This PDF file contains the front matter associated with SPIE Proceedings Volume 9598, including the Title Page, Copyright information, Table of Contents, Introduction (if any), and Conference Committee listing.

Texture is an important visual attribute both for human perception and image analysis systems. We present new structural texture similarity metrics and applications that critically depend on such metrics, with emphasis on image compression and content-based retrieval. The new metrics account for human visual perception and the stochastic nature of textures. They rely entirely on local image statistics and allow substantial point-by-point deviations between textures that according to human judgment are similar or essentially identical.

We also present new testing procedures for objective texture similarity metrics. We identify three operating domains for evaluating the performance of such similarity metrics: the top of the similarity scale, where a monotonic relationship between metric values and subjective scores is desired; the ability to distinguish between perceptually similar and dissimilar textures; and the ability to retrieve "identical" textures. Each domain has different performance goals and requires different testing procedures. Experimental results demonstrate both the performance of the proposed metrics and the effectiveness of the proposed subjective testing procedures.

In this paper the fast Fresnel diffraction algorithm is reviewed and applied to some novel applications. The algorithm (also named the convolution or angular spectrum method) is a very powerful numerical technique that has been employed in the calculation of diffraction patterns. It utilizes two Fourier transform operations, thus becoming computationally much faster than the conventional approach. We analyze the practical implementation with spatial light modulators (SLM). First, the ray matrix approach is applied to derive and reexamine this computational technique. This approach easily allows us to find explicit expressions for the maximum and minimum distances over which the algorithm is accurate. Then, we describe the practical implementation of this algorithm to encode Fresnel propagated masks onto a SLM. We discuss the limitations caused by the Nyquist limit. Finally, we apply the technique to create an experimental virtual optical beam propagator system. This system uses one SLM and allows the experimental study of the beam propagation without physically moving any element. This laboratory propagator system can be extremely useful to build compact optical architectures or to emulate beam propagation without misalignments caused by moving elements in the experimental system. As examples, we design holograms capable of producing different patterns at different distances, and we can change the effective plane of observation by changing the encoded propagation. The technique can find applications in many different contexts, including the analysis of propagation dynamics of nondiffracting beams, and Airy beams.

The amplitude and phase of the complex optical field in the Helmholtz equation obey a pair of coupled equations, arising from equating the real and imaginary parts. The imaginary part yields the transport of intensity equation (TIE), which can be used to derive the phase distribution at the observation plane. If a phase object is approximately imaged on the recording plane(s), TIE yields the phase without the need for phase unwrapping. In our experiment, the 3D image of a phase object and an amplitude object embedded in a phase object is recovered. The phase object is created by heating a liquid, comprising a solution of red dye in alcohol, using a focused 514 nm laser beam to the point where self-phase modulation of the beam is observed. The optical intensities are recorded at various planes during propagation of a low power 633 nm laser beam through the liquid. In the process of applying TIE to derive the phase at the observation plane, the real part of the complex equation is also examined as a cross-check of our calculations. For pure phase objects, it is shown that the real part of the complex equation is best satisfied around the image plane. Alternatively, it is proposed that this information can be used to determine the optimum image plane.

The wide angle lens, like fish eye lens, suffers great optical distortion that causes severe deformation of the real world. A method to correct the strong distortion was presented in this work. Due to the nonlinear distribution of the distortion, linear algorithms are generally not under consideration to establish the math model of distorted-to-ideal images. However, this method employed the calibration pattern that comprised of regular array of dots to divides the full field of view (FOV) to subsections, each subsection is a small FOV, the mapping parameters between the distorted image and ideal image in each small FOV can be calculated by employing the very simple linear polynomial. Thus, applying the determined parameters to their corresponding sub-FOVs, respectively, all the ideal pixel coordinates of the distorted image can be obtained. The method employed linear polynomial characterizes the geometric deformation between the distorted and ideal images directly. Therefore, it contains both of radial distortion and tangential distortion and there is no need of concerning any intrinsic or extrinsic parameters of the optical systems. So, this algorithm reliefs the computational work that employed by conventional radial models and other mathematical models. Experiments performed on off-axis optical systems which exist complicated distortion, such as the head mounted displays (HMDs), had already yielded accurate correcting results. Likewise, in this paper, the experiments refer to the fish-eye lens also verify the effectiveness and flexibility of this method, as well, high correcting accuracy is achieved.

