Analysis of human body kinematics using a hybrid markerless video acquisition and processing

A main objective of the human movement analysis is the quantitative description of joint kinematics and kinetics. This information may have great possibility to address clinical problems both in orthopaedics and motor rehabilitation. Previous studies have shown that the assessment of kinematics and kinetics from stereophotogrammetric data necessitates a setup phase, special equipment and expertise to operate. Besides, this procedure may cause feeling of uneasiness on the subjects and may hinder with their walking. The general aim of this thesis is the implementation and evaluation of new 2D markerless techniques, in order to contribute to the development of an alternative technique to the traditional stereophotogrammetric techniques. At first, the focus of the study has been the estimation of the ankle-foot complex kinematics during stance phase of the gait. Two particular cases were considered: subjects barefoot and subjects wearing ankle socks. The use of socks was investigated in view of the development of the hybrid method proposed in this work. Different algorithms were analyzed, evaluated and implemented in order to have a 2D markerless solution to estimate the kinematics for both cases. The validation of the proposed technique was done with a traditional stereophotogrammetric system. The implementation of the technique leads towards an easy to configure (and more comfortable for the subject) alternative to the traditional stereophotogrammetric system. Then, the abovementioned technique has been improved so that the measurement of knee flexion/extension could be done with a 2D markerless technique. The main changes on the implementation were on occlusion handling and background segmentation. With the additional constraints, the proposed technique was applied to the estimation of knee flexion/extension and compared with a traditional stereophotogrammetric system. Results showed that the knee flexion/extension estimation from traditional stereophotogrammetric system and the proposed markerless system were highly comparable, making the latter a potential alternative for clinical use. A contribution has also been given in the estimation of lower limb kinematics of the children with cerebral palsy (CP). For this purpose, a hybrid technique, which uses high-cut underwear and ankle socks as “segmental markers” in combination with a markerless methodology, was proposed. The proposed hybrid technique is different than the abovementioned markerless technique in terms of the algorithm chosen. Results showed that the proposed hybrid technique can become a simple and low-cost alternative to the traditional stereophotogrammetric systems.

Structured P2P Video Streaming and Collaborative Failure Detection

Il video streaming in peer-to-peer sta diventando sempre più popolare e utiliz- zato. Per tali applicazioni i criteri di misurazione delle performance sono: - startup delay: il tempo che intercorre tra la connessione e l’inizio della ripro- duzione dello stream (chiamato anche switching delay), - playback delay: il tempo che intercorre tra l’invio da parte della sorgente e la riproduzione dello stream da parte di un peer, - time lag: la differenza tra i playback delay di due diversi peer. Tuttavia, al giorno d’oggi i sistemi P2P per il video streaming sono interessati da considerevoli ritardi, sia nella fase di startup che in quella di riproduzione. Un recente studio su un famoso sistema P2P per lo streaming, ha mostrato che solitamente i ritardi variano tra i 10 e i 60 secondi. Gli autori hanno osservato anche che in alcuni casi i ritardi superano i 4 minuti! Si tratta quindi di gravi inconvenienti se si vuole assistere a eventi in diretta o se si vuole fruire di applicazioni interattive. Alcuni studi hanno mostrato che questi ritardi sono la conseguenza della natura non strutturata di molti sistemi P2P. Ogni stream viene suddiviso in blocchi che vengono scambiati tra i peer. A causa della diffusione non strutturata del contenuto, i peer devono continuamente scambiare informazioni con i loro vicini prima di poter inoltrare i blocchi ricevuti. Queste soluzioni sono estremamente re- sistenti ai cambiamenti della rete, ma comportano una perdita notevole in termini di prestazioni, rendendo complicato raggiungere l’obiettivo di un broadcast in realtime. In questo progetto abbiamo lavorato su un sistema P2P strutturato per il video streaming che ha mostrato di poter offrire ottimi risultati con ritardi molto vicini a quelli ottimali. In un sistema P2P strutturato ogni peer conosce esattamente quale blocchi inviare e a quali peer. Siccome il numero di peer che compongono il sistema potrebbe essere elevato, ogni peer dovrebbe operare possedendo solo una conoscenza limitata dello stato del sistema. Inoltre il sistema è in grado di gestire arrivi e partenze, anche raggruppati, richiedendo una riorganizzazione limitata della struttura. Infine, in questo progetto abbiamo progettato e implementato una soluzione personalizzata per rilevare e sostituire i peer non più in grado di cooperare. Anche per questo aspetto, l’obiettivo è stato quello di minimizzare il numero di informazioni scambiate tra peer.

