Giordano B. Beretta

Benchmark for image retrieval using distributed systems over the Iinternet: BIRDS-I

Comparing the performance of CBIR (Content-Based Image Retrieval) algorithms is difficult. Private data sets are used so it is controversial to compare CBIR algorithms developed by different researchers. Also, the performance of CBIR algorithms is usually measured on an isolated, well- tuned PC or workstation. In a real-world environment, however, the CBIR algorithms would only constitute a minor component among the many interacting components needed to facilitate a useful CBIR application e.g., Web-based applications on the Internet. The Internet, being a shared medium, dramatically changes many of the usual assumptions about measuring CBIR performance. Any CBIR benchmark should be designed form a networked systems standpoint. Networked system benchmarks have been developed for other applications e.g., text retrieval, and relational database management. These benchmarks typically introduce communication overhead because the real systems they model are distributed applications e.g., and airline reservation system. The most common type of distributed computing architecture uses a client/server model. We present our implementation of a client/server CBIR benchmark called BIRDS-I (Benchmark for Image Retrieval using Distributed Systems over the Internet) to measure image retrieval performance over the Internet. The BIRDS-I benchmark has been designed with the trend toward the use of small personalized wireless-internet systems in mind. Web-based CBIR implies the use of heterogeneous image sets and this, in turn, imposes certain constraints on how the images are organized and the type of performance metrics that are applicable. Surprisingly, BIRDS-I only requires controlled human intervention for the compilation of the image collection and none for the generation of ground truth in the measurement of retrieval accuracy. Benchmark image collections need to be evolved incrementally toward the storage of millions of images and that scaleup can only be achieved through the use of computer-incrementally toward the storage of millions of images and that scaleup can only be achieved through the use of computer-aided compilation. Finally, the BIRDS-I scoring metric introduces a tightly optimized image-ranking window, which is important for the future benchmarking of large- scale personalized wireless-internet CBIR systems.

Human Computer Interaction: Legibility and Contrast

In human computer interaction readability of textual information is one of the foremost requirements for displays designed to provide visual information. In this context it is of main interest to identify the design attributes that influence readability, and investigate their relationship with measures of ease of reading. In this paper we present results from a readability experiment focused on text contrast that we performed on the Web. Our analysis indicate that light text on dark background is more difficult to read, and that the minimum luminance contrast between foreground and background color, in terms of CIELAB lightness difference, should be about 27 units.

Image sharpening in the JPEG domain

We present a new technique for sharpening compressed images in the discrete-cosine-transform domain. For images compressed using the JPEG standard, image sharpening is achieved by suitably scaling each element of the encoding quantization table to enhance the high-frequency characteristics of the image. The modified version of the encoding table is then transmitted in lieu of the original. Experimental results with scanned images show improved text and image quality with no additional computation cost and without affecting compressibility.

On-Demand Digital Print Services: A New Commercial Print Paradigm as an IT Service Vertical

On-demand digital print service is a form of personalized manufacturing service. Key to commercial print value-creation chain is the service engagement and fulfillment between the content suppliers and the print service providers (PSP). Content suppliers are the service clients, they request print services and supply content for print. PSPs provide the fulfillment services to the content suppliers in exchange for payment: converting the supplied content into printed products and shipping them to the end-customer. In this paper, we will describe on-demand digital print service, and the application of service-oriented architecture (SOA) as platform to integrate information and communication technologies (ICT) into the end-to-end print service fulfillment process to enable digital print automation, and the SOA implementation assisted by process modeling. We also extend the SOA framework to include the order negotiation process and envisage a coupled demand-fulfillment paradigm. SOA-based digital print automation leverages from the integration of ICT into the print manufacturing operations management, it is an IT service vertical.

Color aspects of variable data proofing

The Internet in combination with digital presses has allowed the geographical distribution of manufacturing printed materials. An increasing number of printed pieces is customized for the recipient; when each printed piece is different, conventional proofing fails, because it is impossible to proof the entire print job. One frequent problem in automatically generated pieces is the readability of one page element on top of another element; the color combination can be unreadable or clash. I propose simple algorithms to automatically detect and correct color discriminability problems in variable data printing.