In order to enhance the capability of space-based surveillance, the detailed modeling for visible imaging characteristics of space object is described in this paper. Firstly, a space-based imaging detection model is built based on the scattering visible radiation from space object. The model consists of radiation transmission based on the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) and grayscale transformation based on the 256 levels. Then, according to the position of the sun, object and detector, the imaging conditions such as imaging angle and size are analyzed. Finally, the grayscale images of the HuanJing-1 satellite are simulated. It shows the grayscales for the different regions of the object appear great difference, indicating that the space-based detector needs a larger dynamic range.

Considered some aspects of the formation and propagation of optical wave beams in lens systems. Considered as an example the two-lens optical information processing system. Analysis of the two-lens optical circuit has been made with a systems approach perspective. As part of the radio-optical analogies had been applied certain provisions of the theory of dynamical systems to the spatial optical system. The lens system is represented as a simple series-connected optical elements with known spatial impulse response. General impulse response of such a system has been received, as well as consider some special cases of the impulse response. The question of the relationship between the parameters and the size of the input aperture lenses for undistorted transmission of the optical signal has been considered. Analysis of the energy loss resulting from the finite aperture of the lens. It's based on an assessment of the fraction of radiation that propagates beyond the lens. Analysis showed that the energy losses depend explicitly on the following parameters: radiation wavelength, distance between input aperture and lens, and ratio of the input aperture and lens aperture. With the computer help simulation the dependence of losses was shown on the above parameters.

One of the most promising phase optical recording mediums are photopolymers. In these materials, the use of an index matching component permits a better conservation of the stored information and, additionally, the study of the molecules migration and shrinkage/swelling phenomena separately. In general, the transmitted beam has the information of the thickness and refractive index modulation mixed. Therefore, we propose the introduction of a coverplate besides with an index matching liquid in order to improve the characterization and the conservation. The index matching techniques have been classically used for holographic recording materials. In principle, to obtain an accurate index matching we have to choose a liquid with refractive index very close to the mean of the polymer one. Then, when shrinkage takes place during recording, mainly due to the polymerization, the liquid will fill up the generated grooves minimizing the diffractive effects produced by the relief structure. In fact, in this work we study different index matching components for different photopolymers. The photopolymers analyzed in this work have a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as a binder and two different main monomers: one has acrylamide and the other one sodium acrylate. We have recorded very low diffractive gratings and studied their conservation for different index matching components.

Digital holography is a useful technique for recording the fully complex field of a wavefront. However, the quality of a reconstructed image of a digital hologram is not good, because it is suffering from speckles. To improve the image quality, a speckle reduction method in digital holography using various rectangular apertures is proposed. Different-sized rectangular apertures are applied for the hologram. Furthermore, the position of the aperture is arbitrary. Owing to the various size and position, the generated speckles have the various sizes and patterns. By averaging the speckle, the speckle noise can be reduced. Some reconstructed images based on the experimental results are shown to confirm the proposed method. For quantitative evaluation, the speckle contrast is also shown.

Phase-only modulation is necessary in a great number of modern spatial light modulation applications, and the spatial light modulator (SLM) technology of choice is usually the parallel-aligned liquid crystal on silicon (PA-LCoS) microdisplay. Various degradation effects have been analyzed in the literature which may be introduced by SLMs and whose quantitative knowledge enables to select the best working conditions and/or to design specific compensation strategies to diminish negative effects. In this paper we concentrate on the phase flicker typically produced by PA-LCoS devices. The availability of a recent polarimetric-based method, the average Stokes polarimetric technique, to measure the linear retardance and its flicker amplitude eases the capability to simulate the performance of spatially varying phase multilevel elements typically addressed onto PA-LCoS devices. A representative element is the blazed grating. Recently we demonstrated the capability of the calibration provided by the average Stokes polarimetric technique to predict the performance of blazed gratings, both their average diffraction efficiency, static analysis, and its associated time fluctuation, dynamic analysis. In the present work we take advantage of the demonstrated predictive capability of our approach to analyse to find the wide range of applicability of PA-LCoS devices in applications in spite of flicker.

