A low bit-rate video-coding algorithm based upon variable pattern selection

Recent research into pattern representation of moving regions in blocked-based motion estimation and compensation in video sequences, has focused mainly upon using a fixed number of regular shaped patterns. These are used to match the macroblocks in a frame that have two distinct regions involving static background and moving objects. In this paper a new Variable Pattern Selection (VPS) algorithm is presented which selects a preset number of best-matched patterns from a pattern codebook of regular shaped patterns. While more patterns are used than in the previous work, the performance of the VPS algorithm in using variable length coding, by exploiting the frequency of the best-matched patterns, leads to a higher compression ratio, without degrading the overall image quality

Fast Computation of the Fitness Function for Protein Folding Prediction in a 2D Hydrophobic-Hydrophilic Model

Protein Folding Prediction (PFP) is essentially an energy minimization problem formalised by the definition of a fitness function. Several PFP models have been proposed including the Hydrophobic-Hydrophilic (HP) model, which is widely used as a test-bed for evaluating new algorithms. The calculation of the fitness is the major computational task in determining the native conformation of a protein in the HP model and this paper presents a new efficient search algorithm (ESA) for deriving the fitness value requiring only O(n) complexity in contrast to the full search approach, which takes O(n2). The improved efficiency of ESA is achieved by exploiting some intrinsic properties of the HP model, with a resulting reduction of more than 50% in the overall time complexity when compared with the previously reported Caching Approach, with the added benefit that the additional space complexity is linear instead of quadratic

Bandwidth Borrowing Schemes for Instantaneous Video-on-Demand Systems

A controlled multicast scheme provides instantaneous service, but limited server bandwidth causes some user requests to be either delayed or rejected when insufficient free bandwidth is available. Two borrowing schemes are proposed for instantaneous video-on-demand (VOD) that reduce the user request blocking rate by borrowing bandwidth from ongoing video streams when there is insufficient free bandwidth for the server to deliver a new video stream. Both these new schemes have proved to be successful in reducing blocking rate and increasing bandwidth utilization at the expense of temporarily degrading the video quality

Fuzzy image segmentation of generic shaped clusters

The segmentation performance of any clustering algorithm is very sensitive to the features in an image, which ultimately restricts their generalisation capability. This limitation was the primary motivation in our investigation into using shape information to improve the generality of these algorithms. Fuzzy shape-based clustering techniques already consider ring and elliptical profiles in segmentation, though most real objects are neither ring nor elliptically shaped. This paper addresses this issue by introducing a new shape-based algorithm called fuzzy image segmentation of generic shaped clusters (FISG) that incorporates generic shape information into the framework of the fuzzy c-means (FCM) algorithm. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses confirm the superiority of FISG compared to other shape-based fuzzy clustering methods including, Gustafson-Kessel algorithm, ring-shaped, circular shell, c-ellipsoidal shells and elliptic ring-shaped clusters. The new algorithm has also been shown to be application independent so it can be applied in areas such as video object plane segmentation in MPEG-4 based coding

A novel approach to the design of DSP systems using minimum complexity Finite State Machines

The paper presents a new and different approach to the design and realisation of Digital Signal Processing (DSP)systems by utilising Finite State Machines (FSM). The DSP system is modelled by mapping all its potential states into an FSM, whose complexity is usually very high. The FSM mirrors the complete functionality of the system and thus describes its behaviour in full detail. Examples for FSMs of first and second order digital recursive filters are provided and the current version of the software simulating the FSM corresponding to any linear time-invariant DSP system is described. The potential of this approach including state reduction techniques as well as the inclusion of non-linear DSP systems is also outlined, and further future research intentions are briefly explored

FollowMe: A Bigraphical Approach

In this paper we illustrate the use of modelling techniques using bigraphs to specify and refine elementary aspects of the FollowMe framework. This framework provides the seamless migration of bi-directional user interfaces for users as they navigate between zones within an intelligent environment

Towards FollowMe User Profiles for Macro Intelligent Environments

We envision an Ambient Intelligent Environment as an environment with technology embedded within the framework of that environment to help enhance an users experience in that environment. Existing implementations , while working effectively, are themselves an expensive and time consuming investment. Applying the same expertise to an environment on a monolithic scale is very inefficient, and thus, will require a different approach. In this paper, we present this problem, propose theoretical solutions that would solve this problem, with the guise of experimentally verifying and comparing these approaches, as well as a formal method to model the entire scenario

Enhanced cell visiting probability for QoS provisioning in mobile multimedia communications

This paper presents an enhanced cell visiting probability (CVP) estimation technique by integrating both mobility parameters such as position, direction, and speed together with exponential call duration probability of mobile units. These improved CVP estimates can be used in both adaptive and nonadaptive mobile networks to enhance QoS parameters. This paper also presents a new shadow-clustering scheme based on these enhanced CVPs, which is then applied to the call admission control scheme similar to the one, called predictive mobility support QoS provisioning scheme, proposed by Aljadhai and Znati (2001). Simulation results confirm that this new shadow-clustering scheme outperforms predictive mobility support QoS provisioning scheme in terms of different QoS parameters under various different traffic conditions

A new real-time pattern selection algorithm for very low bit-rate video coding focusing on moving regions

Very low bit-rate video coding, using regular shaped patterns to focus on moving regions in macroblocks, has gained significant attention recently. This paper presents a new real-time pattern selection (RTPS) algorithm using a large codebook of thirty two patterns. The algorithm uses a relevance measurement for all the patterns and a moving region, to eliminate a large number of irrelevant patterns prior to the actual best likelihood pattern selection procedure. Both theoretically and empirically it is proven that not only is the computational complexity of the new algorithm comparable to the contemporary algorithm that use a pattern codebook size of only eight patterns but also the new algorithm reduces the bit-rate significantly, while maintaining comparable subjective quality

Feature weighting methods for abstract features applicable to motion based video indexing

Content based labels, associated with image sequences in contemporary video indexing methods, can be textual, numerical as well as abstract, including colour-histograms and motion co-occurrence matrices. Abstract features or indices are not explicitly numeric entities but rather are composed of numeric entities. When multiple abstract features are involved, distance metrics between image sequences need to be weighted. Most feature weighting methods in the literature assume that the space is numeric (either discrete or continuous) and so not applicable to abstract feature weighting. This paper elaborates some feature weighting methods applicable to abstract features and both binary (feature selection) and real-valued weighting methods are discussed. The performance of different feature selection and weighting methods are provided and a comparative study based on motion classification-experiments is presented