Video Composer and Live Video Conductor: Future Professions for the Interactive Digital Broadcasting Industry

Innovations in hardware and network technologies lead to an exploding number of non-interrelated parallel media streams. Per se this does not mean any additional value for consumers. Broadcasting and advertisement industries have not yet found new formats to reach the individual user with their content. In this work we propose and describe a novel digital broadcasting framework, which allows for the live staging of (mass) media events and improved consumer personalisation. In addition new professions for future TV production workflows which will emerge are described, namely the 'video composer' and the 'live video conductor'.

Services Between Video Producers and Broadcasters: Do we need a standard?

Se muestra la necesidad de la creación de un estándar que facilite el intercambio de datos entre empresas productoras de vídeo y cadenas de distribución. Se muestra un posible modelo en la forma de transmisión, modelo de datos y procesado de datos.

Changing the paradigm: endoscopic video analysis and information extraction for safer surgeries

Background: Minimally invasive surgery creates two technological opportunities: (1) the development of better training and objective evaluation environments, and (2) the creation of image guided surgical systems.

Manual for the classification and cataloging of music scores (1955 revision). The "Vassar-Columbia" classification scheme integrated with the cataloging procedure manual of the Columbia University Music Library,

Mode of access: Internet.

Science and technology : 47 video, film, and sound/slide programs for earth sciences, computer sciences, civil engineering, and general science classes.

Shipping list no.: 88-100-P.

The Illinois production guide : '97/'98 : a directory of film, television, video services and personnel in Illinois /

Includes: Supplement, additional listings (various categories) June 1997.

LIST OF BOOKS FOR WISCONSIN HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARIES WITH INDICATED CLASSIFICATIO N AND CATALOGING

Mode of access: Internet.

Improved Techniques for Video Compression and Communication

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-06

Intelligent Search and Automatic Document Classification and Cataloging Based on Ontology Approach

This paper presents an approach to development of intelligent search system and automatic document classification and cataloging tools for CASE-system based on metadata. The described method uses advantages of ontology approach and traditional approach based on keywords. The method has powerful intelligent means and it can be integrated with existing document search systems.

Scenes of provincial life: an online video sequence and commentary

I present here a sequence of short videos, Scenes of Provincial Life, forming a unified, ongoing online work. In my written commentary I discuss the work‘s context, genesis and facture and presentation and thereby demonstrate its claim to originality as art work. I go on to suggest one possible interpretive framework for it. I then discuss the nature of art works as candidates for the generation of new knowledge and conclude that art works in general fulfil this function, in a very carefully defined way, as a necessary condition of being art works. I further connect the success of any work as art work with the richness of its knowledge generating capacity, inseparably allied to its aesthetic force. I conclude that if Scenes of Provincial Life is seen to have value as artwork it will therefore by definition be a creator of new knowledge.

Video lectures and online activities to engage students in a flipped classroom

In recent years there have been several proposals for alternative pedagogical practices. Most of these proposals are based in the, so called, “active learning”, in opposition to the common “passive learning”, which is centered on transmission of information inside classrooms as well as recognized as teacher-centered procedure. In an active learning pedagogical structure, students have a more participative role in the overall learning/teaching process, being encouraged to face new learning challenges like, for instance, solving problems and developing projects, in an autonomous approach trying to make them, consequently, able to build their own knowledge. The flipped or “inverted” classroom is one of these active learning pedagogical methodologies that emphasizes a learner-centered instruction. According to this approach, the first contact that students have with the content on a particular curriculum subject is not transmitted by the lecturer in the classroom, this teaching strategy requires students to assess and analyze the specific subject before attending to class, therefore the informational component from the lecture is the homework, and class time is dedicated to exercises and assignments, always with support from the instructor, who acts as a facilitator, helping students when needed and offering supplementary explanation as required. The main objective of this paper is to discuss and explore how the use of different types of instructional videos and online activities may be implemented in the flipped classroom procedure (as means of incorporating new content and teaching new competencies) and to describe students’ perceptions of this approach within a course in a Higher Education Institution (HEI), presenting some positive and negative features of this pedagogical practice.

Between the Graduate School and Cataloging: How a Digital Collections Center Contributes Quality to the ETD Process

This presentation was given at the 2015 USETDA (United States Electronic Theses and Dissertations Association) conference in Austin, Texas explores the history of Digital Collections Center at Florida International University and where and how it functions in the process of publishing, archiving, and promoting the university's electronic theses and dissertations. Additionally, the functionality of Digital Commons is discussed along with the use of Adobe Acrobat for creating archival quality PDFs. The final section discusses promotion techniques used via social media for increased discoverability of ETDs.