The system to record incoherent holograms using a rotational shearing interferometer is proposed. It enables us to record a hologram without coherent illumination such as a laser. The systems can record an incoherent hologram by self-interference. A rotational shearing interferometer to record incoherent cosine hologram is described. Furthermore, a rotational shearing interferometer with lenses to record incoherent hologram is described. It has the advantage of obtaining depth information by the reconstruction owing to lenses for the shear which is parallel to the optical axis. The preliminary experiments were performed. An LED and a liquid crystal display with an LED backlight were used as incoherent objects. The incoherent holograms were recorded. The object images were reconstructed numerically. The experimental results confirm the proposed incoherent holography using a rotational shearing interferometer.

An accurate characterization of the retardance function of liquid-crystal retarders (LCR) is essential for a proper use of instruments that include these devices. In this paper a simple technique to characterize the retardance of a LCR, both as a function of wavelength and applied voltage, is presented. With the proposed analysis we can describe the spectral modulation properties of the device using few parameters. The method is then extended to the case of non-normal incidence, thus allowing to distinguish between the extraordinary and ordinary axes. The accounting of Fabry-Perot interference effects are used to obtain a very accurate determination of the spectral phase shifts. Finally, such a full characterization of the LCR retardance is applied to a liquid-crystal spatial light modulator and an optical architecture is designed where the spectral content of the light beam can be engineered at will.

Theoretical modeling of vertically coupled triple asymmetrical optical micro ring resonator (VCTAOMRR) is developed using delay line signal processing approach. Frequency response, group delay and dispersion characteristics are evaluated in MATLAB environment. Performance in terms of free spectral range (FSR) and crosstalk of the VCTAOMRR is determined from the performance characteristics. The proposed VCTAOMRR can produce wide FSR in Thz range with very low crosstalk.

In this paper we overview a method to automatically count morphologically normal red blood cells (RBCs) by using off-axis digital holographic microscopy and statistical methods. Three kinds of RBC are used as training and testing data. All of the RBC phase images are obtained with digital holographic microscopy (DHM) that is robust to transparent or semitransparent biological cells. For the determination of morphologically normal RBCs, the RBC’s phase images are first segmented with marker-controlled watershed transform algorithm. Multiple features are extracted from the segmented cells. Moreover, the statistical method of Hotelling’s T-square test is conducted to show that the 3D features from 3D imaging method can improve the discrimination performance for counting of normal shapes of RBCs. Finally, the classifier is designed by using statistical Bayesian algorithm and the misclassification rates are measured with leave-one-out technique. Experimental results show the feasibility of the classification method for calculating the percentage of each typical normal RBC shape.

In this study, a light-driven deformable mirror is fabricated by electron beam lithography. The mirror is consisted of a deformation layer and a micromirror array. The deformation layer is made of an azobenzene polymer and the micromirro array is deposited on the deformation layer. The deformation of azobenzene polymer is induced by illuminating a continuum wave beam or femto-second pulse laser beam. Then, the micromirror is displaced. The displacement modulation is experimentally confirmed by interference measurement.

When phase-shifting digital holography with a continuous fringe-scanning scheme is implemented using a PC-based measurement system without any synchronous circuit, nonuniform phase-shifted interference fringes are captured because of the fluctuation in the image-capturing interval. To cope with the nonuniform phase shifts, a statistical generalized phase-shifting approach is employed. Because the algorithm is designed to use an arbitrary phase shift, the nonuniform phase shifts do not obstruct object-wave retrieval. Moreover, multiple interference fringes can be obtained in a short time owing to the continuous fringe-scanning scheme. However, the wavefront calculation method is not designed for sequentially recorded interference fringes. To use multiple interference fringes appropriately, we develop a least-squares wavefront calculation method combined with corrections for the initial phase and the direction of phase rotation. We verify the proposed method by numerical simulations and optical experiments. The results show that the object wave with the same initial phase can be correctly reconstructed by using both phase correction methods simultaneously.

A hybrid platform is proposed for optical processing with capabilities beyond the standard use for spatial filter coefficients. Time domain operations are explored utilizing electro-optical components to generate and steer an optical beam across the digital micro-mirror device (DMD). An input signal in the form of a collimated optical beam is scanned through an imaging optic across the DMD to achieve 1-D operations. Coefficient “bit depth” is determined by the mirror pattern in the local spot zone giving a ratio of ‘on’ state to ‘off’ state area. The reflected signal returns along the original path through the imaging lens and is read by a receiver. Design feasibility is presented along with initial experimental results.

