Fast rotation center identification methods for video sequences

Rotational motion can often be seen in video. However, comparatively little research has been done to investigate rotational motions in video, whose analysis could be useful. For example, if we can efficiently identify the rotation center of a spinning object, extraction and tracking of it can be made easier by grouping points moving at the same radial speed. It could also improve compression by synthesizing analyzed spin transitions, and help tracking of rotating objects. In this paper, we introduce a set of rotation center location methods using only the motion field constructed during video encoding, along with a few methods for improving their performances. These methods can be implemented using integer operations only. They are up to 1.81 times faster than the traditional circulation analysis method with little sacrifice in accuracy, and are not affected by asymmetric fields caused by translational motions. © 2005 IEEE.published_or_final_versio

An intelligent tropical cyclone eye fix system using motion field analysis

Tropical cyclones (TCs) are weather systems with vast destructive power. Accurate location of their circulation centers, or "eyes", is thus important to forecasters. However, the eye fix process is often done manually in practice. While multiple factors are considered in the process, with subjective elements in these methods, forecasters could disagree. This paper describes a TC eye fix system that uses a novel motion field structure analysis method. It can handle TCs without well-defined structure that are partially out of the image. The systems also adapts user inputs and past results to improve its accuracy. Implemented on a commodity desktop computer, the system can process about 5 images per minute, giving an average error of about 0.16 degrees in latitude/longitude on Mercator projected map for TCs that are completely inside the radar image. This is well within the relative error of about 0.3-0.4 degrees given by different TC warning centers. This TC eye fix system is useful in giving an objective TC center location in contrast to traditional manual analysis. © 2005 IEEE.published_or_final_versio

A recursive all-lag reference-code correlator for generating odd correlations

An all-lag reference-code correlator generates an all-lag even- or odd-correlation vector at a rate equal to the rate of incoming data samples. Direct implementation of an all-lag reference-code correlator requires N parallel correlators, and the resultant degree of complexity is of the order N 2, where N is the length of the reference code. In a previous paper, a recursive form for generating all-lag even correlations was derived. In this paper, we derive the recursive form for generating all-lag odd correlations. It is shown that the corresponding correlator can be implemented with a complexity approximately equal to that of a single parallel correlator. That is, the degree of complexity of the proposed recursive all-lag reference-code correlator is of the order N. Thus, substantial reduction in the implementation complexity is achieved.published_or_final_versio

A comparison study on algorithms for incremental update of frequent sequences

The problem of mining frequent sequences is to extract frequently occurring subsequences in a sequence database. Algorithms on this mining problem include GSP, MFS, and SPADE. The problem of incremental update of frequent sequences is to keep track of the set of frequent sequences as the underlying database changes. Previous studies have extended the traditional algorithms to efficiently solve the update problem. These incremental algorithms include ISM, GSP+ and MFS+. Each incremental algorithm has its own characteristics and they have been studied and evaluated separately under different scenarios. This paper presents a comprehensive study on the relative performance of the incremental algorithms as well as their non-incremental counterparts. Our goal is to provide guidelines on the choice of an algorithm for solving the incremental update problem given the various characteristics of a sequence database. © 2002 IEEE.published_or_final_versio

Recursive all-lag reference-code correlators

An all-lag reference-code correlator generates an all-lag even-or odd-correlation vector at a rate equal to the rate of incoming data samples. Direct implementation of an all-lag reference-code correlator requires N parallel correlators, and the resultant degree of complexity is of the order N2, where N is the length of the reference code. This paper derives two recursive forms for all-lag reference-code correlators. One generates all-lag even correlation and the other one generates all-lag odd correlation. It is shown that the proposed recursive all-lag reference-code correlator can be implemented with a complexity approximately equal to that of a single parallel correlator. That is, the degree of complexity of the proposed recursive all-lag reference-code correlator is of the order N. Thus, substantial reduction in the implementation complexity is achieved.published_or_final_versio

An all-lag rotating-reference correlator and its efficient implementation

This paper proposes an all-lag correlator that employs a rotating reference code sequence. The proposed correlator has an advantage over the previously proposed all-lag correlator, which employs a fixed reference code, in that correlation peaks remain at the same output positions regardless of update from newly arrived data samples. Therefore, the correlation information can be more conveniently manipulated in certain applications, and the posterior signal processing requirement can be reduced. Low-complexity implementation of the correlator using a recursive form is also presented. The degree of implementation complexity is of the order N, the reference-code length.published_or_final_versio

The Contribution of Ageing to Hospitalisation Days in Hong Kong: A Decomposition Analysis

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Suicide Communication on Social Media and Its Psychological Mechanisms: An Examination of Chinese Microblog Users

Background: This study aims to examine the characteristics of people who talk about suicide on Chinese microblogs (referred to as Weibo suicide communication (WSC)), and the psychological antecedents of such behaviors. Methods: An online survey was conducted on Weibo users. Differences in psychological and social demographic characteristics between those who exhibited WSC and those who did not were examined. Three theoretical models were proposed to explain the psychological mechanisms of WSC and their fitness was examined by Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Results: 12.03% of our respondents exhibited WSC in the past 12 months. The WSC group was significantly younger and less educated, preferred using blogs and online forums for expressing themselves, and reported significantly greater suicide ideation, negative affectivity, and vulnerable personality compared to non-WSC users. SEM examinations found that Weibo users with higher negative affectivity or/and suicidal ideation, who were also using blogs and forums more, exhibited a significantly higher possibility of WSC. Conclusion: Weibo users who are at greater suicide risk are more likely to talk about suicide on Weibo. WSC is a sign of negative affectivity or suicide ideation, and should be responded to with emotional support and suicide prevention services.published_or_final_versio

Assessing Suicide Risk and Emotional Distress in Chinese Social Media: A Text Mining and Machine Learning Study

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The Effectiveness and Sustainability of a Universal School-Based Programme for Preventing Depression in Chinese Adolescents: A Follow-Up Study Using Quasi-Experimental Design

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