A quantidade de dados complexos (imagens, vídeos, séries temporais e outros) tem crescido rapidamente. Dados complexos são adequados para serem recuperados por similaridade, o que significa definir consultas de acordo com um dado critério de similaridade. Além disso, dados complexos usualmente são associados com outras informações, geralmente de tipos de dados convencionais, que devem ser utilizadas em conjunto com operações por similaridade para responder a consultas complexas. Vários trabalhos propuseram técnicas para busca por similaridade, entretanto, a maioria das abordagens não foi concebida para ser integrada com um SGBD, tratando consultas por similaridade como operações isoladas, disassociadas do processador de consultas. O objetivo principal desta tese é propor alternativas algébricas, estruturas de dados e algoritmos para permitir um uso abrangente de consultas por similaridade associadas às demais operações de busca disponibilizadas pelos SGBDs relacionais e executar essas consultas compostas eficientemente. Para alcançar este objetivo, este trabalho apresenta duas contribuições principais. A primeira contribuição é a proposta de uma nova operação por similaridade, chamada consulta aos k-vizinhos mais próximos estendida com condições (ck-NNq), que estende a consulta aos k-vizinhos mais próximos (k-\'NN SUB. q\') de maneira a fornecer uma condição adicional, modificando a semântica da operação. A operação proposta permite representar consultas demandadas por várias aplicações, que não eram capazes de ser representadas anteriormente, e permite homogeneamente integrar condições de filtragem complementares à k-\'NN IND.q\'. A segunda contribuição é o desenvolvimento do FMI-SiR (user-defined Features, Metrics and Indexes for Similarity Retrieval ), que é um módulo de banco de dados que permite executar consultas por similaridade integradas às demais operações do SGBD. O módulo permite incluir métodos de extração de características e funções de distância definidos pelo usuário no núcleo do gerenciador de banco de dados, fornecendo grande exibilidade, e também possui um tratamento especial para imagens médicas. Além disso, foi verificado através de experimentos sobre bancos de dados reais que a implementação do FMI-SiR sobre o SGBD Oracle é capaz de consultar eficientemente grandes bancos de dados complexos / The amount of complex data (images, videos, time series and others) has been growing at a very fast pace. Complex data are well-suited to be searched by similarity, which means to define queries according to a given similarity criterion. Moreover, complex data are usually associated with other information, usually of conventional data types, which must be employed in conjunction with similarity operations to answer complex queries. Several works proposed techniques for similarity searching, however, the majority of the approaches was not conceived to be integrated into a DBMS, treating similarity queries as isolated operations detached from the query processor. The main objective of this thesis is to propose algebraic alternatives, data structures and algorithms to allow a wide use of similarity queries associated to the search operations provided by the relational DBMSs and to execute such composite queries eficiently. To reach this goal, this work presents two main contributions. The first contribution is the proposal of a new similarity operation, called condition-extended k-Nearest Neighbor query (ck-\'NN IND. q\'), that extends the k-Nearest Neighbor query (k-\'NN IND. q\') to provide an additional conditio modifying the operation semantics. The proposed operation allows representing queries required by several applications, which were not able to be represented before, and allows to homogeneously integrate complementary filtering conditions to the k-\'NN IND. q\'. The second contribution is the development of the FMI-SiR(user-defined Features, Metrics and Indexes for Similarity Retrieval), which is a database module that allows executing similarity queries integrated to the DBMS operations. The module allows including user-defined feature extraction methods and distance functions into the database core, providing great exibility, and also has a special treatment for medical images. Moreover, it was verified through experiments over real datasets that the implementation of FMI-SiR over the Oracle DBMS is able to eficiently search very large complex databases

The retrieval of digital images is hindered by the semantic gap. The semantic gap is the disparity between a user's high-level interpretation of an image and the information that can be extracted from an image's physical properties. Content based image retrieval systems are particularly vulnerable to the semantic gap due to their reliance on low-level visual features for describing image content. The semantic gap can be narrowed by including high-level, user-generated information. High-level descriptions of images are more capable of capturing the semantic meaning of image content, but it is not always practical to collect this information. Thus, both content-based and human-generated information is considered in this work. A content-based method of retrieving images using a computational model of visual attention was proposed, implemented, and evaluated. This work is based on a study of contemporary research in the field of vision science, particularly computational models of bottom-up visual attention. The use of computational models of visual attention to detect salient by design regions of interest in images is investigated. The method is then refined to detect objects of interest in broad image databases that are not necessarily salient by design. An interface for image retrieval, organization, and annotation that is compatible with the attention-based retrieval method has also been implemented. It incorporates the ability to simultaneously execute querying by image content, keyword, and collaborative filtering. The user is central to the design and evaluation of the system. A game was developed to evaluate the entire system, which includes the user, the user interface, and retrieval methods. / by Liam M. Mayron. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2008. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, FL : 2008 Mode of access: World Wide Web.

