Jiwoo Kang

Multimodal Interactive Continuous Scoring of Subjective 3D Video Quality of Experience

People experience a variety of 3D visual programs, such as 3D cinema, 3D TV and 3D games, making it necessary to deploy reliable methodologies for predicting each viewers subjective experience. We propose a new methodology that we call multimodal interactive continuous scoring of quality (MICSQ). MICSQ is composed of a device interaction process between the 3D display and a separate device (PC, tablet, etc.) used as an assessment tool, and a human interaction process between the subject(s) and the separate device. The scoring process is multimodal, using aural and tactile cues to help engage and focus the subject(s) on their tasks by enhancing neuroplasticity. Recorded human responses to 3D visualizations obtained via MICSQ correlate highly with measurements of spatial and temporal activity in the 3D video content. We have also found that 3D quality of experience (QoE) assessment results obtained using MICSQ are more reliable over a wide dynamic range of content than obtained by the conventional single stimulus continuous quality evaluation (SSCQE) protocol. Moreover, the wireless device interaction process makes it possible for multiple subjects to assess 3D QoE simultaneously in a large space such as a movie theater, at different viewing angles and distances. We conducted a series of interesting 3D experiments showing the accuracy and versatility of the new system, while yielding new findings on visual comfort in terms of disparity, motion and an interesting relation between the naturalness and depth of field (DOF) of a stereo camera.

Treatment of facial flushing by topical application of nicotinic acid cream followed by treatment with 595‐nm pulsed‐dye laser

A 26-year-old Korean man presented with facial flushing that was easily aggravated by various conditions including emotional stress and hyperthermic stimulation. He had been treated with four sessions of intense pulsed light at private dermatological clinic without achieving satisfactory improvement. There was no pertinent personal or family history. Informed consent was obtained from the patient for treatment with a 595-nm pulsed-dye laser (PDL) (Vbeam ; Candela Corporation, Wayland, MA, USA) and three sessions were performed. Before each treatment, the symptoms were provoked by application of topical nicotinic acid cream (Litederm nicotinic acid laser preparation cream; Beauté Pacifique, Hadsund, Denmark), a vasodilator of the superficial cutaneous vasculature, which was left on the skin for 20 min (Fig. 1a). After application of the topical agent, the patient reported a mild to moderate burning sensation, but no itching or prickling sensations. The affected areas were first treated with nonoverlapping single pulses of the 595-nm PDL (fluences of 6.5– 7.5 J ⁄ cm, spot size 10 mm, pulse duration 6–10 ms). An integrated dynamic cooling device with a setting of 30 ms on ⁄ 30 ms off was applied to cool the epidermis. After the procedure, the face was completely cleansed with a mild cleanser. The redness induced by the topical agent and laser irradiation spontaneously resolved within 2 h. Three sessions of the 595-nm PDL treatment with topical nicotinic acid cream were performed at 1-month intervals. Clinical photos were taken to compare the facial flushing before and 2 months after the last treatment (Fig. 1b,c). The patient was satisfied with the clinical outcome and did not report any side-effects, including postinflammatory hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation. Flushing, the visible sign of increased cutaneous blood flow, clinically refers to a transient reddening of the face and other areas. The flushing distribution is limited to areas with more visible superficial cutaneous vasculature and larger numbers of erythrocytes. Frequent and intense flushing may result in a loss of vascular tone, leading to permanent background redness as an early stage of rosacea. Because of the transient episodic feature of the flushing, which is usually aggravated by emotional stress, hyperthermic stimulation, food additives or drugs, a patient may not show any signs of flushing during laser treatment, making targeting of the problem areas difficult. Topical application of nicotinic acid derivatives have been used for various purposes, such as treatment of female-pattern alopecia and a diagnostic skin-flush test in schizophrenia. The nicotinic acid laser preparation cream that we used in this study for the treatment of facial flushing is commercially available and contains various compounds, including acrylate ⁄ C 10–30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, vitamin B, glyceryl, polymethacrylate, propylene glycol, methylparabens, propylparabens and imidazolidinyl urea. We suggest

