Recently, for the new demands of nowadays multimedia system, such as video interaction, the MPEG-4 standard has been designed. In MPEG-4, because of those new demands of nowadays multimedia system the video stream can be divided into several video object planes ( VOPs ). Those VOPs can be separately encoded, stored, or transmitted. VOP is the basic interactive unit in MPEG-4 video stream, how to automatically or semi-automatically separate appropriate VOPs from an image sequence has become one of the most important issues for an MPEG-4 system, which is also the goal of this proposal. However, MPEG-4 does not provide concrete techniques for VOP extraction. Nonetheless, it is very difficult to extract VOPs, thus the preprocessing used to decompose sequences into VOPs becomes an important issue for an MPEG-4 system, which is also the goal of this thesis. In this thesis, we will develop techniques for segmenting images contained in an image sequence, which can separate two or more image segments ( or regions ) from MPEG-4 test image sequences, and those image segments can be coded as MPEG-4 VOPs. First, we utilize the feature of wavelet to improve the change detection, such that we can obtain a better result of the moving object edge by improved change detection. Second, we use an edge-based method for tracking boundary which is using the canny edge detection and the connected edge component labeling to label those edges. Third, we can combine those two information to obtain a more complete boundary by extracting moving object edges. Although we catch all the edges which is detected on the location of the true boundary, it usually occurs some gaps on which we catch. Because it sometimes will not have a clear boundary, we have to find some method to complete these gaps. Therefore, we propose a multi-level prediction scheme to complete the gaps between the disjoint edges of the boundary we caught by extending the edges on the predictive direction. Final, we use a simple connecting operation for the little gaps (distance=1 or 2). That will make the result more close and smooth. Experimental results for several test sequences show that this novel automatic video segmentation algorithm can give a more accurate object masks.

Limitations of current eldercare monitoring systems leave a need for new solutions. A monitoring system based on a frequency modulated continuous wave ultra-wideband short-range radar is proposed for this application. The complete proposed monitoring system is comprised of four blocks: boundary detection, silhouette capture, human identification, and data transmission. This paper develops the RF front end hardware for the silhouette capture subsystem. System requirements are derived for the silhouette capture subsystem. An architecture for the RF front end is designed, and required individual component specifications are determined. Components are selected off the shelf or custom designed for each socket. Full transmitter and receiver level plans are calculated to ensure expected system performance meets system requirements. A component library and full system schematic is created, PCB layout is completed, and PCB files are generated and sent for fabrication. PCB traces and individual components are characterized over frequency, and methods that improve inadequate performance are documented and discussed.

The aim of the study was to integrate economics, forage agronomy and livestock production data to determine the economic costs and benefits of management techniques that can extend the grazing season for beef production in Atlantic Canada. The results of the study show that extending the grazing season is financially and economically beneficial for both an Atlantic beef farmer and the whole Atlantic community. Extending the grazing season could be thus an alternative solution to enhance beef farm viability in Atlantic Canada. It can also contribute to the sustainable development of beef cattle production through its benefits for environmental protection. The results of this study reflect the necessity of supporting and promoting the adoption of extended grazing season practices in Atlantic beef production. This support and this promotion could involve increasing awareness, training on grazing management skills, diffusion at workshops and participatory research.

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For many enterprises, brand extension has played an important role in the new products developement and brand strategy. By using brand extension, corporation could reduce costs and effectivly gain their reputation while they sell new products. Recently, certain reserch about brand extension have shown that the key factor of successful brand extension lies in the connection between consumer brand extension and parent brand, the more related of the brands and the products, the higher of the effect of brand extension. In addition, self-construals also make effects in understanding the effects of brand extensions. In this study, we form the concept from this base and would like to exam the further extension effect of brand concept and the distance of each case. Also, we would like to testify how would different self-construals of consumer products works while they evaluate the products and try to examine their influence to consumer through advertising techniques by the extension of self-construals and product reviews. In this study, we use really existed brand as our studing case ,"Nike", "Adidas" and "New balance". We would like to explore the different brand extension degree lie in several types of consumer self-construals from the case. In this study, based on attitude function theory, we form the questions toward advertising manipulation of different attitudes inoder to explore whether consumer self-construals affect cognition, and thus affect the extension of consumer product evaluation. The results indicate that, in general, different types of consumer self-construals for evaluation of the product from the extension make significant difference in distance extension products. When the parent brand as a functional brand concept, no matter the distance or distance extension products, self-construals on the extension of product evaluation is not significant. The study also find that different attitude affects advertising strategy for the consumer, and have no significant effects for self-construals. In addition, they can not affect the extension of product evaluation.