Measurement of the refractive index of regular shaped glass by speckle correlation is reported. One intensity image in the diffraction field of a speckle-illuminated sample is captured by a CCD before the presence of glass sample and another intensity image is captured after the presence of glass sample. As the position of peak correlation coefficient is quantitatively related to the change in optical path length arising due to the presence of glass, the refractive index of the glass can be evaluated by the correlation of the intensity images before and after the glass insertion. The theoretical correlation function is first derived that describes the relationship between optical path length change and speckle decorrelation. In experiment, various regular shaped glasses are measured to demonstrate the accuracy and robustness of the proposed technique.

A compressive sensing (CS) based ptychography combined with an optical image encryption is proposed. The diffraction pattern is recorded through ptychography technique further compressed by non-uniform sampling via CS framework. The system requires much less encrypted data and provides high security. The diffraction pattern as well as the lesser measurements of the encrypted samples serves as a secret key which make the intruder attacks more difficult. Furthermore, CS shows that the linearly projected few random samples have adequate information for decryption with a dramatic volume reduction. Experimental results validate the feasibility and effectiveness of our proposed technique compared with the existing techniques. The retrieved images do not reveal any information with the original information. In addition, the proposed system can be robust even with partial encryption and under brute-force attacks.

Wavefront coding, a technique of optical-digital hybrid image, can be used to extend the depth of the field. However, it sacrifices the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of system at a certain degree, especially on focus situation. The on-focus modulation transfer function (MTF) of wavefront coding system is much lower than that of generally traditional optical system. And the noise will be amplified in the digital image processing. This paper analyzes characteristics of the SNR of the wavefront coding system in the frequency domain and calculates the rate of noise amplification in the digital processing. It also explains the influence of the image detector noise severely reducing the restored quality of images. In order to reduce noise amplification in the process of image restoration, we propose a modified wiener filter which is more suitable for restoration in consideration of noise suppression. The simulation experiment demonstrates that the modified wiener filter, compared with traditional wiener filter, has much better performance for wavefront coding system and the restored images having much higher SNR in the whole depth of the field.

Vortex beams possess orbital angular momentum(OAM). This work analyzes the properties of non-integer vortex beams when propagating through fractional Fourier planes. Based on the definition of fractional Fourier transform (FrFT), the theoretical formula is analyzed to discuss the effects of the parameters of non-integer vortex beams. Numerical results of the evolution of non-integer vortex beams through different fractional Fourier planes are illustrated. The results show that the fractional order of the FrFT has great influence on the normalized intensity distributions and the phase distributions of non-integer vortex beams. The beams show the same evolution trends, but different shapes.

Speckle is being used as a characterization tool for the analysis of the dynamic of slow varying phenomena occurring in biological and industrial samples. The retrieved data takes the form of a sequence of speckle images. The analysis of these images should reveal the inner dynamic of the biological or physical process taking place in the sample. Very recently, it has been shown that principal component analysis is able to split the original data set in a collection of classes. These classes can be related with the dynamic of the observed phenomena. At the same time, statistical descriptors of biospeckle images have been used to retrieve information on the characteristics of the sample. These statistical descriptors can be calculated in almost real time and provide a fast monitoring of the sample. On the other hand, principal component analysis requires longer computation time but the results contain more information related with spatial-temporal pattern that can be identified with physical process. This contribution merges both descriptions and uses principal component analysis as a pre-processing tool to obtain a collection of filtered images where a simpler statistical descriptor can be calculated. The method has been applied to slow-varying biological and industrial processes

Optical synthetic aperture imaging technology is an effective approach to increase the aperture diameter of optical system for purpose of improving resolution. In optical synthetic aperture imaging system, the edge is more complex than that of traditional optical imaging system, and the relatively large size of the gaps between the subapertures makes cophasing a difficult problem. So it is significant to extract edge phase of each subaperture for achieving phase stitching and avoiding the loss of effective frequency. Fractal dimension as a measure feature of image surface irregularities can statistically evaluate the complexity which is consistent with human visual image perception of rough surface texture. Therefore, fractal dimension provides a powerful tool to describe surface characteristics of image and can be applied to edge extraction. In our research, the box-counting dimension was used to calculate fractal dimension of the whole image. Then the calculated fractal dimension is mapped to grayscale image. The region with large fractal dimension represents a sharper change of the gray scale in original image, which was accurately extracted as the edge region. Subaperture region and interference fringe edge was extracted from interference pattern of optical subaperture, which has laid the foundation for the subaperture edge phase detection in the future work.

