Point pattern matching by heuristic methods : a genetic algorithm and simulated annealing

The problem we consider is to find a subset of points in a pattern that best match to a subset of points in another pattern through a transformation in an optimal sense. Exhaustive search to find the best assignment mapping one set of points to another set is, if the number of points that are to be matched is large, computationally expensive. We propose two stochastic searching techniques - a genetic algorithm and simulated annealing to search for the best ( almost the best ) assignment efficiently. To make the comparison between GA and SA fair, we introduce a piece-wise linear cooling schedule for the SA. As compared to conventional searching techniques such as simple hill climbing and random search techniques, the proposed methods are able to attain better solutions much faster. The proposed methods can be applied to n-dimensional point patterns and any transformation, but we only present results for two-dimensional point patterns and similarity transformations

Pattern Matching Techniques for Replacing Missing Sections of Audio Streamed across Wireless Networks

Streaming media on the Internet can be unreliable. Services such as audio-on-demand drastically increase the loads on networks; therefore, new, robust, and highly efficient coding algorithms are necessary. One method overlooked to date, which can work alongside existing audio compression schemes, is that which takes into account the semantics and natural repetition of music. Similarity detection within polyphonic audio has presented problematic challenges within the field of music information retrieval. One approach to deal with bursty errors is to use self-similarity to replace missing segments. Many existing systems exist based on packet loss and replacement on a network level, but none attempt repairs of large dropouts of 5 seconds or more. Music exhibits standard structures that can be used as a forward error correction (FEC) mechanism. FEC is an area that addresses the issue of packet loss with the onus of repair placed as much as possible on the listener's device. We have developed a server--client-based framework (SoFI) for automatic detection and replacement of large packet losses on wireless networks when receiving time-dependent streamed audio. Whenever dropouts occur, SoFI swaps audio presented to the listener between a live stream and previous sections of the audio stored locally. Objective and subjective evaluations of SoFI where subjects were presented with other simulated approaches to audio repair together with simulations of replacements including varying lengths of time in the repair give positive results.</jats:p

Digital Image Access & Retrieval

The 33th Annual Clinic on Library Applications of Data Processing, held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in March of 1996, addressed the theme of "Digital Image Access & Retrieval." The papers from this conference cover a wide range of topics concerning digital imaging technology for visual resource collections. Papers covered three general areas: (1) systems, planning, and implementation; (2) automatic and semi-automatic indexing; and (3) preservation with the bulk of the conference focusing on indexing and retrieval.published or submitted for publicatio