379157
From sample similarity to ensemble similarity: probabilistic distance measures in reproducing kernel Hilbert space
This paper addresses the problem of characterizing ensemble similarity from sample similarity in a principled manner. Using a reproducing kernel as a characterization of sample similarity, we suggest a probabilistic distance measure in the reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS) as the ensemble similarity. Assuming normality in the RKHS, we derive analytic expressions for probabilistic distance measures that are commonly used in many applications, such as Chernoff distance (or the Bhattacharyya distance as its special case), Kullback-Leibler divergence, etc. Since the reproducing kernel implicitly embeds a nonlinear mapping, our approach presents a new way to study these distances whose feasibility and efficiency is demonstrated using experiments with synthetic and real examples. Further, we extend the ensemble similarity to the reproducing kernel for ensemble and study the ensemble similarity for more general data representations.
41942332
Exemplar-Based Face Recognition from Video
A new exemplar-based probabilistic approach for face recognition in video sequences is presented. The approach has two stages: First, Exemplars, which are selected representatives from the raw video, are automatically extracted from gallery videos. The exemplars are used to summarize the gallery video information. In the second part, exemplars are then used as centers for probabilistic mixture distributions for the tracking and recognition process. A particle method is used to compute the posteriori probabilities. Probabilistic methods are attractive in this context as they allow a systematic handling of uncertainty and an elegant way for fusing temporal information.Contrary to some previous video-based approaches, our approach is not limited to a certain image representation. It rather enhances known ones, such as the PCA, with temporal fusion and uncertainty handling. Experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of each of the two stages. We tested this approach on more than 100 training and testing sequences, with 25 different individuals.
60706602
Multiple-exemplar discriminant analysis for face recognition
Face recognition is characteristically different from regular pattern recognition and, therefore, requires a different discriminant analysis other than linear discriminant analysis(LDA). LDA is a single-exemplar method in the sense that each class during classification is represented by a single exemplar, i.e., the sample mean of the class. We present a multiple-exemplar discriminant analysis (MEDA) where each class is represented using several exemplars or even the whole available sample set. The proposed approach produces improved classification results when tested on a subset of FERET database where LDA is ineffective.
8505547
Face recognition from video: a CONDENSATION approach
The aim of this work is to investigate how to exploit the temporal information in a video sequence for the task of face recognition. Following the approach in (Li and Chellappa, 2000), we propose a probabilistic model parameterized by a tracking state vector and a recognizing identity variable, simultaneously characterizing the kinematics and identity of humans. We then invoke a CONDENSATION (Isard and Blake, 1996) approach to provide a numerical solution to the model. Once the joint posterior distribution of the state vector and the identity variable is estimated, we marginalize it over the state vector to yield a robust estimate of the posterior distribution of the identity variable. Due to the propagation of identity and dynamics, a degeneracy in the posterior distribution of the identity variable is achieved to give improved recognition. This evolving behavior is characterized using changes in entropy. The effectiveness of this approach is illustrated using experimental results on low-resolution video data.
8965145
A robust algorithm for probabilistic human recognition from video
Human recognition from video requires solving the two tasks, recognition and tracking, simultaneously. This leads to a parameterized time series state space model, representing both motion and identity of the human. Sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) algorithms, like Condensation, can be developed to offer numerical solutions to this model. However in outdoor environments, the solution is more likely to diverge from the foreground, causing failures in both recognition and tracking. In this paper we propose an approach for tackling this problem by incorporating the constraint of temporal continuity in the observations. Experimental results demonstrate improvements over its Condensation counterpart.
15470334
Probabilistic recognition of human faces from video
Recognition of human faces using a gallery of still or video images and a probe set of videos is systematically investigated using a probabilistic framework. In still-to-video recognition, where the gallery consists of still images, a time series state space model is proposed to fuse temporal information in a probe video, which simultaneously characterizes the kinematics and identity using a motion vector and an identity variable, respectively. The joint posterior distribution of the motion vector and the identity variable is estimated at each time instant and then propagated to the next time instant, Marginalization over the motion vector yields a robust estimate of the posterior distribution of the identity variable. A computationally efficient sequential importance sampling (SIS) algorithm is developed to estimate the posterior distribution. Empirical results demonstrate that, due to the propagation of the identity variable over time, a degeneracy in posterior probability of the identity variable is achieved to give improved recognition. The gallery is generalized to videos in order to realize video-to-video recognition. An exemplar-based learning strategy is adopted to automatically select video representatives from the gallery, serving as mixture centers in an updated likelihood measure. The SIS algorithm is applied to approximate the posterior distribution of the motion vector, the identity variable, and the exemplar index, whose marginal distribution of the identity variable produces the recognition result. The model formulation is very general and it allows a variety of image representations and transformations. Experimental results using images/videos collected at UMD, NIST/USF, and CMU with pose/illumination variations illustrate the effectiveness of this approach for both still-to-video and video-to-video scenarios with appropriate model choices.
