Automatic adaptation decision making in the MPEG-21 framework: mechanisms and complementary description tools

This paper explains an effective mechanism to make automatic multimedia adaptation decisions within the MPEG-21 framework. The paper analyzes some difficulties for the implementation of automatic decision with the current MPEG-21 description schema. Subsequently, the paper proposes some improvements to the MPEG-21 description schema to address these difficulties. To demonstrate these improvements, the current implementation of the CAIN-21 framework is explained and several experiments are reporte

CAIN-21: Automatic adaptation decisions and extensibility in an MPEG-21 adaptation engine

This paper presents the progress and final state of CAIN-21, an extensible and metadata driven multimedia adaptation in the MPEG-21 framework. CAIN-21 facilitates the integration of pluggable multimedia adaptation tools, automatically chooses the chain of adaptations to perform and manages its execution. To drive the adaptation, it uses the description tools and implied ontology established by MPEG-21. The paper not only describes the evolution and latest version of CAIN-21, but also identifies limitations and ambiguities in the description capabilities of MPEG-21. Therefore, it proposes some extensions to the MPEG-21 description schema for removing these problems. Finally, the pros and cons of CAIN-21 with respect to other multimedia adaptation engines are discussed

Extensibility of adaptation capabilities in the CAIN content adaptation engine

Also published online by CEUR Workshop Proceedings (CEUR-WS.org, ISSN 1613-0073)This paper describes the extensibility mechanism that has been incorporated to the CAIN Adaptation Engine, that provides audiovisual content adaptation based on user preferences, network capabilities and terminal limitations. The integration of new adaptation modules needs no code modifications in the core system, so it does not have to be recompiled for adding or modifying adaptation modules.This work is partially supported by the European Commission 6th Framework Program under project FP6-001765 (aceMedia). This work is also supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología of the Spanish Government under project TIN2004-07860 (MEDUSA) and by the Comunidad de Madrid under project P-TIC-0223-0505 (PROMULTIDIS). The authors want to thank Víctor Fernández-Carbajales for successful testing of the extensibility mechanism

Improving scalable video adaptation in a knowledge-based framework

In a knowledge-based content adaptation framework, video adaptation can be performed in a series of steps, named conversions. The high-level decision phase in such a framework occasionally encounters several feasible parameter values of a specific conversion. This paper proposes to transfer further decisions to a low-level phase that decides which parameters maximise the quality of the adaptation. Particularly when more than one solution are available, an innovative quality measure is used for selecting the best values for the parameters among the set of values that fulfil the adaptation constraints in the case of scalable vide

Bounded non-deterministic planning for multimedia adaptation

This paper proposes a novel combination of artificial intelligence planning and other techniques for improving decision-making in the context of multi-step multimedia content adaptation. In particular, it describes a method that allows decision-making (selecting the adaptation to perform) in situations where third-party pluggable multimedia conversion modules are involved and the multimedia adaptation planner does not know their exact adaptation capabilities. In this approach, the multimedia adaptation planner module is only responsible for a part of the required decisions; the pluggable modules make additional decisions based on different criteria. We demonstrate that partial decision-making is not only attainable, but also introduces advantages with respect to a system in which these conversion modules are not capable of providing additional decisions. This means that transferring decisions from the multi-step multimedia adaptation planner to the pluggable conversion modules increases the flexibility of the adaptation. Moreover, by allowing conversion modules to be only partially described, the range of problems that these modules can address increases, while significantly decreasing both the description length of the adaptation capabilities and the planning decision time. Finally, we specify the conditions under which knowing the partial adaptation capabilities of a set of conversion modules will be enough to compute a proper adaptation plan

PARTICIPATORY MODELLING TO SUPPORT DECISION MAKING IN WATER MANAGEMENT. A CASE STUDY IN THE MIDDLE GUADIANA BASIN, SPAIN.

Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Editor’s Note

The research works presented in this issue are based on various topics of interest, among which are included: Mobile services, mpeg, agent-based Simulation, complexity, management accounting systems, animal-drawn vehicles, traffic and transport, possibility theory, precautionary saving, MAS, ambient intelligence, gamification, sustainable environments, disaster recovery, DSS, constraint programming and ICT

Multimedia Adaptation Decisions Modelled as Non-Deterministic Operations

This paper describes how a multimedia adaptation framework can automatically decide the sequence of operations to be executed in order to adapt an MPEG- 21 Digital Item to the MPEG-21 description of the usage environment in which it will be consumed. The main innovation of this work with respect to previous multimedia adaptation decision models is that in the proposed approach decisions can be made without knowing the exact behaviour of the operations that are going to be executed

Reading comprehension processes: a review based on theoretical models and research methodology

Reading comprehension is a complex, multifaceted process in which a number of components are appropriately and often simultaneously activated. The importance of different background subprocesses, its complex nature, as well as the interconnection of various components has been demonstrated by various ‘models of reading and reading comprehension’. Based on these models, assessment methods and materials for reading comprehension are developed. However, the models and assessment materials developed so far are mostly derived from research on languages with non-transparent orthography (e.g., English). Therefore, the question arises regarding the extent to which they can or should be applied in languages with shallow, transparent orthography (e.g., Croatian) that have clear and consistent relationships between letters and sounds, as opposed to languages with deep orthography. The main aim of this study was to present a brief review of prominent reading comprehension models and their interconnections through specific levels of language processing (single word, sentence, discourse), as well as to discuss the methodological aspects of assessing reading comprehension processes arising from the presented theoretical models. Motivated by the fact that there is a lack of studies on models and assessment materials in languages with transparent orthography, the application of existing models and assessment methods will be discussed in the context of transparent orthography languages. This study provides comprehensive insights, based on theory, on the key elements to consider when developing an assessment method/tool for reading comprehension, both for research or diagnostic purpose

Cardiac cell modelling: Observations from the heart of the cardiac physiome project

In this manuscript we review the state of cardiac cell modelling in the context of international initiatives such as the IUPS Physiome and Virtual Physiological Human Projects, which aim to integrate computational models across scales and physics. In particular we focus on the relationship between experimental data and model parameterisation across a range of model types and cellular physiological systems. Finally, in the context of parameter identification and model reuse within the Cardiac Physiome, we suggest some future priority areas for this field