6471646
Multicue HMM-UKF for real-time contour tracking
We propose an HMM model for contour detection based on multiple visual cues in spatial domain and improve it by joint probabilistic matching to reduce background clutter. It is further integrated with unscented Kalman filter to exploit object dynamics in nonlinear systems for robust contour tracking
14613142
Coupled Bayesian Framework for Dual Energy Image Registration
Image registration for X-ray dual energy imaging is challenging due to the overlaid transparent layers (i.e., the bone and soft tissue) and the different appearances between the dual images acquired with X-rays at different energy spectra. Moreover, subpixel accuracy is necessary for good reconstruction of the bone and soft-tissue layers. This paper addresses these problems with a novel coupled Bayesian framework, in which the registration and reconstruction can effectively reinforce each other. With the reconstruction results, we can design accurate matching criteria for aligning the dual images, instead of treating them as multi-modality registration. Furthermore, prior knowledge of the bone and soft tissue can be exploited to detect poor reconstruction due to inaccurate registration; and hence correct registration errors in the coupled framework. A multiscale freeform registration algorithm is implemented to achieve subpixel registration accuracy. Promising results are obtained in the experiments.
31770762
Hierarchical Segmentation and Representation with Dynamic Link Architecture Neural Network
A segmentation scheme based on tracing objects through scale space is proposed. For analyzing the image structure in scale space, a hierarchical neuraloscillator network is proposed. Its intrinsic dynamics provides a natural and reliable representation of multiple segmented patterns. The pyramid-like structure and the local interactions between the neurons can easily integrate the local context information of pixels and global image structure. This model assumes that neural cells show oscillatory activities and the segmentation result is coded by synchronization of activities. This representation framework for neural network suggested by time correlation theory receives direct experimental support from neurophysiology experiment. Computer simulations demonstrate that the network can detect the topological character of images within several oscillatory cycles. Experiment on real image showed the model's ability of segmentation.
8180421
Better proposal distributions: object tracking using unscented particle filter
Tracking objects involves the modeling of non-linear non-Gaussian systems. On one hand, variants of Kalman filters are limited by their Gaussian assumptions. On the other hand, conventional particle filter, e.g., CONDENSATION, uses transition prior as the proposal distribution. The transition prior does not take into account current observation data, and many particles can therefore be wasted in low likelihood area. To overcome these difficulties, unscented particle filter (UPF) has recently been proposed in the field of filtering theory. In this paper, we introduce the UPF framework into audio and visual tracking. The UPF uses the unscented Kalman filter to generate sophisticated proposal distributions that seamlessly integrate the current observation, thus greatly improving the tracking performance. To evaluate the efficacy of the UPF framework, we apply it in two real-world tracking applications. One is the audio-based speaker localization, and the other is the vision-based human tracking. The experimental results are compared against those of the widely used CONDENSATION approach and have demonstrated superior tracking performance.
12006939
Mode-based multi-hypothesis head tracking using parametric contours
The paper describes a probabilistic mode-based multi-hypothesis tracking (MHT) algorithm. The modes are the local maximums refined from initial samples in a parametric state space. Because the modes are highly representative, this technique allows us to use a small number of hypotheses to effectively model nonlinear probabilistic distributions. To ensure real-time tracking performance, we propose a novel parametric causal contour model and an efficient dynamic programming scheme to refine the initial contours to nearby modes. Furthermore, to overcome the common drawback of conventional MHT techniques, i.e., producing only the maximum likelihood estimates instead of the desired posterior, we introduce the highly effective importance sampling framework into MHT, and develop a novel procedure to estimate the posterior from the importance function. Experiments on a challenging real-world video sequence demonstrate that the proposed tracking technique is both robust in complex environment (e.g., clutter background and partial occlusion) and efficient in computation.
6045052
Basis pursuit for tracking
This paper introduces a novel adaptive texture feature selection algorithm for tracking. Specifically, we provide a statistical wavelet basis paradigm to maximally separate statistical characteristics of the object-in-interest and its background. The algorithm is based upon nonlinearly selecting basis elements out of dual dictionaries in an iterative fashion to continually improve a cost function that is suitable for tracking. We demonstrate that such a selection is effective with several difficult sequences that are affected by lighting changes, occlusion and background motion.
16801553
Mini-Max Initialization for Function Approximation
No abstract available.
16524073
Partitioning of temporal planning problems in mixed space using the theory of extended saddle points
We study the partitioning of temporal planning problems formulated as mixed-integer nonlinear programming problems, develop methods to reduce the search space of partitioned subproblems, and propose algorithms for resolving unsatisfied global constraints. The algorithms are based on the necessary and sufficient extended saddle-point condition for constrained local minimization developed in this paper. When compared with the MIPS planner in solving some PDDL2.1 planning problems, our distributed implementation of MIPS shows significant improvements in time and quality.
193123
Incorporating Image Quality in Multi-algorithm Fingerprint Verification
The effect of image quality on the performance of fingerprint verification is studied. In particular, we investigate the performance of two fingerprint matchers based on minutiae and ridge information as well as their score-level combination under varying fingerprint image quality. The ridge-based system is found to be more robust to image quality degradation than the minutiae-based system. We exploit this fact by introducing an adaptive score fusion scheme based on automatic quality estimation in the spatial frequency domain. The proposed scheme leads to enhanced performance over a wide range of fingerprint image quality.
13128744
Bayesian Networks for Knowledge-Based Authentication
Knowledge-based authentication (KBA) has gained prominence as a user authentication method for electronic transactions. This paper presents a Bayesian network model of KBA grounded in probabilistic reasoning and information theory. The probabilistic semantics of the model parameters naturally lead to the definitions of two key KBA metrics-guessability and memorability. The statistical modeling approach allows parameter estimation using methods such as the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE). The information-theoretic view helps to derive the closed-form solutions to estimating the guessability and guessing entropy metrics. The results related to KBA metrics and the models under different attacking strategies and factoid distributions are unified under a game-theoretic framework that yields lower and upper bounds of optimal guessability. The paper also proposes a methodology for implementing a Bayesian network-based KBA system. Further, an empirical evaluation of the relative merits of two Bayesian network structures for KBA, the Naive Bayes (NB) and the Tree Augmented Naive Bayes (TAN), confirms the hypothesis that the TAN structure is superior in terms of authentication accuracy and error rates. The results of the theoretical analysis and the empirical study provide insights into the KBA design problem and establish a foundation for future research in the KBA area.
15723948
Simulation verification and validation by dynamic policy enforcement
This paper presents a new verification and validation (V&V) technique for simulation using dynamic policy enforcement. Constraints are formally specified as policies, and they will be used to check whether simulation satisfies these policies at runtime. This paper also proposes a development framework where policies are developed along with system development and V&V. Once policies are extracted from requirements and specified in a policy specification language, the rest of the development work is automatically performed by the tools in the framework. Both security requirements and functional requirements can be specified as policies and dynamically enforced during the simulation. An automated tool is available for policy specification and enforcement, and it is fully integrated with the simulation infrastructure. This paper also presents a sample system that is modeled and simulated, and policies are used to verify and validate the system model. The paper also discusses the overhead imposed to perform this kind of automated policy-based V&V compared to the hard-coded implementation of the same approach.