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

AXMEDIS 2008

The AXMEDIS International Conference series aims to explore all subjects and topics related to cross-media and digital-media content production, processing, management, standards, representation, sharing, protection and rights management, to address the latest developments and future trends of the technologies and their applications, impacts and exploitation. The AXMEDIS events offer venues for exchanging concepts, requirements, prototypes, research ideas, and findings which could contribute to academic research and also benefit business and industrial communities. In the Internet as well as in the digital era, cross-media production and distribution represent key developments and innovations that are fostered by emergent technologies to ensure better value for money while optimising productivity and market coverage

Distortion-constraint compression of three-dimensional CLSM images using image pyramid and vector quantization

The confocal microscopy imaging techniques, which allow optical sectioning, have been successfully exploited in biomedical studies. Biomedical scientists can benefit from more realistic visualization and much more accurate diagnosis by processing and analysing on a three-dimensional image data. The lack of efficient image compression standards makes such large volumetric image data slow to transfer over limited bandwidth networks. It also imposes large storage space requirements and high cost in archiving and maintenance. Conventional two-dimensional image coders do not take into account inter-frame correlations in three-dimensional image data. The standard multi-frame coders, like video coders, although they have good performance in capturing motion information, are not efficiently designed for coding multiple frames representing a stack of optical planes of a real object. Therefore a real three-dimensional image compression approach should be investigated. Moreover the reconstructed image quality is a very important concern in compressing medical images, because it could be directly related to the diagnosis accuracy. Most of the state-of-the-arts methods are based on transform coding, for instance JPEG is based on discrete-cosine-transform CDCT) and JPEG2000 is based on discrete- wavelet-transform (DWT). However in DCT and DWT methods, the control of the reconstructed image quality is inconvenient, involving considerable costs in computation, since they are fundamentally rate-parameterized methods rather than distortion-parameterized methods. Therefore it is very desirable to develop a transform-based distortion-parameterized compression method, which is expected to have high coding performance and also able to conveniently and accurately control the final distortion according to the user specified quality requirement. This thesis describes our work in developing a distortion-constraint three-dimensional image compression approach, using vector quantization techniques combined with image pyramid structures. We are expecting our method to have: 1. High coding performance in compressing three-dimensional microscopic image data, compared to the state-of-the-art three-dimensional image coders and other standardized two-dimensional image coders and video coders. 2. Distortion-control capability, which is a very desirable feature in medical 2. Distortion-control capability, which is a very desirable feature in medical image compression applications, is superior to the rate-parameterized methods in achieving a user specified quality requirement. The result is a three-dimensional image compression method, which has outstanding compression performance, measured objectively, for volumetric microscopic images. The distortion-constraint feature, by which users can expect to achieve a target image quality rather than the compressed file size, offers more flexible control of the reconstructed image quality than its rate-constraint counterparts in medical image applications. Additionally, it effectively reduces the artifacts presented in other approaches at low bit rates and also attenuates noise in the pre-compressed images. Furthermore, its advantages in progressive transmission and fast decoding make it suitable for bandwidth limited tele-communications and web-based image browsing applications

Flexible cross layer optimization for fixed and mobile broadband telecommunication networks and beyond

