19020033
Estimation of multiple directional light sources for synthesis of augmented reality images
We present a new method for the detection and estimation of multiple directional illuminants, using a single image of any object with known geometry and Lambertian reflectance. We use the resulting highly accurate estimates to modify virtually the illumination and geometry of a real scene and produce correctly illuminated mixed reality images. Our method obviates the need to modify the imaged scene by inserting calibration objects of any particular geometry, relying instead on partial knowledge of the geometry of the scene. Thus, the recovered multiple illuminants can be used both for image-based rendering and for shape reconstruction. Our method combines information both from the shading of the object and from shadows cast on the scene by the object. Initially we use a method based on shadows and a method based on shading independently. The shadow based method utilizes brightness variation inside the shadows cast by the object, whereas the shading based method utilizes brightness variation on the directly illuminated portions of the object. We demonstrate how the two sources of information complement each other in a number of occasions. We then describe an approach that integrates the two methods, with results superior to those obtained if the two methods are used separately. The resulting illumination information can be used (i) to render synthetic objects in a real photograph with correct illumination effects, and (ii) to virtually re-light the scene.
2947494
High Resolution Tracking of Non-Rigid Motion of Densely Sampled 3D Data Using Harmonic Maps
Abstract
We present a novel automatic method for high resolution, non-rigid dense 3D point tracking. High quality dense point clouds of non-rigid geometry moving at video speeds are acquired using a phase-shifting structured light ranging technique. To use such data for the temporal study of subtle motions such as those seen in facial expressions, an efficient non-rigid 3D motion tracking algorithm is needed to establish inter-frame correspondences. The novelty of this paper is the development of an algorithmic framework for 3D tracking that unifies tracking of intensity and geometric features, using harmonic maps with added feature correspondence constraints. While the previous uses of harmonic maps provided only global alignment, the proposed introduction of interior feature constraints allows to track non-rigid deformations accurately as well. The harmonic map between two topological disks is a diffeomorphism with minimal stretching energy and bounded angle distortion. The map is stable, insensitive to resolution changes and is robust to noise. Due to the strong implicit and explicit smoothness constraints imposed by the algorithm and the high-resolution data, the resulting registration/deformation field is smooth, continuous and gives dense one-to-one inter-frame correspondences. Our method is validated through a series of experiments demonstrating its accuracy and efficiency.

1208928
Enforcing convexity for improved alignment with constrained local models
Constrained local models (CLMs) have recently demonstrated good performance in non-rigid object alignment/ tracking in comparison to leading holistic approaches (e.g., AAMs). A major problem hindering the development of CLMs further, for non-rigid object alignment/tracking, is how to jointly optimize the global warp update across all local search responses. Previous methods have either used general purpose optimizers (e.g., simplex methods) or graph based optimization techniques. Unfortunately, problems exist with both these approaches when applied to CLMs. In this paper, we propose a new approach for optimizing the global warp update in an efficient manner by enforcing convexity at each local patch response surface. Furthermore, we show that the classic Lucas-Kanade approach to gradient descent image alignment can be viewed as a special case of our proposed framework. Finally, we demonstrate that our approach receives improved performance for the task of non-rigid face alignment/tracking on the MultiPIE database and the UNBC-McMaster archive.
5690166
Developing a database for proteomic analysis of extracytosolic plant proteins
Extracytosolic plant proteins are involved in numerous processes including nutrient acquisition, communication with other soil organisms, protection from pathogens, and resistant to disease and toxic metals. We have developed an online database to provide the plant biology community with relevant information about extracytosolic plant proteins. Data for Brassica napus (canola) proteins identified using proteomics tools can be accessed using this database. Several textual and graphical query capabilities allow biologists to populate and query this database. Results are displayed with active links to other databases. The system has an open API allowing other applications to access this database as a Web service. In addition, the database is augmented with a repository of tools that can be used in data analysis and mining tasks.
1235699
High resolution tracking of non-rigid 3D motion of densely sampled data using harmonic maps
We present a novel fully automatic method for high resolution, nonrigid dense 3D point tracking. High quality dense point clouds of nonrigid geometry moving at video speeds are acquired using a phase-shifting structured light ranging technique. To use such data for the temporal study of subtle motions such as those seen in facial expressions, an efficient nonrigid 3D motion tracking algorithm is needed to establish inter-frame correspondences. The novelty of this paper is the development of an algorithmic framework for 3D tracking that unifies tracking of intensity and geometric features, using harmonic maps with added feature correspondence constraints. While the previous uses of harmonic maps provided only global alignment, the proposed introduction of interior feature constraints guarantees that nonrigid deformations are accurately tracked as well. The harmonic map between two topological disks is a diffeomorphism with minimal stretching energy and bounded angle distortion. The map is stable, insensitive to resolution changes and is robust to noise. Due to the strong implicit and explicit smoothness constraints imposed by the algorithm and the high-resolution data, the resulting registration/deformation field is smooth, continuous and gives dense one-to-one inter-frame correspondences. Our method is validated through a series of experiments demonstrating its accuracy and efficiency.
