A PatchMatch-based Dense-field Algorithm for Video Copy-Move Detection and Localization

We propose a new algorithm for the reliable detection and localization of video copy-move forgeries. Discovering well crafted video copy-moves may be very difficult, especially when some uniform background is copied to occlude foreground objects. To reliably detect both additive and occlusive copy-moves we use a dense-field approach, with invariant features that guarantee robustness to several post-processing operations. To limit complexity, a suitable video-oriented version of PatchMatch is used, with a multiresolution search strategy, and a focus on volumes of interest. Performance assessment relies on a new dataset, designed ad hoc, with realistic copy-moves and a wide variety of challenging situations. Experimental results show the proposed method to detect and localize video copy-moves with good accuracy even in adverse conditions

Zernike velocity moments for sequence-based description of moving features

The increasing interest in processing sequences of images motivates development of techniques for sequence-based object analysis and description. Accordingly, new velocity moments have been developed to allow a statistical description of both shape and associated motion through an image sequence. Through a generic framework motion information is determined using the established centralised moments, enabling statistical moments to be applied to motion based time series analysis. The translation invariant Cartesian velocity moments suffer from highly correlated descriptions due to their non-orthogonality. The new Zernike velocity moments overcome this by using orthogonal spatial descriptions through the proven orthogonal Zernike basis. Further, they are translation and scale invariant. To illustrate their benefits and application the Zernike velocity moments have been applied to gait recognition—an emergent biometric. Good recognition results have been achieved on multiple datasets using relatively few spatial and/or motion features and basic feature selection and classification techniques. The prime aim of this new technique is to allow the generation of statistical features which encode shape and motion information, with generic application capability. Applied performance analyses illustrate the properties of the Zernike velocity moments which exploit temporal correlation to improve a shape's description. It is demonstrated how the temporal correlation improves the performance of the descriptor under more generalised application scenarios, including reduced resolution imagery and occlusion

On the validation of solid mechanics models using optical measurements and data decomposition

Engineering simulation has a significant role in the process of design and analysis of most engineered products at all scales and is used to provide elegant, light-weight, optimized designs. A major step in achieving high confidence in computational models with good predictive capabilities is model validation. It is normal practice to validate simulation models by comparing their numerical results to experimental data. However, current validation practices tend to focus on identifying hot-spots in the data and checking that the experimental and modeling results have a satisfactory agreement in these critical zones. Often the comparison is restricted to a single or a few points where the maximum stress/strain is predicted by the model. The objective of the present paper is to demonstrate a step-bystep approach for performing model validation by combining full-field optical measurement methodologies with computational simulation techniques. Two important issues of the validation procedure are discussed, i.e. effective techniques to perform data compression using the principles of orthogonal decomposition, as well as methodologies to quantify the quality of simulations and make decisions about model validity. An I-beam with open holes under three-point bending loading is selected as an exemplar of the methodology. Orthogonal decomposition by Zernike shape descriptors is performed to compress large amounts of numerical and experimental data in selected regions of interest (ROI) by reducing its dimensionality while preserving information; and different comparison techniques including traditional error norms, a linear comparison methodology and a concordance coefficient correlation are used in order to make decisions about the validity of the simulation

An Evaluation of Popular Copy-Move Forgery Detection Approaches

A copy-move forgery is created by copying and pasting content within the same image, and potentially post-processing it. In recent years, the detection of copy-move forgeries has become one of the most actively researched topics in blind image forensics. A considerable number of different algorithms have been proposed focusing on different types of postprocessed copies. In this paper, we aim to answer which copy-move forgery detection algorithms and processing steps (e.g., matching, filtering, outlier detection, affine transformation estimation) perform best in various postprocessing scenarios. The focus of our analysis is to evaluate the performance of previously proposed feature sets. We achieve this by casting existing algorithms in a common pipeline. In this paper, we examined the 15 most prominent feature sets. We analyzed the detection performance on a per-image basis and on a per-pixel basis. We created a challenging real-world copy-move dataset, and a software framework for systematic image manipulation. Experiments show, that the keypoint-based features SIFT and SURF, as well as the block-based DCT, DWT, KPCA, PCA and Zernike features perform very well. These feature sets exhibit the best robustness against various noise sources and downsampling, while reliably identifying the copied regions.Comment: Main paper: 14 pages, supplemental material: 12 pages, main paper appeared in IEEE Transaction on Information Forensics and Securit

Moment-based metrics for molecules computable from cryo-EM images

Single particle cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is an imaging technique capable of recovering the high-resolution 3-D structure of biological macromolecules from many noisy and randomly oriented projection images. One notable approach to 3-D reconstruction, known as Kam's method, relies on the moments of the 2-D images. Inspired by Kam's method, we introduce a rotationally invariant metric between two molecular structures, which does not require 3-D alignment. Further, we introduce a metric between a stack of projection images and a molecular structure, which is invariant to rotations and reflections and does not require performing 3-D reconstruction. Additionally, the latter metric does not assume a uniform distribution of viewing angles. We demonstrate uses of the new metrics on synthetic and experimental datasets, highlighting their ability to measure structural similarity.Comment: 21 Pages, 9 Figures, 2 Algorithms, and 3 Table

Neural network correction of astrometric chromaticity

In this paper we deal with the problem of chromaticity, i.e. apparent position variation of stellar images with their spectral distribution, using neural networks to analyse and process astronomical images. The goal is to remove this relevant source of systematic error in the data reduction of high precision astrometric experiments, like Gaia. This task can be accomplished thanks to the capability of neural networks to solve a nonlinear approximation problem, i.e. to construct an hypersurface that approximates a given set of scattered data couples. Images are encoded associating each of them with conveniently chosen moments, evaluated along the y axis. The technique proposed, in the current framework, reduces the initial chromaticity of few milliarcseconds to values of few microarcseconds.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures Accepted by Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Societ