5,407 research outputs found
Edge and Line Feature Extraction Based on Covariance Models
age segmentation based on contour extraction usually involves three stages of image operations: feature extraction, edge detection and edge linking. This paper is devoted to the first stage: a method to design feature extractors used to detect edges from noisy and/or blurred images. The method relies on a model that describes the existence of image discontinuities (e.g. edges) in terms of covariance functions. The feature extractor transforms the input image into a “log-likelihood ratio” image. Such an image is a good starting point of the edge detection stage since it represents a balanced trade-off between signal-to-noise ratio and the ability to resolve detailed structures. For 1-D signals, the performance of the edge detector based on this feature extractor is quantitatively assessed by the so called “average risk measure”. The results are compared with the performances of 1-D edge detectors known from literature. Generalizations to 2-D operators are given. Applications on real world images are presented showing the capability of the covariance model to build edge and line feature extractors. Finally it is shown that the covariance model can be coupled to a MRF-model of edge configurations so as to arrive at a maximum a posteriori estimate of the edges or lines in the image
Ventral-stream-like shape representation : from pixel intensity values to trainable object-selective COSFIRE models
Keywords: hierarchical representation, object recognition, shape, ventral stream, vision and scene understanding, robotics, handwriting analysisThe remarkable abilities of the primate visual system have inspired the construction of computational models of some visual neurons. We propose a trainable hierarchical object recognition model, which we call S-COSFIRE (S stands for Shape and COSFIRE stands for Combination Of Shifted FIlter REsponses) and use it to localize and recognize objects of interests embedded in complex scenes. It is inspired by the visual processing in the ventral stream (V1/V2 → V4 → TEO). Recognition and localization of objects embedded in complex scenes is important for many computer vision applications. Most existing methods require prior segmentation of the objects from the background which on its turn requires recognition.
An S-COSFIRE filter is automatically configured to be selective for an arrangement of contour-based features that belong to a prototype shape specified by an example. The configuration comprises selecting relevant vertex detectors and determining certain blur and shift parameters. The response is computed as the weighted geometric mean of the blurred and shifted responses of the selected vertex detectors. S-COSFIRE filters share similar properties with some neurons in inferotemporal cortex, which provided inspiration for this work.
We demonstrate the effectiveness of S-COSFIRE filters in two applications: letter and keyword spotting in handwritten manuscripts and object spotting in complex scenes for the computer vision system of a domestic robot.
S-COSFIRE filters are effective to recognize and localize (deformable) objects in images of complex scenes without requiring prior segmentation. They are versatile trainable shape detectors, conceptually simple and easy to implement. The presented hierarchical shape representation contributes to a better understanding of the brain and to more robust computer vision algorithms.peer-reviewe
Determination of the Physical Conditions of the Knots in the Helix Nebula from Optical and Infrared Observations
[Abridged] We use new HST and archived images to clarify the nature of the
knots in the Helix Nebula. We employ published far infrared spectrophotometry
and existing 2.12 micron images to establish that the population distribution
of the lowest ro-vibrational states of H2 is close to the distribution of a gas
in LTE at 988 +- 119 K. We derive a total flux from the nebula in H2 lines and
compare this with the power available from the central star for producing this
radiation. We establish that neither soft X-rays nor FUV radiation has enough
energy to power the H2 radiation, only the stellar EUV radiation shortward of
912 Angstrom does. Advection of material from the cold regions of the knots
produces an extensive zone where both atomic and molecular hydrogen are found,
allowing the H2 to directly be heated by Lyman continuum radiation, thus
providing a mechanism that can explain the excitation temperature and surface
brightness of the cusps and tails. New images of the knot 378-801 reveal that
the 2.12 micron cusp and tail lie immediately inside the ionized atomic gas
zone. This firmly establishes that the "tail" structure is an ionization
bounded radiation shadow behind the optically thick core of the knot. A unique
new image in the HeII 4686 Angstrom line fails to show any emission from knots
that might have been found in the He++ core of the nebula. We also re-examined
high signal-to-noise ratio ground-based telescope images of this same inner
region and found no evidence of structures that could be related to knots.Comment: Astronomical Journal, in press. Some figures are shown at reduced