33302534
A space-efficient algorithm for sequence alignment with inversions and reversals
A dynamic programming algorithm to find an optimal alignment for a pair of DNA sequences has been described by Schoniger and Waterman. The alignments use not only substitutions, insertions, and deletions of single nucleotides, but also inversions, which are the reversed complements, of substrings of the sequences. With the restriction that the inversions are pairwise non-intersecting, their proposed algorithm runs in O(n2m2) time and consumes O(n2m2) space, where n and m are the lengths of the input sequences, respectively. We develop a space-efficient algorithm to compute such an optimal alignment which consumes only O(nm) space within the same amount of time. Our algorithm enables the computation for a pair of DNA sequences of length up to 10,000 to be carried out on an ordinary desktop computer. Simulation study is conducted to verify some biological facts about gene shuffling across species.
30687848
Application of Distributed GA-Based RBF Neural Network in Fire Detection
Distributed neural network based on RBF network is used to establish the model of fire detection in view of complexity of fire process and multiplicity of fire environment. For guaranteeing network adaptability, the number of subnets neural network and degree of sample belong to subnet are determined by fuzzy nearest clustering, RBF network is optimized though a improved genetic algorithm by adaptive genetic algorithm is improved by auto-adaptive crossover probability and the mutation probability that determined the adaptation value. The feasibility of adaptability of the model is proved through training and testing in fire detection model.
38323161
On validity of m-step multisplitting preconditioners for linear systems
Let Ax=b be a linear system where A is a symmetric positive definite (spd) matrix. m-step multisplitting preconditioners, which include the preconditioners based on multisplittings obtained by incomplete Cholesky factorizations [R. Bru, C. Corral, A. Martinez, J. Mas, SIAM J. Matrix Anal. Appl. 16 (1995) 1210-1222], for the conjugate gradient method are studied. The validity of the proposed m-step multisplitting preconditioners when A is an spd matrix is proved. Our results improve and extend previous ones.
6934721
A dynamic conditional random field model for foreground and shadow segmentation
This paper proposes a dynamic conditional random field (DCRF) model for foreground object and moving shadow segmentation in indoor video scenes. Given an image sequence, temporal dependencies of consecutive segmentation fields and spatial dependencies within each segmentation field are unified by a dynamic probabilistic framework based on the conditional random field (CRF). An efficient approximate filtering algorithm is derived for the DCRF model to recursively estimate the segmentation field from the history of observed images. The foreground and shadow segmentation method integrates both intensity and gradient features. Moreover, models of background, shadow, and gradient information are updated adaptively for nonstationary background processes. Experimental results show that the proposed approach can accurately detect moving objects and their cast shadows even in monocular grayscale video sequences.
18702956
A Dynamic Hidden Markov Random Field Model for Foreground and Shadow Segmentation
This paper proposes a dynamic hidden Markov random field (DHMRF) model for foreground object and moving shadow segmentation in indoor video scenes. Given an image sequence, temporal dependencies of consecutive segmentation fields and spatial dependencies within each segmentation field are unified in the novel dynamic probabilistic model that combines the hidden Markov model (HMM) and the Markov random field (MRF). An efficient approximate filtering algorithm is derived for the DHMRF model to recursively estimate the segmentation field from the history of observed images. The foreground and shadow segmentation method integrates both intensity and edge information: Moreover, models of background, shadow, and edge information are updated adoptively for nonstationary background processes. Experimental results show that the proposed approach can accurately detect moving objects and their cast shadows even in monocular grayscale video sequences
35134245
Single Table Access Using Multiple Indexes: Optimization, Execution, and Concurrency Control Techniques
Many data base management systems' query optimizers choose at most one index for accessing the records of a table in a given query, even though many indexes may exist on the table. In spite of the fact that there are some systems which use multiple indexes, very little has been published about the concurrency control or query optimization implications (e.g., deciding how many indexes to use) of using multiple indexes. This paper addresses these issues and presents solutions to the associated problems. Techniques are presented for the efficient handling of record ID lists, elimination of some locking, and determination of how many and which indexes to use. The techniques are adaptive in the sense that the execution strategies may be modified at run-time (e.g., not use some indexes which were to have been used), if the assumptions made at optimization-time (e.g., about selectivities) turn out to be wrong. Opportunities for exploiting parallelism are also identified. A subset of our ideas have been implemented in IBM's DB2 V2R2 relational data base management system.