Abstract: The present invention proposes a method for calculating, presenting, and combining probabilistic functional maps (PFMs) of the human brain representing the probability of structures existing. The method comprises three major steps: reading of data containing the coordinates of contacts, calculating the PFMs, and presenting the PFMs. The data can be read from a file in text or binary format or from a database as local or remote client. The PFM calculation comprises the following steps: forming 3D models of contacts, normalizing the contact models, voxelizing the contact models, calculating an atlas function, and calculating the PFM. The PFM can be presented alone or along with anatomical atlases. Both 3D and 2D interfaces can be used for presentation. The proposed method also includes different ways of combining the contact data and/or existing PFMs from multiple sources. This mechanism is the basis of an internet portal for stereotactic and functional neurosurgery.

Abstract: A system for analysing a brain image compares the image with a brain atlas, labels the image accordingly, and annotating the regions of interest and/or other structures. This atlas-enhanced data is written to a file (or more than one file) in the Dicom format or any web-enabled format such as SGML or XML format. The image used may be produced by any medical imaging modality. A fast algorithm is proposed for a landmark-based piecewise linear mapping of one volumetric image into another volumetric image. Furthermore, a new set of brain landmarks are proposed, and algorithms for the automatic identification of these landmarks are formulated for three orientations, axial, coronal, and sagittal.

Abstract: A method of determining symmetry in an image, a method of determining a symmetry plane line segment of a 3D image, a method of determining a symmetry line of a 2D image, and a computer program product. The method includes a) determining at least one searching line segment within a predefined search area of an image portion, the at least one searching line segment including a reference point (x, y) at its center and an angle ? with respect to a predetermined axis of the image portion; b) for each searching line segment, determining a first local characteristic in accordance with a measurement at points adjacent the searching line segment; c) determining the symmetry in the image in accordance with a calculation based on the first local characteristic.

Abstract: A method and system for incorporating a user's preferences in an information clustering system having an information clustering engine for clustering information based on similarities, a user interface module for displaying the information groupings and obtaining user preferences, a personalization module for defining, labeling, modifying, storing and retrieving cluster structure, and a knowledge base where the user-defined cluster structure is stored. The user-configurable clustering system first organizes information into a list of automatic generated groupings or clusters. The list of groupings can then be modified by a user through an interactive process of personalization and re-clustering using a set of cluster manipulation operators. The personalized cluster indicates the user preference in organizing information and can be used to organize new information. The system can also be used to identify novel information that does not fit into the personalized cluster structure.

Abstract: Party A encrypts unique first digital data and generates an authentication certificate authenticating that the encrypted first data is an encryption of the first data. Party B verifies the encrypted first data using the authentication certificate. When the encrypted first data is verified by B, A verifies second unique digital data received from B. When the second data is verified by A, B verifies unencrypted first data received from A. When the unencrypted first data is not verified by B, B sends the encrypted first data and the second data to party C. C decrypts the encrypted first data to obtain the decrypted first data, and verifies the decrypted first and the second data. When the decrypted first and the second data are verified, C sends the decrypted first data to B and the second data to A.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for encrypting and decrypting data is disclosed which employs two or more cryptographic algorithms to achieve high throughput without compromizing security. The invention is especially useful for software implementation to protect large amounts of multimedia data over high-speed communication channels.

Abstract: A method removes a part of a computing process comprising items of data, program code and executing states. The process splits into a first process and a second sub-process. The second sub-process includes a portion of the program code and/or a portion of the execution state of the computing process not required by the first process.

Abstract: A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for digital audio watermarking of wavetable (WT) format audio, including downloadable sounds (DLS) (110), are disclosed. Correspondingly, a method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for extracting watermarks (126, 552) from a digital audio watermarked WT audio (162, 510) are disclosed. In particular, a digital audio watermark (126) is embedded (140, 130) in both articulation parameters (122) and sample data (124) of a DLS (110). A finite automaton module (220) is used to implement adaptive coding (130) of the sample data (124). Virtual parameters (430) are generated for information hiding (140) applied to the articulation parameters (122). Optionally, playback of the WT (152) can be limited by an embedded control signal. Brief overviews of MIDI and DLS are provided.

Abstract: As system for navigating primary media and meta-data on a computer system is described. The system involves accessing primary media from a primary media source, and accessing meta-data from a meta-data source. The system also involves generating a graphical user interface (GUI) for providing interaction between a user and the system in relation to the primary media. The GUI includes means for facilitating control of the primary media currently being played, and means for displaying a multidimensional graphical representation for depicting a timeline for indicating the current location of the primary media being played relative to a reference location in the primary media, and providing information relating to the meta-data associated with the primary media at the current location.

Abstract: A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for remote authentication are disclosed. The methods are based on exchanging of signals representing remote party's biometrics information (such as acoustic waveforms) and have application in secure telephony or video-conferencing communications over open networks. The apparatus includes a speech encoding/decoding module (632), a control module (636), an encryption/decryption module (640), a key generator (650), a Diffie Hellman key exchange system (660), a timer module (670) for measuring time between a challenged statement and a corresponding response statement, an input/output (I/O) module (680) for transmitting and receiving data via a communications channel 610.

Abstract: A computing system for enabling the migration of a mobile computing environment to provide a consistent computing environment for a user is disclosed. The computing system is connectable to remote storage and has a local computing environment, an operating system, and a local storage. It also includes a means for mapping a user-interface portion of the mobile computing environment onto the local computing environment using information transferred from said remote storage being connected to the system, the mapping means being actuable by the user. The computer system further includes a file system in the operating system for receiving and translating requests for performing file operations on the local storage. There is also included a means for monitoring and intercepting a request made to the file system for operation on a file, the request being actuable by the mapped user-interface and the file being stored on a said remote storage being connected to the system.