A parallel error diffusion implementation on a GPU

In this paper, we investigate the suitability of the GPU for a parallel implementation of the pinwheel error diffusion. We demonstrate a high-performance GPU implementation by efficiently parallelizing and unrolling the image processing algorithm. Our GPU implementation achieves a 10 - 30x speedup over a two-threaded CPU error diffusion implementation with comparable image quality. We have conducted experiments to study the performance and quality tradeoffs for differences in image block sizes. We also present a performance analysis at assembly level to understand the performance bottlenecks.

A color selection tool for the readability of textual information on web pages

One of the issues in Web page design is the selection of appropriate combinations of background and foreground colors to display textual information. Colors have to be selected in order to guarantee legibility for different devices, viewing conditions and, more important, for all the users, including those with deficient color vision. In this paper we present a tool to select background and foreground colors for the display of textual information. The tool is based on the Munsell Book of Colors; it allows the browsing of the atlas and indicates plausible colors based on a set of legibility rules, which have been defined experimentally.

Towards Practical Design Rules for Quantum Communications and Quantum Imaging Devices

A common syndrome in much of the current quantum optics and quantum computing literature is the casual switching between classical concepts (e.g., geometric rays, electromagnetic waves) and quantum concepts (e.g., state vectors, projection operators). Such ambiguous language can confuse designers not well versed in the deeper subtleties of quantum mechanics, or worse, it can lead to a flawed analysis of new designs for quantum devices. To validate that a quantum device can be constructed with the expected characteristics and that its quantum effects are correctly interpreted, a set of unambiguous design rules would be useful. In this paper we enumerate such a set of easily applied quantum rules in the hope that they might facilitate clearer communication between researchers and system developers in the field. In part, we are motivated by recently reported interferometer results that have not only led to flawed claims about disproving fundamental quantum principles, but have elicited equally flawed counter aruments from supposedly knowledgeable respondents. After one hundred years of testing Einsteins photon, it is alarming that such widespread confusion still persists. Our proposed quantum design rules are presented in a practical diagrammatic style, demonstrating their effectiveness by analyzing several interferometers that have appeared in the recent literature. Application to other quantum devices e.g., quantum ghost imaging, are also discussed. We stress that these rules are entirely quantum in prescription, being particularly appropriate for single-photon devices. Classical optics concepts e.g., refractive index, are not required since they are subsumed by our quantum rules.

A quantum imager for intensity correlated photons

We report on a device capable of imaging second-order spatio-temporal correlations g(2)(x, τ) between photons. The imager is based on a monolithic array of single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) implemented in CMOS technology and a simple algorithm to treat multiphoton time-of-arrival distributions from different SPAD pairs. It is capable of 80 ps temporal resolution with fluxes as low as 10 photons s−1 at room temperature. An important application might be the local imaging of g(2) as a means of confirming the presence of true Bose–Einstein macroscopic coherence (BEC) of cavity exciton polaritons.

Structure and navigation for electronic publishing

The sudden explosion of the World Wide Web as a new publication medium has given a dramatic boost to the electronic publishing industry, which previously was a limited market centered around CD-ROMs and on-line databases. While the phenomenon has parallels to the advent of the tabloid press in the middle of last century, the electronic nature of the medium brings with it the typical characteristic of 4th wave media, namely the acceleration in its propagation speed and the volume of information. Consequently, e-publications are even flatter than print media; Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet share the same computer screen with a home-made plagiarized copy of Deep Throat. The most touted tool for locating useful information on the World Wide Web is the search engine. However, due to the mediums flatness, sought information is drowned in a sea of useless information. A better solution is to build tools that allow authors to structure information so that it can easily be navigated. We experimented with the use of ontologies as a tool to formulate structures for information about a specific topic, so that related concepts are placed in adjacent locations and can easily be navigated using simple and ergonomic user models. We describe our effort in building a World Wide Web based photo album that is shared among a small network of people.