In der heutigen Zeit, in der das Internet im Allgemeinen und Telekommunikationsnetze im Speziellen kritische Infrastrukturen erreicht haben, entstehen hohe Anforderungen und neue Herausforderungen an den Datentransport in Hinsicht auf Effizienz und Flexibilität. Heutige Telekommunikationsnetze sind jedoch rigide und statisch konzipiert, was nur ein geringes Maß an Flexibilität und Anpassungsfähigkeit der Netze ermöglicht und darüber hinaus nur im begrenzten Maße die Wichtigkeit von Datenflüssen im wiederspiegelt. Diverse Lösungsansätze zum kompletten Neuentwurf als auch zum evolutionären Konzept des Internet wurden ausgearbeitet und spezifiziert, um diese neuartigen Anforderungen und Herausforderungen adäquat zu adressieren. Einer dieser Ansätze ist das Cross Layer Optimierungs-Paradigma, welches eine bisher nicht mögliche direkte Kommunikation zwischen verteilten Funktionalitäten unterschiedlichen Typs ermöglicht, um ein höheres Maß an Dienstgüte zu erlangen. Ein wesentlicher Indikator, welcher die Relevanz dieses Ansatzes unterstreicht, zeichnet sich durch die Programmierbarkeit von Netzwerkfunktionalitäten aus, welche sich aus der Evolution von heutigen hin zu zukünftigen Netzen erkennen lässt. Dieses Konzept wird als ein vielversprechender Lösungsansatz für Kontrollmechanismen von Diensten in zukünftigen Kernnetzwerken erachtet. Dennoch existiert zur Zeit der Entstehung dieser Doktorarbeit kein Ansatz zur Cross Layer Optimierung in Festnetz-und Mobilfunknetze, welcher der geforderten Effizienz und Flexibilität gerecht wird. Die übergeordnete Zielsetzung dieser Arbeit adressiert die Konzeptionierung, Entwicklung und Evaluierung eines Cross Layer Optimierungsansatzes für Telekommunikationsnetze. Einen wesentlichen Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit stellt die Definition einer theoretischen Konzeptionierung und deren praktischer Realisierung eines Systems zur Cross Layer Optimierung für Telekommunikationsnetze dar. Die durch diese Doktorarbeit analysierten wissenschaftlichen Fragestellungen betreffen u.a. die Anwendbarkeit von Cross Layer Optimierungsansätzen auf Telekommunikationsnetzwerke; die Betrachtung neuartiger Anforderungen; existierende Konzepte, Ansätze und Lösungen; die Abdeckung neuer Funktionalitäten durch bereits existierende Lösungen; und letztendlich den erkennbaren Mehrwert des neu vorgeschlagenen Konzepts gegenüber den bestehenden Lösungen. Die wissenschaftlichen Beiträge dieser Doktorarbeit lassen sich grob durch vier Säulen skizzieren: Erstens werden der Stand der Wissenschaft und Technik analysiert und bewertet, Anforderungen erhoben und eine Lückenanalyse vorgenommen. Zweitens werden Herausforderungen, Möglichkeiten, Limitierungen und Konzeptionierungsaspekte eines Modells zur Cross Layer Optimierung analysiert und evaluiert. Drittens wird ein konzeptionelles Modell - Generic Adaptive Resource Control (GARC) - spezifiziert, als Prototyp realisiert und ausgiebig validiert. Viertens werden theoretische und praktische Beiträge dieser Doktorarbeit vertiefend analysiert und bewertet.As the telecommunication world moves towards a data-only network environment, signaling, voice and other data are similarly transported as Internet Protocol packets. New requirements, challenges and opportunities are bound to this transition and influence telecommunication architectures accordingly. In this time in which the Internet in general, and telecommunication networks in particular, have entered critical infrastructures and systems, it is of high importance to guarantee efficient and flexible data transport. A certain level of Quality-of-Service (QoS) for critical services is crucial even during overload situations in the access and core network, as these two are the bottlenecks in the network. However, the current telecommunication architecture is rigid and static, which offers very limited flexibility and adaptability. Several concepts on clean slate as well as evolutionary approaches have been proposed and defined in order to cope with these new challenges and requirements. One of these approaches is the Cross Layer Optimization paradigm. This concept omits the strict separation and isolation of the Application-, Control- and Network-Layers as it enables interaction and fosters Cross Layer Optimization among them. One indicator underlying this trend is the programmability of network functions, which emerges clearly during the telecommunication network evolution towards the Future Internet. The concept is regarded as one solution for service control in future mobile core networks. However, no standardized approach for Cross Layer signaling nor optimizations in between the individual layers have been standardized at the time this thesis was written. The main objective of this thesis is the design, implementation and evaluation of a Cross Layer Optimization concept on telecommunication networks. A major emphasis is given to the definition of a theoretical model and its practical realization through the implementation of a Cross Layer network resource optimization system for telecommunication systems. The key questions answered through this thesis are: in which way can the Cross Layer Optimization paradigm be applied on telecommunication networks; which new requirements arise; which of the required functionalities cannot be covered through existing solutions, what other conceptual approaches already exist and finally whether such a new concept is viable. The work presented in this thesis and its contributions can be summarized in four parts: First, a review of related work, a requirement analysis and a gap analysis were performed. Second, challenges, limitations, opportunities and design aspects for specifying an optimization model between application and network layer were formulated. Third, a conceptual model - Generic Adaptive Resource Control (GARC) - was specified and its prototypical implementation was realized. Fourth, the theoretical and practical thesis contributions was validated and evaluated