We propose a novel method to achieve the purpose of hierarchical authentication based on two beams interference. In this method, different target images indicating different authentication levels are analytically encoded into corresponding phase-only masks (phase keys) and amplitude-only masks (amplitude keys) with the help of a random phase mask, which is created in advance and acts as the fixed lock of this authentication system. For the authentication process, a legal user can obtain a specified target image at the output plane if his/her phase key, and amplitude key, which should be settled close against the fixed internal phase lock, are respectively illuminated by two coherent beams. By comparing the target image with all the standard certification images in the database, the system can thus verify the user’s identity. In simple terms, this system can not only confirm the legality of a user but also distinguish his/her identity level. Moreover, in despite of the internal phase lock of this system being fixed, the crosstalk between different pairs of keys hold by different users is low. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulation are both provided to demonstrate the validity of this method.

We address the recognition problem of grayscale images of object subjected to out-of-plane rotation distortion. We compare filter realization as computer generated hologram and filter projection on modulator domain. Our study results of the filter discriminating characteristic analysis are shown. The results of the filter implementation modeling in 4-f correlator and the initial experimental result are represented.

Face recognition is an important task in pattern recognition and computer vision. In this work a method for 3D face recognition in the presence of facial expression and poses variations is proposed. The method uses 3D shape data without color or texture information. A new matching algorithm based on conformal mapping of original facial surfaces onto a Riemannian manifold followed by comparison of conformal and isometric invariants computed in the manifold is suggested. Experimental results are presented using common 3D face databases that contain significant amount of expression and pose variations.

In recent years, human-computer interaction (HCI) has received a lot of interest in industry and science because it provides new ways to interact with modern devices through voice, body, and facial/hand gestures. The application range of the HCI is from easy control of home appliances to entertainment. Hand gesture recognition is a particularly interesting problem because the shape and movement of hands usually are complex and flexible to be able to codify many different signs. In this work we propose a three step algorithm: first, detection of hands in the current frame is carried out; second, hand tracking across the video sequence is performed; finally, robust recognition of gestures across subsequent frames is made. Recognition rate highly depends on non-uniform illumination of the scene and occlusion of hands. In order to overcome these issues we use two Microsoft Kinect devices utilizing combined information from RGB and infrared sensors. The algorithm performance is tested in terms of recognition rate and processing time.

Object tracking is commonly used for applications such as video surveillance, motion based recognition, and vehicle navigation. In this work, a tracking system using adaptive correlation filters and robust Kalman prediction of target locations is proposed. Tracking is performed by means of multiple object detections in reduced frame areas. A bank of filters is designed from multiple views of a target using synthetic discriminant functions. An adaptive approach is used to improve discrimination capability of the synthesized filters adapting them to multiple types of backgrounds. With the help of computer simulation, the performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated in terms of detection efficiency and accuracy of object tracking.

The review of the radio pulses acousto-optical correlator allows us to create an algorithm for calculation the correlation functions on the basis of pre-calculated instantaneous spectra of correlated pulse signals and it is given its interpretation in the form of a functional scheme. The new definition of the instantaneous spectrum explaining the operation of real spectral devices: an acousto-optical spectrum analyzer of radio signals and diffraction (lattice) spectral optical analyzer was introduced. Mathematical identity complex spread functions of acousto-optic spectrum analyzer of radio signals and optical diffraction spectral analyzer allows us to put the question about the implementation of the correlation of the optical pulse signals based on diffractive optical spectral analyzers.

