This thesis is concerned with maximizing the coding efficiency, random accessibility and visual performance of scalable compressed video. The unifying theme behind this work is the use of finely embedded localized coding structures, which govern the extent to which these goals may be jointly achieved. The first part focuses on scalable volumetric image compression. We investigate 3D transform and coding techniques which exploit inter-slice statistical redundancies without compromising slice accessibility. Our study shows that the motion-compensated temporal discrete wavelet transform (MC-TDWT) practically achieves an upper bound to the compression efficiency of slice transforms. From a video coding perspective, we find that most of the coding gain is attributed to offsetting the learning penalty in adaptive arithmetic coding through 3D code-block extension, rather than inter-frame context modelling. The second aspect of this thesis examines random accessibility. Accessibility refers to the ease with which a region of interest is accessed (subband samples needed for reconstruction are retrieved) from a compressed video bitstream, subject to spatiotemporal code-block constraints. We investigate the fundamental implications of motion compensation for random access efficiency and the compression performance of scalable interactive video. We demonstrate that inclusion of motion compensation operators within the lifting steps of a temporal subband transform incurs a random access penalty which depends on the characteristics of the motion field. The final aspect of this thesis aims to minimize the perceptual impact of visible distortion in scalable reconstructed video. We present a visual optimization strategy based on distortion scaling which raises the distortion-length slope of perceptually significant samples. This alters the codestream embedding order during post-compression rate-distortion optimization, thus allowing visually sensitive sites to be encoded with higher fidelity at a given bit-rate. For visual sensitivity analysis, we propose a contrast perception model that incorporates an adaptive masking slope. This versatile feature provides a context which models perceptual significance. It enables scene structures that otherwise suffer significant degradation to be preserved at lower bit-rates. The novelty in our approach derives from a set of "perceptual mappings" which account for quantization noise shaping effects induced by motion-compensated temporal synthesis. The proposed technique reduces wavelet compression artefacts and improves the perceptual quality of video.

Traditionally, source coding (data compression) and channel coding (error protection) are performed separately and sequentially, resulting in what we call a tandem (separate) coding system. In practical implementations, however, tandem coding might involve a large delay and a high coding/decoding complexity, since one needs to remove the redundancy in the source coding part and then insert certain redundancy in the channel coding part. On the other hand, joint source-channel coding (JSCC), which coordinates source and channel coding or combines them into a single step, may offer substantial improvements over the tandem coding approach. This thesis deals with the fundamental Shannon-theoretic limits for a variety of communication systems via JSCC. More specifically, we investigate the reliability function (which is the largest rate at which the coding probability of error vanishes exponentially with increasing blocklength) for JSCC for the following discrete-time communication systems: (i) discrete memoryless systems; (ii) discrete memoryless systems with perfect channel feedback; (iii) discrete memoryless systems with source side information; (iv) discrete systems with Markovian memory; (v) continuous-valued (particularly Gaussian) memoryless systems; (vi) discrete asymmetric 2-user source-channel systems. For the above systems, we establish upper and lower bounds for the JSCC reliability function and we analytically compute these bounds. The conditions for which the upper and lower bounds coincide are also provided. We show that the conditions are satisfied for a large class of source-channel systems, and hence exactly determine the reliability function. We next provide a systematic comparison between the JSCC reliability function and the tandem coding reliability function (the reliability function resulting from separate source and channel coding). We show that the JSCC reliability function is substantially larger than the tandem coding reliability function for most cases. In particular, the JSCC reliability function is close to twice as large as the tandem coding reliability function for many source-channel pairs. This exponent gain provides a theoretical underpinning and justification for JSCC design as opposed to the widely used tandem coding method, since JSCC will yield a faster exponential rate of decay for the system error probability and thus provides substantial reductions in complexity and coding/decoding delay for real-world communication systems. / Thesis (Ph.D, Mathematics & Statistics) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-13 22:31:56.425

This thesis deals with processing pictures from game on billiard, their pre-processing, segmentation and classification of objects. Depending on objects classification is determinated state of game and it´s next step. Aim of this project is development of system for gameplay assistance.

Thesis is devoted to a problem of Power Factor Correction on the low voltage level. It has still its own difficulties despite the fact that topic moved through long development. The main goal of this work is to offer reader variable procedure considering design process. It is based on use of measured data of network analyzer Meg30. The design algorithm has to share a maximum of eventual influencing factors. Therefore the body of master thesis goes through detailed analysis of Power Factor Correction.

