generate no new warnings
+- [ ] I have added tests that prove my fix is effective or that my feature works
+- [ ] New and existing unit tests pass locally with my changes
+
+## Additional Information
+Add any other relevant information, screenshots, or details about the pull request.
+

.github/SECURITY.md

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+# Security Policy
+
+## Reporting a Vulnerability
+If you discover a security vulnerability, please do not create a public issue. Instead, report it via email to [ipazc@unileon.es].
+

.github/workflows/pylint.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+name: Pylint
+
+on: [push]
+
+jobs:
+  build:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    strategy:
+      matrix:
+        python-version: ["3.10", "3.11", "3.12"]
+    steps:
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+    - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
+      uses: actions/setup-python@v3
+      with:
+        python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
+    - name: Install dependencies
+      run: |
+        python -m pip install --upgrade pip
+        pip install pylint
+    - name: Analysing the code with pylint
+      run: |
+        pylint $(git ls-files '*.py')
+
+

.github/workflows/release.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+name: Build and Release
+
+on:
+  push:
+    tags:
+      - 'v*.*.*'
+
+jobs:
+  build:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Check out the code
+        uses: actions/checkout@v3
+
+      - name: Set up Python
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v4
+        with:
+          python-version: '3.10'
+
+      - name: Build the Python package
+        run: |
+          python setup.py sdist bdist_wheel 
+
+      - name: Upload artifact
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
+        with:
+          name: python-package-artifacts
+          path: dist/*
+
+
+  release:
+    needs: build
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Download artifact
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v3
+        with:
+          name: python-package-artifacts
+
+      - name: Create GitHub Release
+        id: create_release
+        uses: actions/create-release@v1
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+        with:
+          tag_name: ${{ github.ref }}
+          release_name: Release ${{ github.ref }}
+          draft: false
+          prerelease: false
+
+      - name: Upload artifacts to release
+        uses: actions/upload-release-asset@v1
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+        with:
+          upload_url: ${{ steps.create_release.outputs.upload_url }}
+          asset_path: dist/*
+          asset_name: $(basename ${{ asset_path }})
+          asset_content_type: application/octet-stream
+
+
+  publish-to-pypi:
+    needs: release  # This ensures that this job runs after the release job completes
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Check out the code
+        uses: actions/checkout@v3
+
+      - name: Set up Python
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v4
+        with:
+          python-version: '3.10'
+
+      - name: Install dependencies
+        run: pip install build twine
+
+      - name: Download artifact
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v3
+        with:
+          name: python-package-artifacts
+
+      - name: Publish to PyPI
+        env:
+          TWINE_USERNAME: __token__
+          TWINE_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.PYPI_API_TOKEN }}
+        run: twine upload dist/*
+

.github/workflows/tests.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+name: Run Tests
+
+on: [push, pull_request]
+
+jobs:
+  test:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+
+    steps:
+    - name: Check out the repository
+      uses: actions/checkout@v2
+
+    - name: Set up Python
+      uses: actions/setup-python@v2
+      with:
+        python-version: '3.10'
+
+    - name: Install dependencies
+      run: |
+        python -m pip install --upgrade pip
+        pip install -r requirements-dev.txt -r requirements.txt -r requirements-tf.txt
+
+    - name: Run tests with coverage
+      run: |
+        pytest --cov=mtcnn --cov-report=xml --cov-report=term
+