Nowadays, the high dynamic range (HDR) imaging represents the subject of the most researches. The major problem lies in the implementation of the best algorithm to acquire the best video quality. In fact, the major constraint is to conceive an optimal fusion which must meet the rapid movement of video frames. The implemented merging algorithms were not quick enough to reconstitute the HDR video. In this paper, we detail each of the previous existing works before detailing our algorithm and presenting results from the acquired HDR images, tone mapped with various techniques. Our proposed algorithm guarantees a more enhanced and faster solution compared to the existing ones. In fact, it has the ability to calculate the saturation matrix related to the saturation rate of the neighboring pixels. The computed coefficients are affected respectively to each picture from the tested ones. This analysis provides faster and efficient results in terms of quality and brightness. The originality of our work remains on its processing method including the pixels saturation in the totality of the captured pictures and their combination in order to obtain the best pictures illustrating all the possible details. These parameters are computed for each zone depending on the contrast and the luminosity of the current pixel and its neighboring. The final HDR image’s coefficients are calculated dynamically ensuring the best image quality equilibrating the brightness and contrast values and making the perfect final image.

Paper presents study results of MINACE filter implementation to recognition problem of object subjected to out-of-plane rotation distortion and captured as raster image. Filter training conducted by images acquired from synthetic 3D object model. Dependence of recognition results from 3D model illumination type is shown.

Multimedia content production and storage in repositories are now an increasingly widespread practice. Indexing concepts for search in multimedia libraries are very useful for users of the repositories. However the search tools of content-based retrieval and automatic video tagging, still do not have great consistency. Regardless of how these systems are implemented, it is of vital importance to possess lots of videos that have concepts tagged with ground truth (training and testing sets). This paper describes a novel methodology to make complex annotations on video resources through ELAN software. The concepts are annotated and related to Mexican nature in a High Level Features (HLF) from development set of TRECVID 2014 in a collaborative environment. Based on this set, each nature concept observed is tagged on each video shot using concepts of the TRECVid 2014 dataset. We also propose new concepts, -like tropical settings, urban scenes, actions, events, weather, places for name a few. We also propose specific concepts that best describe video content of Mexican culture. We have been careful to get the database tagged with concepts of nature and ground truth. It is evident that a collaborative environment is more suitable for annotation of concepts related to ground truth and nature. As a result a Mexican nature database was built. It also is the basis for testing and training sets to automatically classify new multimedia content of Mexican nature.

Four of the 192 beams of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) are currently being diverted into the Advanced Radiographic Capability (ARC) system to generate a sequence of short (1-50 picoseconds) 1053 nm laser pulses. When focused onto high Z wires in vacuum, these pulses create high energy x-ray pulses capable of penetrating the dense, imploding fusion fuel plasma during ignition scale experiments. The transmitted x-rays imaged with x-ray diagnostics can create movie radiographs that are expected to provide unprecedented insight into the implosion dynamics. The resulting images will serve as a diagnostic for tuning the experimental parameters towards successful fusion reactions. Beam delays introduced into the ARC pulses via independent, free-space optical trombones create the desired x-ray image sequence, or movie. However, these beam delays cause optical distortion of various alignment fiducials viewed by alignment sensors in the NIF and ARC beamlines. This work describes how the position of circular alignment fiducials is estimated in the presence of distortion.

Common statistical estimators for speech enhancement rely on several assumptions about stationarity of speech signals and noise. These assumptions may not always valid in real-life due to nonstationary characteristics of speech and noise processes. We propose new estimators based on existing estimators by incorporation of computation of rank-order statistics. The proposed estimators are better adapted to non-stationary characteristics of speech signals and noise processes. Through computer simulations we show that the proposed estimators yield a better performance in terms of objective metrics than that of known estimators when speech signals are contaminated with airport, babble, restaurant, and train-station noise.

The Advanced Radiographic Capability (ARC) at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a petawatt-class, short-pulse laser system designed to provide x-ray backlighting of NIF targets. ARC uses four NIF beamlines to produce eight beamlets to create a sequence of eight images of an imploding fuel capsule using backlighting targets and diagnostic instrumentation. ARC employs a front end that produces two pulses, chirps the pulses out to 2 ns, and then injects the pulses into the two halves of each of four NIF beamlines. These pulses are amplified by NIF pre- and main amplifiers and transported to compressor vessels located in the NIF target area. The pulses are then compressed and pointed into the NIF target chamber where they impinge upon an array of backlighters. The interaction of the ARC laser pulses and the backlighting material produces bursts of high-energy x-rays that illuminate an imploding fuel capsule. The transmitted x-rays are imaged by diagnostic instrumentation to produce a sequence of radiograph images. A key component of the success of ARC is the automatic alignment system that accomplishes the precise alignment of the beamlets to avoid damaging equipment and to ensure that the beamlets are directed onto the tens-of-microns scale backlighters. In this paper, we describe the ARC automatic alignment system, with emphasis on control loops used to align the beampaths. We also provide a detailed discussion of the alignment image processing, because it plays a critical role in providing beam centering and pointing information for the control loops.