Cílem předkládané diplomové práce je pomocí lícování obrazů přesně popsat distorzní pole pro následné odstranění geometrické distorze. Snímky zkreslené geometrickou distorzí pochází z prozařovacího elektronového mikroskopu. První část práce se zabývá zejména teorií spojenou s elektronovou mikroskopií, vznikem geometrické distorze a samotnou obrazovou registrací s důrazem na intenzitní flexibilní metody lícování. Ve druhé části je pak představena vytvořená metoda pro modelování geometrické distorze a lícování obrazů postižených slabou geometrickou distorzí. Vyvinutá metoda je následně otestována na testovacích i reálných datech a srovnána s existujícími popsanými metodami pro obrazovou registraci (například open-source softwarem Elastix).

<p>Most work on amplifier linearity has focused on the transconductance (gm) linearity, but there is increasing evidence that the voltage-dependence of the gate-source capacitance (Cgs) plays an important role in the linearity of emerging devices. This work addresses the capacitance contribution by incorporating the nonlinearities attributed to the voltage dependency of Cgs of a general FET on a circuit-level Cg amplifier model.</p> <p>An amplifier model including a voltage-dependent Cgs, and a voltage-dependent gm is studied using harmonic analysis and Volterra series. A closed form expression for the  third-order intercept point (IP3) of the amplifier, which depends on the nonlinear coefficients of Cgs, is obtained. A simple design rule, and a formula for the reduction of the IP3 due to the voltage-dependent Cgs are also presented. </p> <p>As application examples, the linearity of an amplifier based on a specific device is analyzed for two cases by extracting the nonlinear circuit parameters of the device. First for an analytic model of a bulk mosfet. Second for a one-dimensional, ballistic, coaxially gated Si nanowire. For low frequencies of design, the distortion introduced by gm is predominant, but for high frequencies it is obscured by the distortion coming from Cgs.</p> <p>We conclude that taking into account the voltage-dependence of Cgs is crucial when predicting the linearity behavior of a Cg amplifier, either designed for high-frequency operation, or based on a device operating near the quantum capacitance limit. </p>

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Plant Pathology / John F. Leslie / Members of the genus Fusarium are widely distributed in many geographic regions of the world. This genus includes plant pathogens of many important cereal crops, e.g., wheat, maize, rice and sorghum, and of other native and economically important plants. From culture collections at Kansas State University and Universiti Sains Malaysia, strains from Southeast Asia, primarily from Malaysia and Thailand, associated with mango malformation disease, bakanae disease of rice, and stalk rot of sorghum were analyzed in sexual crosses and molecular diagnostics, e.g., Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs). Fusarium proliferatum was recovered from all three crops, with each crop also yielding some species unique to the crop, e.g. F. fujikuroi from rice, F. thapsinum from sorghum, and F. mangiferae from mango. These results are consistent with hypotheses that F. proliferatum has a wide host range while other species have much more limited host preferences. The absence from our samples of species associated with these diseases in other parts of the world suggests policies should be developed to reduce the chances of introduction of novel pathogens into Southeast Asia. Fusarium fujikuroi and F. proliferatum are closely related. They usually can be separated by sexual cross-fertility and DNA sequence analysis. However, some strains can cross irregularly and with poor fertility to produce viable interspecific hybrids. From a laboratory cross between F. fujikuroi FGSC8932 and F. proliferatum FGSC7615, 533 progeny were collected. These progeny were characterized for their AFLP genotype, mating type, gibberellic acid production, and pathogenicity on rice, onions, and apples. A recombination-based map from this interspecific cross was constructed. QTLs associated with gibberellic acid production, rice pathogenicity, and onion pathogenicity were identified. Gene segregation amongst the progeny of the F. fujikuroi × F. proliferatum cross was distorted towards F. proliferatum. Both novel and transgressive pathogenicity phenotypes were detected. Overall, this research demonstrates the potential threats that can result from an interspecific cross. These threats include pathogens with novel toxin profiles, new pathogenicity phenotypes, and more virulent strains. The variation observed among the progeny may enable isolation and characterization of genetic factors that have a role in pathogenicity, toxin production, and host specificity.

