Bogdan Raducanu, Jordi Vitria, & Ales Leonardis. (2010). Online pattern recognition and machine learning techniques for computer-vision: Theory and applications. IMAVIS - Image and Vision Computing, 28(7), 1063–1064.
Abstract: (Editorial for the Special Issue on Online pattern recognition and machine learning techniques)
In real life, visual learning is supposed to be a continuous process. This paradigm has found its way also in artificial vision systems. There is an increasing trend in pattern recognition represented by online learning approaches, which aims at continuously updating the data representation when new information arrives. Starting with a minimal dataset, the initial knowledge is expanded by incorporating incoming instances, which may have not been previously available or foreseen at the system’s design stage. An interesting characteristic of this strategy is that the train and test phases take place simultaneously. Given the increasing interest in this subject, the aim of this special issue is to be a landmark event in the development of online learning techniques and their applications with the hope that it will capture the interest of a wider audience and will attract even more researchers. We received 19 contributions, of which 9 have been accepted for publication, after having been subjected to usual peer review process.
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J.S. Cope, P.Remagnino, S.Mannan, Katerine Diaz, Francesc J. Ferri, & P.Wilkin. (2013). Reverse Engineering Expert Visual Observations: From Fixations To The Learning Of Spatial Filters With A Neural-Gas Algorithm. EXWA - Expert Systems with Applications, 40(17), 6707–6712.
Abstract: Human beings can become experts in performing specific vision tasks, for example, doctors analysing medical images, or botanists studying leaves. With sufficient knowledge and experience, people can become very efficient at such tasks. When attempting to perform these tasks with a machine vision system, it would be highly beneficial to be able to replicate the process which the expert undergoes. Advances in eye-tracking technology can provide data to allow us to discover the manner in which an expert studies an image. This paper presents a first step towards utilizing these data for computer vision purposes. A growing-neural-gas algorithm is used to learn a set of Gabor filters which give high responses to image regions which a human expert fixated on. These filters can then be used to identify regions in other images which are likely to be useful for a given vision task. The algorithm is evaluated by learning filters for locating specific areas of plant leaves.
Keywords: Neural gas; Expert vision; Eye-tracking; Fixations
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Fadi Dornaika, Abdelmalik Moujahid, & Bogdan Raducanu. (2013). Facial expression recognition using tracked facial actions: Classifier performance analysis. EAAI - Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence, 26(1), 467–477.
Abstract: In this paper, we address the analysis and recognition of facial expressions in continuous videos. More precisely, we study classifiers performance that exploit head pose independent temporal facial action parameters. These are provided by an appearance-based 3D face tracker that simultaneously provides the 3D head pose and facial actions. The use of such tracker makes the recognition pose- and texture-independent. Two different schemes are studied. The first scheme adopts a dynamic time warping technique for recognizing expressions where training data are given by temporal signatures associated with different universal facial expressions. The second scheme models temporal signatures associated with facial actions with fixed length feature vectors (observations), and uses some machine learning algorithms in order to recognize the displayed expression. Experiments quantified the performance of different schemes. These were carried out on CMU video sequences and home-made video sequences. The results show that the use of dimension reduction techniques on the extracted time series can improve the classification performance. Moreover, these experiments show that the best recognition rate can be above 90%.
Keywords: Visual face tracking; 3D deformable models; Facial actions; Dynamic facial expression recognition; Human–computer interaction
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David Roche, Debora Gil, & Jesus Giraldo. (2013). Multiple active receptor conformation, agonist efficacy and maximum effect of the system: the conformation-based operational model of agonism,. DDT - Drug Discovery Today, 18(7-8), 365–371.