14594677
Techniques and tools for dynamic optimization
Traditional code optimizers have produced significant performance improvements over the past forty years. While promising avenues of research still exist, traditional static and profiling techniques have reached the point of diminishing returns. The main problem is that these approaches have only a limited view of the program and have difficulty taking advantage of the actual run-time behavior of a program. We are addressing this problem through the development of a dynamic optimization system suited for aggressive optimization - using the full power of the most beneficial optimizations. We have designed our optimizer to operate using a software dynamic translation (SDT) execution system. Difficult challenges in this research include reducing SDT overhead and determining what optimizations to apply and where in the code to apply them. Another challenge is having the necessary tools to ensure the reliability of software that is dynamically optimized. In this paper, we describe our efforts in reducing overhead in SDT and efficient techniques for instrumenting the application code. We also describe our approach to determine what and where an optimization should be applied. We discuss other fundamental issues in developing a dynamic optimizer and finally present a basic debugger for SDT systems
11541594
A network-centric approach to enhancing the interactivity of large-scale distributed virtual environments
In Distributed Virtual Environments (DVEs), where many simultaneous human users interact with each other in a shared, 3D virtual world, enhancing interactivity is of crucial importance, since the success of a DVE greatly depends on users' perceptions. In general, enhancing interactivity for large-scale DVEs with thousands of geographically distributed users faces various challenges such as large Internet latencies, high resource demands and high potential of security threats. In this paper, we propose a network-centric approach to enhance the interactivity of DVEs by directly minimizing the network latencies in client-server communications. We consider two key problems: the server placement problem and the client assignment problem. We have formulated these two problems and proved that they are both NP-hard. We then adapt and develop several degree-based server placement approaches and greedy client assignment algorithms. Extensive simulation studies using realistic models have shown that our approach is very effective in enhancing the interactivity of large-scale DVEs.
18154847
Dynamic domination in fuzzy causal networks
This paper presents a dynamic domination theory for fuzzy causal networks (FCN). There are three major contributions. First, we propose a new inference procedure based on dominating sets. Second, we introduce the concepts of dynamic and minimal dynamic dominating sets (DDS and MDDS) in an FCN. To reflect changes of dominance with time, we also introduce the concept of a dynamic dominating process (DDP) that has significant implications in many real-world problems. We pay a special attention to the minimal dynamic dominating process (MDDP) and develop rules for generating DDP and MDDP. Third, we investigate dynamic dominating sets with extended feedback, which we call effective dynamic dominating sets (EDDS), and related effective dynamic dominating process (EDDP). This study unveils a very important phenomenon in FCN: At any time t, either an EDDS exists or there is a dramatic change of the states of vertices. In the latter case we also identify the special structure of the sub-FCN induced by active vertices.
5971410
Time-space consistency in large-scale distributed virtual environments
Maintaining a consistent view of the simulated world among different simulation nodes is a fundamental problem in large-scale distributed virtual environments (DVEs). In this paper, we characterize this problem by quantifying the time-space inconsistency in a DVE. To this end, a metric is defined to measure the time-space inconsistency in a DVE. One major advantage of the metric is that it may be estimated based on some characteristic parameters of a DVE, such as clock asynchrony, message transmission delay, the accuracy of the dead reckoning algorithm, the kinetics of the moving entity, and human factors. Thus the metric can be used to evaluate the time-space consistency property of a DVE without the actual execution of the DVE application, which is especially useful in the design stage of a DVE. Our work also clearly shows how the characteristic parameters of a DVE are interrelated in deciding the time-space inconsistency, so that we may fine-tune the DVE to make it as consistent as possible. To verify the effectiveness of the metric, a Ping-Pong game is developed. Experimental results show that the metric is effective in evaluating the time-space consistency property of the game.
25346055
Almost Covers Of 2-Arc Transitive Graphs
Let Γ be a G-symmetric graph whose vertex set admits a nontrivial G-invariant partition ℬ with block size v. Let Γℬ be the quotient graph of Γ relative to ℬ and Γ[B,C] the bipartite subgraph of Γ induced by adjacent blocks B,C of ℬ. In this paper we study such graphs for which Γℬ is connected, (G, 2)-arc transitive and is almost covered by Γ in the sense that Γ[B,C] is a matching of v-1 ≥ 2 edges. Such graphs arose as a natural extremal case in a previous study by the author with Li and Praeger. The case Γℬ ≅Kv+1 is covered by results of Gardiner and Praeger. We consider here the general case where Γℬ ≇Kv+1, and prove that, for some even integer n ≥ 4, Γℬ is a near n-gonal graph with respect to a certain G-orbit on n-cycles of Γℬ. Moreover, we prove that every (G, 2)-arc transitive near n-gonal graph with respect to a G-orbit on n-cycles arises as a quotient Γℬ of a graph with these properties. (A near n-gonal graph is a connected graph Σ of girth at least 4 together with a set ℰ of n-cycles of Σ such that each 2-arc of Σ is contained in a unique member of ℰ.)