Abstract: A connectionless oriented communications network is disclosed having a plurality of IP network routers R1-R3 controllable by a service controller S the service controller S being arranged to set a service across the network by configuration of at least some of the routers R1-R3, configuration instructions to determine packet forwarding behaviour sent from the service controller S to the routers R1-R3 being in a common form and each router R1-R3 having associated therewith a translation program for translating the common form instructions into configuration information specific to that router.

Abstract: A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for extracting motion information (110) from a video sequence (130, 600) containing interframe motion vectors (120) are disclosed. In particular, motion information (110) is automatically extracted (610) from an encoded traffic video stream (600) to detect speed, density and flow. The motion information (110) extracted is under fixed camera settings and in a well-defined environment. The motion vectors (120) are first separated (610) from the compressed streams (130) during decoding and filtered (620) to eliminate incorrect and noisy motion vectors based on the well-defined environmental knowledge. By applying a projective transform (630) to the filtered motion vectors, speed, density, and flow can be detected (640, 650, 660). In this manner, a traffic monitoring system is implemented.

Abstract: A method, an apparatus and a computer program product are disclosed for protecting the legitimacy of an article (100), and in particular an electronic document, against forgery or fraud. Such articles include passports, credit cards, bank notes, lottery tickets, secure forms. The method includes the following steps: several watermarks (204, 224, 244) are generated independently (304, 306, 308) by different cryptographic watermarking mechanisms controlled utilising information permanently associated within the article or product (100); and each watermark is embedded in a linked cryptographic manner (160, 162, 164). Subsequently, the watermarks can be scanned and digitised (410). The authenticity of the article (100) can be determined by verifying the correctness of extracted watermarks and the encryption links (160, 162, 164) among them. Also disclosed is a method of embedding an invisible watermark (714) in an official seal (712) incorporated in an electronic article or document (700).

Abstract: A method of optimizing delivery of computer media over a network of computers involves creating an annotation record for each item of computer media. Within the annotation record at least some of the following classes of information are included: (i) an identification of the computer on which the media item was created or introduced to the network; (ii) identifications of one or more computers on which a copy of the media item is presently located; (iii) an identification list of computers which have established a computer link to the media item; (iv) an identification list of computer users who have personal software assistants which have established a computer link to the media item; (v) an indication enabling version control of the media item; and (iv) one or more indications as to the subject matter of the media item.

Abstract: The method of mapping a curved path for stereotactic surgery involves the selection of a helical-shaped path. The first step is toobtain an accurate image of the pertinent structures of the patient's internal areas. The image includes the lesion or target region (15) and potential opening site. Using the image, the non-target areas (16, 17, 19) surrounding the lesion area (15) are determined and evaluated for the medical acceptability of passing through them. A curved path (H) which is substantially helical in shape is then selected within the image such that the curved path (H) avoids these non-target areas (16, 17, 19), but intersects the target region (15) and the opening site. The corresponding surgical instrument (65) which will be used to follow the path has a rigid body (H) having a shape which is substantially identical to the path.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer program product for estimating face direction using a single gray-level image (110, 150) of a face are described. Given the single image (110, 150), a face direction can be determined by computing a nose axis (140, 180) maximising a correlation measure between left and right sides (120, 130; 160, 170) of the face. The correlation measure is computed by comparing one of the two sides (A) with another synthetic side (C) derived from the other side (B) using symmetry and perspective transforms. Optionally, this process can be accelerated using a contrast enhancement algorithm taking advantage of the circumstances that the nose is the part of a face reflecting the most light and that this reflected light is represented as a line-like region close to the real nose axis.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and a computer program product are described for copy protecting encrypted documents in a client-server system using an unsecured communication channel. The client-server system has clients and a server for storing encrypted documents. Encrypted documents e(Ks, M) are received by a client from the server. Communications on a transmission channel between the client and the server are then authenticated. Such communications also include electronic payments initiated by a user using the client. Upon authenticating or payment, an encrypted document can then be decrypted. After decrypting, the unencrypted document is displayed but prevented from storage at any client unless re-encrypted using a host specific key KH associated with the client to thereby provide a re-encrypted document.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer program product for estimating face direction using a single gray-level image (110, 150) of a face are described. Given the single image (110, 150), a face direction can be determined by computing a nose axis (140, 180) maximizing a correlation measure between left and right sides (120, 130; 160, 170) of the face. The correlation measure is computed by comparing one of the two sides (A) with another synthetic side (C) derived from the other side (B) using symmetry and perspective transforms. Optionally, this process can be accelerated using a contrast enhancement algorithm taking advantage of the circumstances that the nose is the part of a face reflecting the most light and that this reflected light is represented as a line-like region close to the real nose axis.

Abstract: The method of mapping a curved path for stereotactic surgery involves the selection of a helical-shaped path. The first step is to obtain an accurate image of the pertinent structures of the patient's internal areas. The image includes the lesion or target region and a potential opening site. Using the image, the non-target areas surrounding the lesion area are determined and evaluated for the medical acceptability of passing through them. A curved path which is substantially helical in shape is then selected within the image such that the curve avoids these non-target areas but intersects the target region and the opening site. The corresponding surgical instrument which will be used to follow the selected curved path has a rigid body having a shape which is substantially identical to the path.