Abstract: The operational model of agonism assumes that the maximum effect a particular receptor system can achieve (the Em parameter) is fixed. Em estimates are above but close to the asymptotic maximum effects of endogenous agonists. The concept of Em is contradicted by superagonists and those positive allosteric modulators that significantly increase the maximum effect of endogenous agonists. An extension of the operational model is proposed that assumes that the Em parameter does not necessarily have a single value for a receptor system but has multiple values associated to multiple active receptor conformations. The model provides a mechanistic link between active receptor conformation and agonist efficacy, which can be useful for the analysis of agonist response under different receptor scenarios.
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Bhaskar Chakraborty, Jordi Gonzalez, & Xavier Roca. (2013). Large scale continuous visual event recognition using max-margin Hough transformation framework. CVIU - Computer Vision and Image Understanding, 117(10), 1356–1368.
Abstract: In this paper we propose a novel method for continuous visual event recognition (CVER) on a large scale video dataset using max-margin Hough transformation framework. Due to high scalability, diverse real environmental state and wide scene variability direct application of action recognition/detection methods such as spatio-temporal interest point (STIP)-local feature based technique, on the whole dataset is practically infeasible. To address this problem, we apply a motion region extraction technique which is based on motion segmentation and region clustering to identify possible candidate “event of interest” as a preprocessing step. On these candidate regions a STIP detector is applied and local motion features are computed. For activity representation we use generalized Hough transform framework where each feature point casts a weighted vote for possible activity class centre. A max-margin frame work is applied to learn the feature codebook weight. For activity detection, peaks in the Hough voting space are taken into account and initial event hypothesis is generated using the spatio-temporal information of the participating STIPs. For event recognition a verification Support Vector Machine is used. An extensive evaluation on benchmark large scale video surveillance dataset (VIRAT) and as well on a small scale benchmark dataset (MSR) shows that the proposed method is applicable on a wide range of continuous visual event recognition applications having extremely challenging conditions.
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Laura Igual, Joan Carles Soliva, Sergio Escalera, Roger Gimeno, Oscar Vilarroya, & Petia Radeva. (2012). Automatic Brain Caudate Nuclei Segmentation and Classification in Diagnostic of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. CMIG - Computerized Medical Imaging and Graphics, 36(8), 591–600.
Abstract: We present a fully automatic diagnostic imaging test for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder diagnosis assistance based on previously found evidences of caudate nucleus volumetric abnormalities. The proposed method consists of different steps: a new automatic method for external and internal segmentation of caudate based on Machine Learning methodologies; the definition of a set of new volume relation features, 3D Dissociated Dipoles, used for caudate representation and classification. We separately validate the contributions using real data from a pediatric population and show precise internal caudate segmentation and discrimination power of the diagnostic test, showing significant performance improvements in comparison to other state-of-the-art methods.
Keywords: Automatic caudate segmentation; Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder; Diagnostic test; Machine learning; Decision stumps; Dissociated dipoles
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Miguel Reyes, Albert Clapes, Jose Ramirez, Juan R Revilla, & Sergio Escalera. (2013). Automatic Digital Biometry Analysis based on Depth Maps. COMPUTIND - Computers in Industry, 64(9), 1316–1325.
Abstract: World Health Organization estimates that 80% of the world population is affected by back-related disorders during his life. Current practices to analyze musculo-skeletal disorders (MSDs) are expensive, subjective, and invasive. In this work, we propose a tool for static body posture analysis and dynamic range of movement estimation of the skeleton joints based on 3D anthropometric information from multi-modal data. Given a set of keypoints, RGB and depth data are aligned, depth surface is reconstructed, keypoints are matched, and accurate measurements about posture and spinal curvature are computed. Given a set of joints, range of movement measurements is also obtained. Moreover, gesture recognition based on joint movements is performed to look for the correctness in the development of physical exercises. The system shows high precision and reliable measurements, being useful for posture reeducation purposes to prevent MSDs, as well as tracking the posture evolution of patients in rehabilitation treatments.
Keywords: Multi-modal data fusion; Depth maps; Posture analysis; Anthropometric data; Musculo-skeletal disorders; Gesture analysis
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Naila Murray, Sandra Skaff, Luca Marchesotti, & Florent Perronnin. (2012). Towards automatic and flexible concept transfer. CG - Computers and Graphics, 36(6), 622–634.