The video annotation is important for web indexing and browsing systems. Indeed, in order to evaluate the performance of video query and mining techniques, databases with concept annotations are required. Therefore, it is necessary generate a database with a semantic indexing that represents the digital content of the Mexican bullfighting atmosphere. This paper proposes a scheme to make complex annotations in a video in the frame of multimedia search engine project. Each video is partitioned using our segmentation algorithm that creates shots of different length and different number of frames. In order to make complex annotations about the video, we use ELAN software. The annotations are done in two steps: First, we take note about the whole content in each shot. Second, we describe the actions as parameters of the camera like direction, position and deepness. As a consequence, we obtain a more complete descriptor of every action. In both cases we use the concepts of the TRECVid 2014 dataset. We also propose new concepts. This methodology allows to generate a database with the necessary information to create descriptors and algorithms capable to detect actions to automatically index and classify new bullfighting multimedia content.

The technology of high-precision laser interferometry was introduced for optical measurement of the banknotes in this paper. Taking advantage of laser short wavelength and high sensitivity, information of adhesive tape and cavity about the banknotes could be checked efficiently. Compared with current measurement devices, including mechanical wheel measurement device, Infrared measurement device, ultrasonic measurement device, the laser interferometry measurement has higher precision and reliability. This will improve the ability of banknotes feature information in financial electronic equipment.

Energy spectrum estimation (i.e. evaluation) of optical radiation with the new spectrum analyzer is considered. This device is parallel resonant optical spectrum analyzer; its resolving system is a set of narrow–band optical resonators in the form of interference filters, each of which is equivalent to a system with lumped parameters. This allows us to consider only oscillations of the optical field in the form of scalar functions and adopt as a model of analyzed signal harmonized scalar random process. Photo detector operation and average of photocurrent using an integrator and integrating circuit is considered too. On the basis of the application prolate entire spheroidal wave function theory energy spectrum estimation by the integral of photocurrent is obtained. This estimation of the energy spectrum is consistent and asymptotically unbiased.

The Advance Radiographic Capability (ARC) at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a laser system that employs up to four petawatt (PW) lasers to produce a sequence of short pulses that generate X-rays which backlight high-density inertial confinement fusion (ICF) targets. ARC is designed to produce multiple, sequential X-ray images by using up to eight back lighters. The images will be used to examine the compression and ignition of a cryogenic deuterium-tritium target with tens-of-picosecond temporal resolution during the critical phases of an ICF shot. Multi-frame, hard-X-ray radiography of imploding NIF capsules is a capability which is critical to the success of NIF's missions. As in the NIF system, ARC requires an optical alignment mask that can be inserted and removed as needed for precise positioning of the beam. Due to ARC’s split beam design, inserting the nominal NIF main laser alignment mask in ARC produced a partial blockage of the mask pattern. Requirements for a new mask design were needed. In this paper we describe the ARC mask requirements, the resulting mask design pattern, and the image analysis algorithms used to detect and identify the beam and reference centers required for ARC alignment.

In this paper, we present simultaneous transmission of accurate time and stable frequency over 306 km long fiber link. The fiber link belongs to the Time and Frequency infrastructure that is being gradually developed and which shares fiber footprint with data network. The link had been originally deployed with wavelength division multiplexing systems for C and L band systems. But it has been recently upgraded to support 800 GHz wide super-channel with single signal path for both directions. This bidirectional super-channel spans over two extensive segments with attenuation of 28 and 25 dB.