resolution. A full resolution version is available at
http://www.ifront.org/wiki/Helix_Nebula_2007_Pape
Arrival time and magnitude of airborne fission products from the Fukushima, Japan, reactor incident as measured in Seattle, WA, USA
We report results of air monitoring started due to the recent natural
catastrophe on 11 March 2011 in Japan and the severe ensuing damage to the
Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear reactor complex. On 17-18 March 2011, we registered
the first arrival of the airborne fission products 131-I, 132-I, 132-Te,
134-Cs, and 137-Cs in Seattle, WA, USA, by identifying their characteristic
gamma rays using a germanium detector. We measured the evolution of the
activities over a period of 23 days at the end of which the activities had
mostly fallen below our detection limit. The highest detected activity amounted
to 4.4 +/- 1.3 mBq/m^3 of 131-I on 19-20 March.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, published in Journal of Environmental
Radioactivit
The VAST Survey - IV. A wide brown dwarf companion to the A3V star Delphini
We report the discovery of a wide co-moving substellar companion to the
nearby ( pc) A3V star Delphini based on imaging and
follow-up spectroscopic observations obtained during the course of our
Volume-limited A-Star (VAST) multiplicity survey. Del was observed over
a five-year baseline with adaptive optics, revealing the presence of a
previously-unresolved companion with a proper motion consistent with that of
the A-type primary. The age of the Del system was estimated as
Myr based on the position of the primary on the colour-magnitude
and temperature-luminosity diagrams. Using intermediate-resolution
near-infrared spectroscopy, the spectrum of Del B is shown to be
consistent with a mid-L dwarf (L), at a temperature of K.
Combining the measured near-infrared magnitude of Del B with the
estimated temperature leads to a model-dependent mass estimate of
M, corresponding to a mass ratio of . At a
projected separation of au, Del B is among the most
widely-separated and extreme-mass ratio substellar companions to a
main-sequence star resolved to-date, providing a rare empirical constraint of
the formation of low-mass ratio companions at extremely wide separations.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in the Monthly Notices
of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2014 September 25. Revised to incorporate
typographical errors noted during the proofing proces
SXDF-ALMA 1.5 arcmin^2 deep survey. A compact dusty star-forming galaxy at z=2.5
We present first results from the SXDF-ALMA 1.5 arcmin^2 deep survey at 1.1
mm using Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA). The map reaches a 1sigma depth
of 55 uJy/beam and covers 12 Halpha-selected star-forming galaxies at z = 2.19
or z=2.53. We have detected continuum emission from three of our
Halpha-selected sample, including one compact star-forming galaxy with high
stellar surface density, NB2315-07. They are all red in the rest-frame optical
and have stellar masses of log (M*/Msun)>10.9 whereas the other blue,
main-sequence galaxies with log(M*/Msun)=10.0-10.8 are exceedingly faint, <290
uJy (2sigma upper limit). We also find the 1.1 mm-brightest galaxy, NB2315-02,
to be associated with a compact (R_e=0.7+-0.1 kpc), dusty star-forming
component. Given high gas fraction (44^{+20}_{-8}% or 37^{+25}_{-3}%) and high
star formation rate surface density (126^{+27}_{-30} Msun yr^{-1}kpc^{-2}), the
concentrated starburst can within less than 50^{+12}_{-11} Myr build up a
stellar surface density matching that of massive compact galaxies at z~2,
provided at least 19+-3% of the total gas is converted into stars in the galaxy
centre. On the other hand, NB2315-07, which already has such a high stellar
surface density core, shows a gas fraction (23+-8%) and is located in the lower
envelope of the star formation main-sequence. This compact less star-forming
galaxy is likely to be in an intermediate phase between compact dusty
star-forming and quiescent galaxies.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in ApJ
Saliency Prediction for Mobile User Interfaces
We introduce models for saliency prediction for mobile user interfaces. A
mobile interface may include elements like buttons, text, etc. in addition to
natural images which enable performing a variety of tasks. Saliency in natural
images is a well studied area. However, given the difference in what
constitutes a mobile interface, and the usage context of these devices, we
postulate that saliency prediction for mobile interface images requires a fresh
approach. Mobile interface design involves operating on elements, the building
blocks of the interface. We first collected eye-gaze data from mobile devices
for free viewing task. Using this data, we develop a novel autoencoder based
multi-scale deep learning model that provides saliency prediction at the mobile
interface element level. Compared to saliency prediction approaches developed
for natural images, we show that our approach performs significantly better on
a range of established metrics.Comment: Paper accepted at WACV 201
- …