We will consider the scenario of the co-rotation of a fluid star (in specific, a neutron star) and a black hole. The neutron star (or primary)is assumed to have constant angular velocity. The tidal effects on the primary are investigated. First, the centrally condensed approximation is applied, where both bodies are considered as point sources. In the second treatment, the primary is treated as an incompressible and homogeneous fluid mass, which in addition to its own gravity is subject to centrifugal and Coriolis forces, derived from fluid motions. The black hole (or secondary) is treated as a rigid sphere and can be regarded as a point mass. The equilibrium figure is derived. The problem is then adapted to include vorticity and a pseudo-Newtonian potential. The coalescence of neutron star - black hole binaries and their importance to gravitational wave detection is also discussed. / Mathematical Sciences / M. Sc. (Applied Mathematics)

Coherence scanning interferometry (CSI) is a non-contacting optical technique which is widely used for the measurement of surface topography. CSI combines the lateral resolution of a high power microscope with the axial resolution of an interferometer. As with any other metrology instrument, CSI is calibrated to define measurement uncertainty. The traditional calibration procedure, as recommended by instrument manufacturers, consists of calibration of the axial and lateral scales of the instrument. Although calibration in this way provides uncertainties for the measurement of rectilinear artefacts, it does not give information about tilt-related uncertainty. If an object with varying slope is measured, significant errors are observed as the surface gradient increases. In this thesis a novel approach of calibration and adjustment for CSI using a spherical object is introduced. This new technique is based on three dimensional linear filtering theory. According to linear theory, smooth surface measurement in CSI can be represented as a linear filtering operation, where the filter is characterised either by point spread function (PSF) in space domain or by transfer function (TF) in spatial frequency domain. The derivation of these characteristics usually involves making the Born approximation, which is strictly only applicable for weakly scattering objects. However, for the case of surface scattering and making use of the Kirchhoff approximation, the system can be considered linear if multiple scattering is assumed to be negligible. In this case, the object is replaced by an infinitely thin foil-like object, which follows the surface topography and, therefore, is called the foil model of the surface. For an ideal aberration free instrument, the linear characteristics are determined by the numerical aperture of the objective lens and the bandwidth of the source. However, it is found that the PSF and TF of a commercial instrument can depart significantly from theory and result in a significant measurement error. A new method, based on modified inverse filter to compensate the phase and amplitude-related errors in the system PSF/TF, is demonstrated. Finally, a method based on de-warping to compensate distortion is discussed. The application of the linear theory as well as modified inverse filter is dependent on the assumption of the shift invariance. As distortion introduces a field dependent magnification, the presence of distortion for CSI with relatively large field of view, restricts the applicability of the linear theory. Along with this restriction, distortion also introduces erroneous height measurement for objects with gradients. This new approach, based on de-warping, resolves the problems associated with distortion.

Our aim is to examine the problem of optimal asset allocation for investors exhibiting a behaviour in the face of uncertainty which is not consistent with the usual axioms of Expected Utility Theory. This thesis is divided into two main parts. In the first one, comprising Chapter II, we consider an arbitrage-free discrete-time financial model and an investor whose risk preferences are represented by a possibly nonconcave utility function (defined on the non-negative half-line only). Under straightforward conditions, we establish the existence of an optimal portfolio. As for Chapter III, it consists of the study of the optimal investment problem within a continuous-time and (essentially) complete market framework, where asset prices are modelled by semi-martingales. We deal with an investor who behaves in accordance with Kahneman and Tversky's Cumulative Prospect Theory, and we begin by analysing the well-posedness of the optimisation problem. In the case where the investor's utility function is not bounded above, we derive necessary conditions for well-posedness, which are related only to the behaviour of the distortion functions near the origin and to that of the utility function as wealth becomes arbitrarily large (both positive and negative). Next, we focus on an investor whose utility is bounded above. The problem's wellposedness is trivial, and a necessary condition for the existence of an optimal trading strategy is obtained. This condition requires that the investor's probability distortion function on losses does not tend to zero faster than a given rate, which is determined by the utility function. Provided that certain additional assumptions are satisfied, we show that this condition is indeed the borderline for attainability, in the sense that, for slower convergence of the distortion function, there does exist an optimal portfolio. Finally, we turn to the case of an investor with a piecewise power-like utility function and with power-like distortion functions. Easily verifiable necessary conditions for wellposedness are found to be sufficient as well, and the existence of an optimal strategy is demonstrated.