With advances in wireless technology and mobile devices, the number of mobile users using multimedia services has increased significantly in recent years. Mobile devices can be connected and roam on heterogeneous wireless networks. The IEEE 802.21 group has designed a Media Independent Handover (MIH) standard to ensure seamless Vertical Handover (VHO) in heterogeneous networks. However, the standard currently depends on features of the network (e.g. the type of network and available bandwidth) to achieve seamless VHO. This approach is limited, as it does not consider how a Quality of Experience (QoE) can be provided and maintained for customers when delivering multimedia services in heterogeneous wireless networks. The aim of the project is to develop a novel QoE-driven VHO management framework for providing and maintaining an appropriate level of QoE of multimedia services as the mobile user’s actual requirements in heterogeneous wireless networks. A QoE-driven VHO algorithm is more efficient for maintaining this acceptable QoE of multimedia services than traditional network-based or QoS-based VHO algorithms. There are three main contributions during this project. Firstly, A thorough evaluation of the performance of voice and video services via Skype was carried out in terms of the QoE metric (i.e. MOS). This work identified the impact of video content and packet loss on the QoE metric for voice and video communication services over wireless networks. Secondly, a QoE-driven VHO algorithm was developed to provide and maintain an acceptable QoE of mobile video services for mobile users. Compared to a traditional network-based VHO algorithm, this algorithm can provide better QoE and maintain acceptable QoE. Lastly, the User-centric QoE-driven (UCQoE) VHO framework to provide satisfactory QoE of multimedia services according to the mobile user’s requirements. The framework allows users to set their own preferences (e.g. quality-guarantee or cost-free) and carry out VHO operations accordingly. The evaluation showed that the proposed framework can provide a better QoE for delivered video services than QoS-based and network-based VHO algorithms. Furthermore, the proposed framework can be used to avoid unnecessary cost of mobile data when the option of cost-free is preferred by the user. During this project, three international conference papers had been published and a journal paper has been submitted to IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing. The main contribution-UCQoE VHO management framework can be developed to maintain QoE of all mobile services in the future.

Este estudo é uma pesquisa qualitativa, que busca indícios sobre a possibilidade de a inserção do recurso multimídia favorecer (ou não) a elaboração de conceitos sobre ligações intermoleculares para alunos do ensino médio. Foi aplicado em um grupo de 22 alunos do segundo ano, do ensino médio, de uma escola particular da zona sul da cidade de São Paulo. A metodologia foi organizada em dois momentos, contemplando a metodologia de ensino, onde se detalha o material usado e a sequência didática empregada, e a metodologia de pesquisa, onde se detalha os instrumentos de pesquisa utilizados. Como a nossa questão principal envolvia a elaboração conceitual de representações pictográficas e textuais sobre alguns sistemas, fez-se uso de dois questionários, sendo um aplicado antes e outro após o uso do recurso multimídia, de forma a possibilitar ao aluno a chance de reelaborar seus registros viabilizando obtermos informações mais consistentes acerca da possível melhora na elaboração conceitual. Com os questionários respondidos e analisados, percebemos que seria relevante realizarmos entrevistas, ao menos com alguns alunos, visando realizar a triangulação dos dados. De acordo com os resultados houve melhora nas representações macroscópicas e, principalmente, nas representações submicroscópicas, denotando que houve melhora na elaboração conceitual, pois quando há mudança no registro pictográfico, possivelmente o aluno reorganizou seu modelo mental aprimorando-o e isto foi externalizado na sua representação. / This study is a qualitative research, that attempts to find appointments about the possibility of the insertion of multimedia resource to favor (or not) the conceptual elaboration of intermolecular forces by pupils of secondary school. It was applied in a group of 22 pupils of second year of secondary school in a private school of the south zone of São Paulo city. Development was organized in two moments, including methodology of teaching, in which material and the didactic sequence employed were detailed, and the research methodology, in which instruments of research were described. As our main question involved the conceptual elaboration of pictographic and literal representations of some systems, two questionnaires were applied, one before and the other after the use of the multimedia resource to support pupils in reorganizing registers in such a way, that it would be possible to get more consistent information concerning the possible improvement of the conceptual elaboration. Based on the data answered and analyzed from the questionnaires, we have realize that it would be relevant to carry on interviews, at least with some pupils, in order to make the triangulation of results. According to results the macrocospic representations were improved and, mainly, the submicroscopics representations, showing the improvement of conceptual elaboration. Therefore, when it these is change in the pictographic register, the pupil has possibly reorganized his/her mental model, improving it as externalized in its representation.