Image registration using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) remains a challenging learning task. Registration can be posed as a two-step problem: parameter estimation and actual alignment/transformation using the estimated parameters. To date ANN based image registration techniques only perform the parameter estimation, while affine equations are used to perform the actual transformation. In this paper, we propose a novel deep ANN based image rigid registration that combines parameter estimation and transformation as a simultaneous learning task. Our previous work shows that a complex universal approximator known as Cellular Simultaneous Recurrent Network (CSRN) can successfully approximate affine transformations with known transformation parameters. This study introduces a deep ANN that combines a feed forward network with a CSRN to perform full rigid registration. Layer wise training is used to pre-train feed forward network for parameter estimation and followed by a CSRN for image transformation respectively. The deep network is then fine-tuned to perform the final registration task. Our result shows that the proposed deep ANN architecture achieves comparable registration accuracy to that of image affine transformation using CSRN with known parameters. We also demonstrate the efficacy of our novel deep architecture by a performance comparison with a deep clustered MLP.

A mathematical model to filter and classify brain signals from a brain machine interface is developed. The mathematical model classifies the signals from the different lobes of the brain to differentiate the signals: alpha, beta, gamma and theta, besides the signals from vision, speech, and orientation. The model to develop further eliminates noise signals that occur in the process of signal acquisition. This mathematical model can be used on different platforms interfaces for rehabilitation of physically handicapped persons.

The tone mapping field represents a challenge for all the HDR researchers. Indeed, this field is very important since, it offers better display terms for the end-user. This paper details a design of a recent tone mapping operator used in high dynamic range imaging systems. The proposed operator represents a local method that uses an adaptable factor which combines both the average neighbouring contrast and the brightness difference. Thanks to that, this solution provides good results with better brightness, contrast, and visibility and without producing neither undesired artifacts nor shadow effects.

In this paper we solve the problem of pose recognition of a 3D object in non-uniformly illuminated and noisy scenes. The recognition system employs a bank of space-variant correlation filters constructed with an adaptive approach based on local statistical parameters of the input scene. The position and orientation of the target are estimated with the help of the filter bank. For an observed input frame, the algorithm computes the correlation process between the observed image and the bank of filters using a combination of data and task parallelism by taking advantage of a graphics processing unit (GPU) architecture. The pose of the target is estimated by finding the template that better matches the current view of target within the scene. The performance of the proposed system is evaluated in terms of recognition accuracy, location and orientation errors, and computational performance.

There is a need, for high speed optical communication networks, in the monitoring process, to determine the modulation format type of a received signal. In this paper, we present a new achievement of modulation format recognition technique, where we proposed the use of wavelet transform of the detected signal in conjunction with the artificial neural network (ANN) algorithm. Besides, wavelet transform is one of the most popular candidates of the time-frequency transformations, where the wavelets are generated from a basic wavelet function by dilations and translations. We proved that this technique is capable of recognizing the multi-carriers modulation scheme with high accuracy under different transmission impairments such as chromatic dispersion (CD), differential group delay (DGD) and accumulated amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) noise with different ranges. Both the theoretical analysis and the simulation results showed that the wavelet transform not only can be used for modulation identification of optical communication signals, but also has a better classification accuracies under appropriate OSNR (optical signal-to-noise ratio) values.

A real-time algorithm for single image dehazing is presented. The algorithm is based on calculation of local neighborhoods of a hazed image inside a moving window. The local neighborhoods are constructed by computing rank-order statistics. Next the dark-channel-prior approach is applied to the local neighborhoods to estimate the transmission function of the scene. By using the suggested approach there is no need for applying a refining algorithm to the estimated transmission such as the soft matting algorithm. To achieve high-rate signal processing the proposed algorithm is implemented exploiting massive parallelism on a graphics processing unit (GPU). Computer simulation results are carried out to test the performance of the proposed algorithm in terms of dehazing efficiency and speed of processing. These tests are performed using several synthetic and real images. The obtained results are analyzed and compared with those obtained with existing dehazing algorithms.

We present the methodology for the surface measurement of small testing objects with maximum depth variation of 3mm, using a polarimetric approach. The experimental setup is based on the function of a Differential Interference Contrast microscope, which works as a shearing interferometer. As it is expected, when it comes to an application for non-microscopic samples, certain modifications should be considered on the development of the measurement system. This work focuses on such details that lead to the profiling of a testing object of known dimensions. An algorithm that computes height distribution based on the polarimetric data is implemented and the resulting surface profile is analyzed. Finally, our conclusions about the requirements for an improvement of the presented measurement setup are listed.