Abstract: This paper introduces a novel approach to automatic, yet flexible, image concepttransfer; examples of concepts are “romantic”, “earthy”, and “luscious”. The presented method modifies the color content of an input image given only a concept specified by a user in natural language, thereby requiring minimal user input. This method is particularly useful for users who are aware of the message they wish to convey in the transferred image while being unsure of the color combination needed to achieve the corresponding transfer. Our framework is flexible for two reasons. First, the user may select one of two modalities to map input image chromaticities to target concept chromaticities depending on the level of photo-realism required. Second, the user may adjust the intensity level of the concepttransfer to his/her liking with a single parameter. The proposed method uses a convex clustering algorithm, with a novel pruning mechanism, to automatically set the complexity of models of chromatic content. Results show that our approach yields transferred images which effectively represent concepts as confirmed by a user study.
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Francisco Javier Orozco, Xavier Roca, & Jordi Gonzalez. (2008). Real-Time Gaze Tracking with Appearance-Based Models. MVAP - Machine Vision Applications, 20(6), 353–364.
Abstract: Psychological evidence has emphasized the importance of eye gaze analysis in human computer interaction and emotion interpretation. To this end, current image analysis algorithms take into consideration eye-lid and iris motion detection using colour information and edge detectors. However, eye movement is fast and and hence difficult to use to obtain a precise and robust tracking. Instead, our
method proposed to describe eyelid and iris movements as continuous variables using appearance-based tracking. This approach combines the strengths of adaptive appearance models, optimization methods and backtracking techniques.Thus,
in the proposed method textures are learned on-line from near frontal images and illumination changes, occlusions and fast movements are managed. The method achieves real-time performance by combining two appearance-based trackers to a
backtracking algorithm for eyelid estimation and another for iris estimation. These contributions represent a significant advance towards a reliable gaze motion description for HCI and expression analysis, where the strength of complementary
methodologies are combined to avoid using high quality images, colour information, texture training, camera settings and other time-consuming processes.
Keywords: Keywords Eyelid and iris tracking, Appearance models, Blinking, Iris saccade, Real-time gaze tracking
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Xavier Perez Sala, Cecilio Angulo, & Sergio Escalera. (2011). Biologically Inspired Turn Control in Robot Navigation. In 14th Congrès Català en Intel·ligencia Artificial (pp. 187–196).
Abstract: An exportable and robust system for turn control using only camera images is proposed for path execution in robot navigation. Robot motion information is extracted in the form of optical flow from SURF robust descriptors of consecutive frames in the image sequence. This information is used to compute the instantaneous rotation angle. Finally, control loop is closed correcting robot displacements when it is requested for a turn command. The proposed system has been successfully tested on the four-legged Sony Aibo robot.
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Aura Hernandez-Sabate, Petia Radeva, Antonio Tovar, & Debora Gil. (2006). Vessel structures alignment by spectral analysis of ivus sequences. In Proc. of CVII, MICCAI Workshop (pp. 39–36). 1st International Wokshop on Computer Vision for Intravascular and Intracardiac Imaging (CVII’06). Copenhaguen (Denmark),.
Abstract: Three-dimensional intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) allows to visualize and obtain volumetric measurements of coronary lesions through an exploration of the cross sections and longitudinal views of arteries. However, the visualization and subsequent morpho-geometric measurements in IVUS longitudinal cuts are subject to distortion caused by periodic image/vessel motion around the IVUS catheter. Usually, to overcome the image motion artifact ECG-gating and image-gated approaches are proposed, leading to slowing the pullback acquisition or disregarding part of IVUS data. In this paper, we argue that the image motion is due to 3-D vessel geometry as well as cardiac dynamics, and propose a dynamic model based on the tracking of an elliptical vessel approximation to recover the rigid transformation and align IVUS images without loosing any IVUS data. We report an extensive validation with synthetic simulated data and in vivo IVUS sequences of 30 patients achieving an average reduction of the image artifact of 97% in synthetic data and 79% in real-data. Our study shows that IVUS alignment improves longitudinal analysis of the IVUS data and is a necessary step towards accurate reconstruction and volumetric measurements of 3-D IVUS.