Wu, Xixuan. / Thesis Ph.D. Chinese University of Hong Kong 2015. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-128). / Abstracts also in Chinese. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on 26, October, 2016).

by Ip Kin-ting, Joma. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 47-49). / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iii / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.v / Chapter / Chapter I. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Background --- p.1 / Objective --- p.2 / Report Organization --- p.2 / Chapter II. --- RESEARCH METHODOLOGY --- p.3 / Methodology --- p.3 / Problem Definition --- p.3 / Information Needs --- p.3 / Information Collection --- p.4 / Analysis and Conclusion --- p.4 / Chapter III. --- MULTIMEDIA TECHNOLOGY - AN OVERVIEW --- p.5 / Definition --- p.5 / Benefits --- p.6 / Major Components of Multimedia systems --- p.6 / Typical Multimedia Systems --- p.12 / Multimedia Standards --- p.15 / Existing Multimedia Applications --- p.16 / The Trend --- p.18 / Summary --- p.20 / Chapter IV. --- PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT - AN OVERVIEW --- p.22 / Definition --- p.22 / Major Production Management Activities --- p.22 / Manufacturing Resource Planning --- p.26 / Just-in-time Manufacturing --- p.27 / Computerised Production Information Systems --- p.28 / The Trend --- p.32 / Summary --- p.34 / Chapter V. --- INTERVIEW REPORTS --- p.35 / Rototech --- p.35 / Kitty & Kettie Supermarket Limited --- p.36 / Summary --- p.36 / Chapter VI. --- MULTIMEDIA TECHNOLOGY IN PRODUCTION INFORMATION MANAGEMENT --- p.37 / The Role of Multimedia Technology in Production Information Management --- p.37 / Existing Applications --- p.38 / The Opportunities --- p.41 / Summary --- p.43 / Chapter VII. --- CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS --- p.44 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.47

by Fong Siu-kit. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 73-77). / Abstract --- p.1 / Chapter 1. --- Introduction --- p.2 / Chapter 2. --- Background and Related Work --- p.5 / Chapter 2.1 --- Requirements of a Good Query Language /Interface --- p.5 / Chapter 2.2 --- Casual versus Frequent Users --- p.6 / Chapter 2.3 --- Graphical User Interface --- p.8 / Chapter 2.4 --- Windowing --- p.10 / Chapter 2.5 --- Use of Voice in User Interface --- p.11 / Chapter 2.6 --- Related Work --- p.12 / Chapter 2.6.1 --- Examples of Query Interface Designs in the Literature --- p.13 / Chapter 2.6.2 --- Examples of Query Interfaces in Commercial Packages --- p.15 / Chapter 3. --- Interface Design Concepts --- p.17 / Chapter 3.1 --- Data Model --- p.18 / Chapter 3.2 --- General Guidelines on Interface Design --- p.19 / Chapter 3.3 --- Divide and Conquer Strategy --- p.21 / Chapter 3.4 --- Unit of Operation --- p.24 / Chapter 3.5 --- The Second Clicking Principle --- p.26 / Chapter 3.6 --- Use of Voice in the Interface --- p.28 / Chapter 3.7 --- Customization of User Level --- p.29 / Chapter 4. --- Interface Specification and implementation --- p.30 / Chapter 4.1 --- System Menu --- p.31 / Chapter 4.2 --- ER Diagram and Tables Window --- p.33 / Chapter 4.3 --- Overview on R Window and Result Icon Window --- p.36 / Chapter 4.4 --- Choose Fields Operation --- p.38 / Chapter 4.5 --- Choose Rows Operation --- p.41 / Chapter 4.6 --- Combine Tables Operation --- p.45 / Chapter 4.7 --- For Each Group Operation --- p.49 / Chapter 4.8 --- Set Operations --- p.50 / Chapter 4.9 --- Decomposition and Recomposition of Queries --- p.51 / Chapter 5. --- Example of Application for a Complex Query --- p.54 / Chapter 6. --- Help Facilities and Error Handling --- p.63 / Chapter 6.1 --- Help Function --- p.64 / Chapter 6.2 --- Error Diagnosis --- p.66 / Chapter 7. --- Summary and Conclusion --- p.69 / Bibliography --- p.73 / Appendix --- p.78

