A color image watermarking framework for copyright protection of stereo images based on binocular just noticeable difference and LU decomposition

Multimedia Tools and Applications - The copyright protection of three-dimensional (3D) content is a matter of interest in artistic and creative works due to the rights of the holder for the...     

Real-time 2D–3D filtering using order statistics based algorithms

The paper presents a review of the author’s own results obtained in the last several years. Some examples of real-time processing of 2D and 3D images are described. In particular, we discuss the noise model and objective criteria that can be applied to characterize the performance of the processing algorithms. Several proposed algorithms based on RM approach are compared with other known ones, demonstrating the advantages in noise suppressing and preservation of fine image details and edges. A number of 2D and 3D image denoising filters are implemented on DSP, realizing real-time mode in the image processing. The performances of the proposed processing algorithms and the known ones are discussed and evaluated here.

Redox modification of high-silica zeolites with chromium via multistep cluster synthesis

This paper examines the modification of zeolites with superstoichiometric amounts of metals using multistep cluster synthesis. Ion-exchange sites in zeolite MFI-50 (SiO₂/Al₂O₃ molar ratio of 50) have been modified with hydrazonium cations. Subsequent redox reaction with chromate anions has yielded a chromium-containing zeolite. The sample prepared by three ion-exchange/redox cycles contains 10 wt % chromium (Cr-MFI-50). EPR results show that most of the chromium in Cr-MFI-50 is in the form of fine Cr₂O₃ particles. In addition, the material contains isolated Cr⁵⁺ ions and, presumably, Cr³⁺ stabilized at aluminum vacancies.     

Real-time noise suppression in 3D ultrasound imaging based on order statistics

An approach based on order statistics for speckle and impulsive noise suppression in 3D ultrasound images is presented. The proposed technique uses the rank M-type estimators and these are adapted to 3D image processing applications. The results from known techniques are compared with the proposed method to demonstrate its performance in terms of noise suppression and detail preservation. The DSP TMS320C6711 has been used to realise 3D image processing and for comparison of the processing time values.     

Structure of Bi<Subscript>2</Subscript>Se<Subscript>0.3</Subscript>Te<Subscript>2.7</Subscript> alloy plates obtained by crystallization in a flat cavity by the Bridgman method

The property anisotropy in Bi₂Se_0.3Te_2.7 alloy is analyzed by constructing index surfaces for the thermoelectric figure of merit and thermal expansion coefficient. Texture is an important factor forming the property anisotropy and technological applicability of an ingot for fabricating modules. The property anisotropy is analyzed based on studying the texture in ingots produced by the modified Bridgman method (thermoelectric plate growth in a flat cavity). Analysis of the texture shows that not only the crystallization rate, but also the crystallization cavity design is an important factor for the proposed crystallization method, affecting the formation of the thermoelectric-material structure. As the plate thickness is decreased by changing the heat removal conditions in a thin gap, a more perfect structure can be obtained.     

Parallel framework for dense disparity map estimation using Hamming distance

A novel framework for sparse and dense disparity estimation was designed, and the proposed framework has been implemented in CPU and GPU for a parallel processing capability. The Census transform is applied in the first stage, and then, the Hamming distance is later used as similarity measure in the stereo matching stage followed by a matching consistency check. Next, a disparity refinement is performed on the sparse disparity map via weighted median filtering and color K-means segmentation, in addition to clustered median filtering to obtain the dense disparity map. The results are compared with state-of-the-art frameworks, demonstrating this process to be competitive and robust. The quality criteria used are structural similarity index measure and percentage of bad pixels (B) for objective results and subjective perception via human visual system demonstrating better performance in maintaining fine features in disparity maps. The comparisons include processing times and running environments, to place each process into context.     

Fuzzy Directional (FD) Filter for impulsive noise reduction in colour video sequences

This paper presents a novel Fuzzy Directional (FD) Filter for suppression of impulsive noise in colour video sequences. The proposed approach consists in the estimation of fuzzy levels to detect movement and noise presence in the neighbourhood frames, permitting to preserve the edges, fine details and chromaticity characteristics in colour images and video sequences. The new framework has been justified applying commonly used objective criteria, such as, Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR), Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and Normalized Colour Difference (NCD), as well subjective perception by human viewer showing better performance in comparison with known methods presented in the literature.     

Radiation effects in atomic cryogenic solids

Radiation effects and relaxation processes in atomic solids are discussed with the example of solid Xe preliminarily irradiated by an electron beam. The study was performed employing concurrently the combination of current and optical “activation spectroscopy” methods. Three relaxation processes were monitored simultaneously upon controlled warming-up of pre-irradiated solids: thermally stimulated exoelectron emission (TSEE), thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL) in the VUV range and the total desorption yield by pressure measuring above the sample. Anomalous strong low-temperature “post-desorption” (ALTpD) of own atoms from pre-irradiated Xe solids was observed for the first time. The data obtained demonstrated a clear correlation between the yields of exoelectrons, photons of recombination luminescence and neutral particles pointing to the common origin of the phenomena. It was shown that the key primary process of the relaxation cascade including the ALTpD is a thermally stimulated electron detrapping, promoting electrons into the conduction band. Subsequent branching of the relaxation paths results in the relaxation emissions observed. An accumulation of charges of both signs as well as excess electrons under exposure to an electron beam was found.     

Parallel supervised land-cover classification system for hyperspectral and multispectral images

Hyperspectral and multispectral imagery allows remote-sensing applications such as the land-cover mapping, which is a significant baseline to understand and to monitor the Earth. Furthermore, it is a relevant process for socio-economic activities. For that reason, high land-classification accuracies are imperative, and minor image processing time is essential. In addition, the process of gathering classes’ documented samples is complicated. This implies that the classification system is required to perform with a limited number of training observations. Another point worth mentioning is that there are hardly any methods that can be used analogously for hyperspectral or multispectral images. This paper aims to propose a novel classification system that can be used for both types of images. The designed classification system is composed of a novel parallel feature extraction algorithm, which utilises a cluster of two graphics processing units in combination with a multicore central processing unit (CPU), and an artificial neural network (ANN) particularly devised for the classification of the features ensued by the implemented feature extraction method. To prove the performance of the proposed classification system, it is compared with non-parallel and CPU-only-parallel implementations employing multispectral and hyperspectral databases. Moreover, experiments with different number of samples for training the classifier are performed. Finally, the proposed ANN is compared with a state-of-the-art support vector machine in classification and processing time results.     

Image super-resolution via two coupled dictionaries and sparse representation

In image processing, the super-resolution (SR) technique has played an important role to perform high-resolution (HR) images from the acquired low-resolution (LR) images. In this paper, a novel technique is proposed that can generate a SR image from a single LR input image. Designed framework can be used in images of different kinds. To reconstruct a HR image, it is necessary to perform an intermediate step, which consists of an initial interpolation; next, the features are extracted from this initial image via convolution operation. Then, the principal component analysis (PCA) is used to reduce information redundancy after features extraction step. Non-overlapping blocks are extracted, and for each block, the sparse representation is performed, which it is later used to recover the HR image. Using the quality objective criteria and subjective visual perception, the proposed technique has been evaluated demonstrating their competitive performance in comparison with state-of-the-art methods.