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Miguel Angel Bautista, Oriol Pujol, Fernando De la Torre, & Sergio Escalera. (2018). Error-Correcting Factorization. TPAMI - IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, 40, 2388–2401.
Abstract: Error Correcting Output Codes (ECOC) is a successful technique in multi-class classification, which is a core problem in Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning. A major advantage of ECOC over other methods is that the multi- class problem is decoupled into a set of binary problems that are solved independently. However, literature defines a general error-correcting capability for ECOCs without analyzing how it distributes among classes, hindering a deeper analysis of pair-wise error-correction. To address these limitations this paper proposes an Error-Correcting Factorization (ECF) method, our contribution is three fold: (I) We propose a novel representation of the error-correction capability, called the design matrix, that enables us to build an ECOC on the basis of allocating correction to pairs of classes. (II) We derive the optimal code length of an ECOC using rank properties of the design matrix. (III) ECF is formulated as a discrete optimization problem, and a relaxed solution is found using an efficient constrained block coordinate descent approach. (IV) Enabled by the flexibility introduced with the design matrix we propose to allocate the error-correction on classes that are prone to confusion. Experimental results in several databases show that when allocating the error-correction to confusable classes ECF outperforms state-of-the-art approaches.
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Juan Ramon Terven Salinas, Joaquin Salas, & Bogdan Raducanu. (2014). New Opportunities for Computer Vision-Based Assistive Technology Systems for the Visually Impaired. COMP - Computer, 47(4), 52–58.
Abstract: Computing advances and increased smartphone use gives technology system designers greater flexibility in exploiting computer vision to support visually impaired users. Understanding these users' needs will certainly provide insight for the development of improved usability of computing devices.
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Lluis Pere de las Heras, Joan Mas, Gemma Sanchez, & Ernest Valveny. (2011). Wall Patch-Based Segmentation in Architectural Floorplans. In 11th International Conference on Document Analysis and Recognition (pp. 1270–1274).
Abstract: Segmentation of architectural floor plans is a challenging task, mainly because of the large variability in the notation between different plans. In general, traditional techniques, usually based on analyzing and grouping structural primitives obtained by vectorization, are only able to handle a reduced range of similar notations. In this paper we propose an alternative patch-based segmentation approach working at pixel level, without need of vectorization. The image is divided into a set of patches and a set of features is extracted for every patch. Then, each patch is assigned to a visual word of a previously learned vocabulary and given a probability of belonging to each class of objects. Finally, a post-process assigns the final label for every pixel. This approach has been applied to the detection of walls on two datasets of architectural floor plans with different notations, achieving high accuracy rates.
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Jon Almazan, Alicia Fornes, & Ernest Valveny. (2011). A Non-Rigid Feature Extraction Method for Shape Recognition. In 11th International Conference on Document Analysis and Recognition (pp. 987–991).
Abstract: This paper presents a methodology for shape recognition that focuses on dealing with the difficult problem of large deformations. The proposed methodology consists in a novel feature extraction technique, which uses a non-rigid representation adaptable to the shape. This technique employs a deformable grid based on the computation of geometrical centroids that follows a region partitioning algorithm. Then, a feature vector is extracted by computing pixel density measures around these geometrical centroids. The result is a shape descriptor that adapts its representation to the given shape and encodes the pixel density distribution. The validity of the method when dealing with large deformations has been experimentally shown over datasets composed of handwritten shapes. It has been applied to signature verification and shape recognition tasks demonstrating high accuracy and low computational cost.
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