Human-Centric Machine Vision

Recently, the algorithms for the processing of the visual information have greatly evolved, providing efficient and effective solutions to cope with the variability and the complexity of real-world environments. These achievements yield to the development of Machine Vision systems that overcome the typical industrial applications, where the environments are controlled and the tasks are very specific, towards the use of innovative solutions to face with everyday needs of people. The Human-Centric Machine Vision can help to solve the problems raised by the needs of our society, e.g. security and safety, health care, medical imaging, and human machine interface. In such applications it is necessary to handle changing, unpredictable and complex situations, and to take care of the presence of humans

Android on x86

Computer scienc

An SDN QoE Monitoring Framework for VoIP and video applications

Τα τελευταία χρόνια έχει σημειωθεί ραγδαία άνοδος του κλάδου των κινητών επικοινωνιών, αφού η χρήση των κινητών συσκευών εξαπλώνεται με ταχύτατους ρυθμούς και αναμένεται να συνεχίσει τη διείσδυσή της στην καθημερινότητα των καταναλωτών. Το γεγονός αυτό, σε συνδυασμό με τους περιορισμούς που θέτει η τρέχουσα δομή των δικτύων επικοινωνιών, καθιστά αναγκαία την ανάπτυξη νέων δικτύων με αυξημένες δυνατότητες, ώστε να είναι δυνατή η εξυπηρέτηση των χρηστών με την καλύτερη δυνατή ποιότητα εμπειρίας και ταυτόχρονα τη βέλτιστη αξιοποίηση των πόρων του δικτύου. Μία νέα δικτυακή προσέγγιση αποτελεί η δικτύωση βασισμένη στο λογισμικό (Software Defined Networking - SDN), η οποία αφαιρεί τον έλεγχο από τις συσκευές προώθησης του δικτύου, και οι αποφάσεις λαμβάνονται σε κεντρικό σημείο. Η ποιότητα υπηρεσίας που αντιλαμβάνεται ο χρήστης, ή αλλιώς ποιότητα εμπειρίας, κρίνεται ζήτημα υψηλής σημασίας στα δίκτυα SDN. Η παρούσα διπλωματική εργασία έχει ως στόχο την παρουσίαση της τεχνολογίας SDN, την επισκόπηση της υπάρχουσας έρευνας στο πεδίο της ποιότητας εμπειρίας σε SDN δίκτυα και στη συνέχεια την ανάπτυξη μίας SDN εφαρμογής η οποία παρακολουθεί και διατηρεί την ποιότητας εμπειρίας σε υψηλά επίπεδα για εφαρμογές VoIP και video. Πιο συγκεκριμένα, η εφαρμογή SQMF (SDN QoE Monitoring Framework) παρακολουθεί περιοδικά στο μονοπάτι μετάδοσης των πακέτων διάφορες παραμέτρους του δικτύου, με βάση τις οποίες υπολογίζει την ποιότητα εμπειρίας. Εάν διαπιστωθεί ότι το αποτέλεσμα είναι μικρότερο από ένα προσδιορισμένο κατώφλι, η εφαρμογή αλλάζει το μονοπάτι μετάδοσης, και έτσι η ποιότητα εμπειρίας ανακάμπτει. Η δομή της παρούσας διπλωματικής εργασίας είναι η εξής: Στο κεφάλαιο 1 παρουσιάζεται η σημερινή εικόνα των δικτύων επικοινωνιών και οι προβλέψεις για τη μελλοντική εικόνα, καθώς και οι προκλήσεις στις οποίες τα σημερινά δίκτυα δε θα μπορούν να αντεπεξέλθουν. Στη συνέχεια στο κεφάλαιο 2 περιγράφεται αναλυτικά η τεχνολογία SDN ως προς την αρχιτεκτονική, το κύριο πρωτόκολλο που χρησιμοποιεί, τα σενάρια χρήσης της, την προτυποποίηση, τα πλεονεκτήματα και τα μειονεκτήματά της. Το κεφάλαιο 3 εισάγει την έννοια της ποιότητας εμπειρίας του χρήστη και παραθέτει ευρέως γνωστά μοντέλα υπολογισμού της για διάφορους τύπους εφαρμογών, που χρησιμοποιούνται στην παρούσα εργασία. Σχετικές υπάρχουσες μελέτες στο πεδίο της ποιότητας εμπειρίας σε δίκτυα SDN αλλά και συγκριτικός πίνακας μπορούν να βρεθούν στο κεφάλαιο 4. Τα επόμενα κεφάλαια αφορούν στην εφαρμογή SQMF που υλοποιήθηκε στα πλαίσια της παρούσας διπλωματικής εργασίας: το κεφάλαιο 5 περιγράφει αναλυτικά όλα τα προαπαιτούμενα εργαλεία και οδηγίες για την ανάπτυξη του SQMF, ενώ το κεφάλαιο 6 παρουσιάζει παραδείγματα όπου η ποιότητα εμπειρίας ενός δικτύου μπορεί να υποστεί μείωση. Τέλος, το κεφάλαιο 7 αναλύει σε βάθος