Chen Chung-Shue. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-102). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter 1. --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Evolution to 3G Mobile --- p.2 / Chapter 1.1.1 --- First Generation --- p.2 / Chapter 1.1.2 --- Second Generation --- p.3 / Chapter 1.1.3 --- Third Generation --- p.3 / Chapter 1.2 --- UTRA Framework --- p.5 / Chapter 1.2.1 --- FDD and TDD --- p.6 / Chapter 1.2.2 --- Channel Spreading --- p.6 / Chapter 1.2.3 --- OVSF Code Tree --- p.8 / Chapter 1.3 --- Cellular Concepts --- p.10 / Chapter 1.3.1 --- System Capacity --- p.10 / Chapter 1.3.2 --- Multiple Access --- p.11 / Chapter 1.3.3 --- Resource Management --- p.15 / Chapter 1.4 --- Organization of the Thesis --- p.16 / Chapter 2. --- Analysis on Multi-rate Operations --- p.18 / Chapter 2.1 --- Related Works in Multi-rate Operations --- p.18 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- Variable Spreading Factor --- p.19 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- Data Time-multiplexing --- p.20 / Chapter 2.1.3 --- Multi-carrier Transmission --- p.21 / Chapter 2.1.4 --- Hybrid TDMA/CDMA --- p.23 / Chapter 2.2 --- Problems in Multi-rate Operations --- p.24 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Conventional CDMA --- p.24 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Data Time-multiplexing --- p.25 / Chapter 2.2.3 --- MC-CDMA --- p.25 / Chapter 2.2.4 --- TD-CDMA --- p.27 / Chapter 2.3 --- Multi-user multi-rate Operations --- p.28 / Chapter 3. --- Bandwidth Allocation --- p.29 / Chapter 3.1 --- Most Regular Binary Sequence --- p.30 / Chapter 3.1.1 --- Properties of MRBS --- p.31 / Chapter 3.1.2 --- Construction of MRCS --- p.32 / Chapter 3.1.3 --- Zero-one Sequence under MRBS --- p.33 / Chapter 3.2 --- MRBS in TD-CDMA --- p.35 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Time Slot Optimization --- p.36 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Sequence Generator --- p.37 / Chapter 3.3 --- Most Regular Code Sequence --- p.38 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- Properties of MRCS --- p.38 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Construction of MRCS --- p.41 / Chapter 3.3.3 --- Fraction-valued Sequence under MRCS --- p.42 / Chapter 3.3.4 --- LCC and UCC --- p.45 / Chapter 3.4 --- MRCS in WCDMA --- p.46 / Chapter 3.4.1 --- Spreading Factor Optimization --- p.46 / Chapter 3.4.2 --- Code Generator --- p.48 / Chapter 3.4.3 --- Uplink and Downlink --- p.50 / Chapter 4. --- Multi-access Control --- p.52 / Chapter 4.1 --- Conflict and Resolution --- p.53 / Chapter 4.1.1 --- Conflicts in MRBS and MRCS --- p.53 / Chapter 4.1.2 --- Resolution with Buffering --- p.55 / Chapter 4.2 --- MRBS Transmission Scheduling --- p.56 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- Slot Scheduling on MRBS --- p.56 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- Properties of Scheduling Algorithm --- p.59 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- Scheduled MRBS --- p.71 / Chapter 4.3 --- MRCS Transmission Scheduling --- p.73 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- Slot Scheduling on MRCS --- p.73 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- Properties of Scheduling Algorithm --- p.75 / Chapter 4.3.3 --- Scheduled MRBS --- p.76 / Chapter 4.4 --- Performance Evaluation --- p.78 / Chapter 4.4.1 --- Simulation on Algorithm --- p.78 / Chapter 4.4.2 --- Resource Utilization and Delay Bound --- p.79 / Chapter 4.4.3 --- Blocking Model and System Capacity --- p.80 / Chapter 4.4.4 --- Numerical Analysis --- p.86 / Chapter 5. --- Conclusions and Future works --- p.92 / Appendix A --- p.94 / Appendix B --- p.98 / Bibliography --- p.100