In this study, the effects of opening trading mechanism and information flow on return volatility are examined in the Istanbul Stock Exchange. The change in the morning opening mechanism from a continuous auction to a call auction on February 2, 2007 and the extension in afternoon trading hours on September 7, 2007 provide unique opportunities in this respect. First, it is found that the call auction trading mechanism has a decreasing effect on the morning open-to-open interday volatility and morning intraday volatility for low-volume stocks but it does not have an obvious effect on the same type of volatilities for high volume stocks. Second, the study provides evidence that the increased information flow towards the end of the trading day increases the afternoon close-to-close interday volatility for high volume stocks while it does not have such an effect on low-volume stocks. Third, the overnight return volatility is decreased slightly with the extension of trading hours.

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No description available.

Cette thèse porte sur les réformes des systèmes de retraite dans les pays en développement et s’articule autour de deux axes : l’efficacité des systèmes en place pour assurer aux affiliés un niveau de revenu suffisant à la retraite ; et l’extension de la couverture aux travailleurs informels et aux personnes âgées non couvertes. Nous faisons d’abord une étude de 7 cas de pays d’Amérique latine ayant mené des réformes de passage de la répartition à la capitalisation. Elle montre que les effets observés s’écartent de l’impact escompté en ce qui concerne le niveau des retraites obtenu et la formalisation de l’emploi. Nous considérons ensuite le cas du Maroc et le processus de réforme en cours. En nous appuyant sur les données démographiques et financières des régimes, nous analysons la capacité actuelle et future du système à garantir aux retraités un niveau de revenu proche de celui des actifs. Nous montrons notamment que la réforme actuellement envisagée est insuffisante. Nous effectuons enfin, à partir de données microéconomiques marocaines, deux études empiriques sur la question de l’extension de la couverture retraite. La première vise à mesurer l’emploi informel et à identifier ses caractéristiques et ses déterminants. Les résultats indiquent que les trois quarts des travailleurs hors secteur agricole ne sont pas affiliés au système de sécurité sociale et que cet emploi informel est largement subi et non le résultat d’un comportement d’évasion. La deuxième étudie la question de la pauvreté des personnes âgées et l’opportunité de créer une pension de solidarité. Les résultats montrent que les ménages où vivent les personnes âgées sont plus pauvres que les autres, que la cohabitation intergénérationnelle est forte et que la création d’une pension minimale permettrait de sortir un grand nombre de ménages de la pauvreté pour un coût inférieur à 0,5% du PIB. / This thesis investigates pension reforms in developing countries, their ability to provide retirees with a decent income, and the issue of extending their coverage to the entire population, including informal workers. The first two chapters assess the transition from pay-as-you-go to fully funded or multipillar schemes. A case study based on macro-data and pension funds data from 7 Latin American countries show that such reforms had very low effect on coverage rates and labour formalization and did not succeed in protecting people from old-age poverty. The third chapter describes the Moroccan pension system and shows that the reform currently in discussion is not sufficient either to achieve this goal. The last two chapters are empirical studies based on Moroccan labour force survey and household survey data. The first one draws a complete panorama of the non-contributing share of the population and estimates the probability of informal employment depending on both individual and professional characteristics. The second one studies the economic lives of the elderly. Overall results confirm that the informal labour market is heterogeneous and that most informal jobs are involuntary, not a choice made by workers to avoid paying taxes and social security contributions. It also appears that households that include aged members are poorer, the intergenerational cohabitation is high and therefore, creating a solidarity pension will help alleviate poverty at a cost not exceeding 0.5% of GDP.

With arrival of affordable digital technology we are increasingly coming into contact with digital images. Cameras are no longer dedicated devices, but part of almost every mobile phone, PDA and laptop. This paper discusses methods for enhancing quality of digital images with focus on removing noise, creating high dynamic range (HDR) images and extending depth of field (DOF). It contains familiarization with technical means for acquiring digital image, explains origin of image noise. Further attention is drawn to HDR, from explaining the term, physical basis, difference between HDR sensing and HDR displaying, to survey and historical development of methods dealing with creating HDR images. The next part is explaining DOF when displaying, physical basis of this phenomenon and review of methods used for DOF extension. The paper mentions problem of acquiring images needed for solving given tasks and designs method for acquiring images. Using it a database of test images for each task was created. Part of the paper also deals with design of a program, that implements discussed methods, for solving the given tasks. With help of proposed class imgmap, quality of output images is improved, by modifying maps of input images. The paper describes methods, improvements, means of setting parameters and their effects on algorithms and control of program using proposed GUI. Finally, comparison with free software for extending DOF takes place. The proposed software provides at least comparable results, the correct setting of parameters for specific cases allows to achieve better properties of the resulting image. Time requirements of image processing are worse because designed software was not optimised.