Enhanced particle-filtering framework for vessel segmentation and tracking

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES A robust vessel segmentation and tracking method based on a particle-filtering framework is proposed to cope with increasing demand for a method that can detect and track vessel anomalies. METHODS We apply the level set method to segment the vessel boundary and a particle filter to track the position and shape variations in the vessel boundary between two adjacent slices. To enhance the segmentation and tracking performances, the importance density of the particle filter is localized by estimating the translation of an objects boundary. In addition, to minimize problems related to degeneracy and sample impoverishment in the particle filter, a newly proposed weighting policy is investigated. RESULTS Compared to conventional methods, the proposed algorithm demonstrates better segmentation and tracking performances. Moreover, the stringent weighting policy we proposed demonstrates a tendency of suppressing degeneracy and sample impoverishment, and higher tracking accuracy can be obtained. CONCLUSIONS The proposed method is expected to be applied to highly valuable applications for more accurate three-dimensional vessel tracking and rendering.

Cracks on the tip: an unusual complication using the fractional photothermolysis system

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Optimal Flow Rate Control for SDN-Based Naval Systems

It is essential for a naval ship system (NSS) to transmit important information with very low delay for successful network-centric warfare under given time constraints. From this perspective, quality of service (QoS) control and low delay transmission are the most important components to improve efficient network utilization in NSSs. In general networks, conventional network algorithms have been optimized to manage network devices such as gateway, switch, bridge, hub, and router in a distributed manner for ease of plug-in and play operation, but which may not be optimal for the NSS. This is because, unlike the general network environment, the NSS is equipped with various nodes, which need to be operated through a centralized hierarchical network structure in accordance with their priorities. Thereby, it is difficult to apply new network algorithms to the NSS due to the closed network environment. To overcome this limitation, we propose a novel NSS employing software defined network (SDN) technology. A novel algorithm called real-time transmission via flow rate control (RTF) is proposed for the SDN-based NSS to optimize the specific environment of NSS. In the proposed algorithm, the optimal flow rates of nodes and network devices are obtained via dual decomposition in conjunction with requirements of delay and QoS. The proposed algorithm obtains the optimal solution iteratively while measuring the performance with traffic models based on real data measured in NSS. Through simulation using Floodlight, we demonstrate that RTF significantly contributes to improving throughput in real-time transmission compared with conventional algorithms. The proposed algorithm improves the average throughput by up to 11.8% while guaranteeing real-time transmission.

Implementation of Multimodal Interactive Continuous Scoring for 3D Quality of Experience

When watching videos in 3D space, viewers perceive dynamic levels of quality of experience accompanied by visual immersion. To measure these dynamics, a reliable methodology is needed to gauge subjective viewer experience. This paper proposes a new methodology called multimodal interactive continuous scoring of quality (MICSQ). MICSQ is comprised of device interaction processes between the 3D display and tablet assessment tool and human interaction processes between the subject and tablet. When MICSQ device interaction takes place over wireless network protocols, such as TCP/IP or Bluetooth, it efficiently handles the diverse viewing environment. Therefore, there is a high degree of freedom to perform subjective assessment in certain viewing environments in terms of multimodal cues (aural and tactile senses), diverse illumination conditions including darkness, handheld portability over wireless networks, and real-time recording. Moreover, it is also possible for multiple subjects to simultaneously perform assessments in a large space, such as a movie theater. For the simulations, the server application in the 3D display was developed in Java, and the tablet device client application was developed with a mobile software development kit and functions optimally in commercial tablets. The experimental results demonstrate that MICSQ shows a higher reliability than the conventional single stimulus continuous quality evaluation method through the proposed implementation on a commercial tablet PC.

Network-based content identification system via content-based comics fingerprint

Recently, the comic contents are widely spread due to the development of mobile devices and network-based distribution. Large-scale data of contents increases the work load of network, so that it is necessary to manage effectively these contents distribution via content identifiers. However, the illegal channels such as online storage service provide the comics without the identifier. In addition, these comics would violate the copyright. To prevent the copyright violation, the comic identification is very important. However, the comic identification is the beginning stage. Thus, we propose a novel content-based fingerprint for comic content. To reduce work load of network, the fingerprint are extracted in consumers device with low computational complexity. The proposed method shows the reliable performance with the robustness and the efficiency for distorted comics identification.