Tung, Tak Fu. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 66-68). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter 1 --- Introduction to Multi-path Streaming and Dynamic End-point Adaptation --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Multi-path Streaming --- p.2 / Chapter 1.2 --- Dynamic End-point Adaptation --- p.4 / Chapter 2 --- Related Work --- p.6 / Chapter 3 --- Path Loss Model --- p.10 / Chapter 3.1 --- Bursty Loss --- p.10 / Chapter 3.2 --- Gilbert Model --- p.11 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Discrete-time Gilbert Model --- p.11 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Continuous-time Gilbert Model --- p.12 / Chapter 4 --- Loss Recovery / Chapter 4.1 --- Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) --- p.17 / Chapter 4.2 --- Forward Error Correction (FEC) --- p.18 / Chapter 5 --- Connection Adaptation --- p.23 / Chapter 5.1 --- Path Quality --- p.23 / Chapter 5.2 --- Effect of Shared Congestion Point --- p.24 / Chapter 5.2.1 --- Point-of-Congestion Detection --- p.25 / Chapter 5.3 --- Load Distribution --- p.27 / Chapter 6 --- Analytical Evaluation --- p.28 / Chapter 6.1 --- Performance Analysis of SP vs. Multi-path Streaming (without FEC) --- p.29 / Chapter 6.2 --- Performance Analysis of SP vs. Multi-path Streaming (with FEC) --- p.36 / Chapter 7 --- Experiments and Simulations --- p.42 / Chapter 7.1 --- Effect of Correlated Bursty Losses on Video Quality --- p.42 / Chapter 7.2 --- Analytical Model Based Evaluation --- p.44 / Chapter 7.2.1 --- Data Loss Rate --- p.44 / Chapter 7.2.2 --- Data Loss Rate as a function of FEC parameters --- p.46 / Chapter 7.2.3 --- Conditional Error Burst Length --- p.48 / Chapter 7.2.4 --- Lag-1 Autocorrelation --- p.49 / Chapter 7.2.5 --- Effects of Load Distribution Among Senders --- p.50 / Chapter 7.2.6 --- Sensitivity Analysis --- p.51 / Chapter 7.2.7 --- Effects of Shared Points of Congestion on Various Perfor- mance Metrics --- p.53 / Chapter 7.3 --- Simulation Model Based Evaluation --- p.55 / Chapter 7.3.1 --- Simulation Setup --- p.55 / Chapter 7.3.2 --- Data Loss Rate --- p.57 / Chapter 7.3.3 --- Data Loss Rate as a function of FEC parameters --- p.58 / Chapter 7.3.4 --- Conditional Error Burst Length --- p.59 / Chapter 7.3.5 --- Lag-1 Autocorrelation --- p.60 / Chapter 7.3.6 --- Effects of Load Distribution among Senders --- p.61 / Chapter 7.3.7 --- Sensitivity Analysis --- p.62 / Chapter 7.3.8 --- Effects of Shared Points of Congestion on Various Perfor- mance Metrics --- p.63 / Chapter 8 --- Conclusion --- p.65

Holistic scene understanding is one of the major goals in recent research of computer vision. Most popular recognition algorithms focus on semantic understanding and are incapable of providing the global depth information of the scene structure from the 2D projection of the world. Yet it is obvious that recovery of scene surface layout could be used to help many practical 3D-based applications, including 2D-to-3D movie re-production, robotic navigation, view synthesis, etc. Therefore, we identify scene geometric reasoning as the key problem of scene understanding. This PhD work makes a contribution to the reconstruction problem of 3D shape of scenes from monocular images. We propose an approach to recognise and reconstruct the geometric structure of the scene from a single image. We have investigated several typical scene geometries and built a few corresponding reference models in a hierarchical order for scene representation. The framework is set up based on the analysis of image statistical features and scene geometric features. Correlation is introduced to theoretically integrate these two types of features. Firstly, an image is categorized into one of the reference geometric models using the spatial pattern classi cation. Then, we estimate the depth pro le of the speci c scene by proposing an algorithm for adaptive automatic scene reconstruction. This algorithm employs speci cally developed reconstruction approaches for di erent geometric models. The theory and algorithms are instantiated in a system for the scene classi cation and visualization. The system is able to fi nd the best fi t model for most of the images from several benchmark datasets. Our experiments show that un-calibrated low-quality monocular images could be e fficiently and realistically reconstructed in simulated 3D space. By our approach, computers could interpret a single still image as its underlying geometry straightforwardly, avoiding usual object occlusion, semantic overlapping and defi ciency problems.