τις σχεδιαστικές προδιαγραφές, τη λογική και τον κώδικα του SQMF και παρέχει επίδειξη της λειτουργίας του και αξιολόγησή του, ενώ το κεφάλαιο 8 συνοψίζει επιγραμματικά τα συμπεράσματα της παρούσας εργασίας και ανοιχτά θέματα για μελλοντική έρευνα.Lately, there has been a rapid rise of the mobile communications industry, since the use of mobile devices is spreading at a fast pace and is expected to continue its penetration into the daily routine of consumers. This fact, combined with the limitations of the current communications networks’ structure, necessitates the development of new networks with increased capabilities, so that users can be served with the best possible quality of service and at the same time with the optimal network resources utilization. A new networking approach is Software Defined Networking (SDN) which decouples the control from the data plane, transforming the network elements to simple forwarding devices and making decisions centrally. The quality of service perceived by the user, or quality of experience (QoE), is considered to be a matter of great importance in software defined networks. This diploma thesis aims at presenting SDN technology, reviewing existing research in the field of QoE on SDN networks and then developing an SDN application that monitors and preserves the QoE for VoIP and video applications. More specifically, the developed SDN QoE Monitoring Framework (SQMF) periodically monitors various network parameters on the VoIP/video packets transmission path, based on which it calculates the QoE. If it is found that the result is less than a predefined threshold, the framework changes the transmission path, and thus the QoE recovers. The structure of this diploma thesis is the following: Chapter 1 presents the current state of communications networks and predictions for the future state, as well as the challenges that current networks will not be able to cope with. Chapter 2 then describes in detail the SDN technology in terms of architecture, main control-data plane communication protocol, use cases, standardization, advantages and disadvantages. Chapter 3 introduces the concept of QoE and lists well-known QoE estimation models for various applications types, some of which were used in this thesis. Relevant existing studies in the field of QoE on SDN networks as well as a comparative table can be found in chapter 4. The following chapters concern the framework implemented in the context of this diploma thesis: Chapter 5 describes in detail all the required tools and instructions for the development of SQMF, while Chapter 6 presents examples where the QoE in a network can face degradation. Finally, Chapter 7 analyzes in depth SQMF's design principles, logic and code files, provides a demonstration of its operation and evaluates it, whereas Chapter 8 briefly summarizes the conclusions and of this thesis and future work points

Definition and specification of connectivity and QoE/QoS management mechanisms – final report

This document summarizes the WP5 work throughout the project, describing its functional architecture and the solutions that implement the WP5 concepts on network control and orchestration. For this purpose, we defined 3 innovative controllers that embody the network slicing and multi tenancy: SDM-C, SDM-X and SDM-O. The functionalities of each block are detailed with the interfaces connecting them and validated through exemplary network processes, highlighting thus 5G NORMA innovations. All the proposed modules are designed to implement the functionality needed to provide the challenging KPIs required by future 5G networks while keeping the largest possible compatibility with the state of the art