Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and system for modifying images characterized in that it includes the ability to assign colour intensity values to pixels exposed during image manipulation operations comprising: means for using the color intensity values of remaining pixels in the original image, and means for assigning color values to the exposed pixels that are similar to those of the surrounding pixels so that the exposed regions blends smoothly with the surrounding region. The instant invention also provides a configured computer program product for carrying out the above method.

Abstract: A system and method for modifying images has an ability to assign color intensity values to pixels exposed during image manipulation operations. The system and method for modifying images comprises means for using the color intensity values of remaining pixels in the original image, and for assigning color values to the exposed pixels that are similar to those of the surrounding pixels so that the exposed regions blends smoothly with the surrounding region. The means for assigning color values assigns the value of color intensity based on the color intensity value function determined at a location of a pixel. The color intensity value function used to assign values to exposed pixels is determined by fitting a function to the known color intensity values of pixels in the boundary regions of the exposed surrounding pixels. The color intensity value function is approximated using energy minimization along with boundary conditions.

Abstract: Provided are methods, apparatus arid computer programs for scheduling storage input and/or output (I/O) requests. A method for scheduling storage access requests determines a request processing sequence calculated to maximize SLA-based revenues achievable from processing a number of requests. A storage controller includes a scheduler which implements a revenue-based scheduling function to determine a revenue-maximizing processing sequence, and then assigns storage access requests to locations in a queue corresponding to the determined sequence. In an on-line mode, the scheduler can adapt to additional received requests, evaluating the revenue function for the additional requests and modifying the schedule if required. The method may include analysing a request stream to predict requests that are likely to be received in the near future, and taking account of the predicted requests when determining a processing schedule.

Abstract: Prediction-based online admission control for incoming jobs has an explicit objective of optimizing a utility function. The input to an algorithmic procedure is a set of requests made in respect of a network service. Each request has information about the length of the request. An output of the algorithmic procedure is a selected subset of requests that can be served within the capacity constraints of the network service, such that the utility function is approximately optimized (for example, minimized or maximized) depending on the context of the particular application.

Abstract: Provided are methods, apparatus and computer programs for scheduling storage input and/or output (I/O) requests. A method for scheduling storage access requests determines a request processing sequence calculated to maximize SLA-based revenues achievable from processing a number of requests. A storage controller includes a scheduler which implements a revenue-based scheduling function to determine a revenue-maximizing processing sequence, and then assigns storage access requests to locations in a queue corresponding to the determined sequence. In an on-line mode, the scheduler can adapt to additional received requests, evaluating the revenue function for the additional requests and modifying the schedule if required. The method may include analysing a request stream to predict requests that are likely to be received in the near future, and taking account of the predicted requests when determining a processing schedule.

Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products for detecting a workload imbalance in a dynamically scheduled cluster of computer servers are disclosed. One such method comprises the steps of monitoring a plurality of metrics at each of the computer servers, detecting change points in the plurality of metrics, generating alarm points based on the detected change points, correlating the alarm points and identifying, based on an outcome of the correlation, one or more of the computer servers causing a workload imbalance. Systems and computer program products for practicing the above method are also disclosed.

Abstract: In an automatic fingerprint authentication or identification system, the fingerprint image acquisition is severely effected by the limitations of the acquisition process. The two modes of input, viz. scanning inked fingerprints from paper records or directly from a finger using live-scan fingerprint scanners suffer from the following noise sources in the input in addition to standard noise in the camera. Non-uniform ink application, uneven pressure while rolling on the paper or pressing on the scanner surface and external dirt like oil and climatic variations in the moisture content of skin are some of the main causes for the ridges and valleys not to be imaged clearly. This invention deals with a method of learning a set of partitioned least-sqaures filters that can be derived from a given set of images and ground truth pairs as an offline process. The learned filters are convolved with input fingerprint images to obtain the enhanced image.

Abstract: A technique for orchestrating composite web services in a constrained data flow environment. Data flow constraints represent the restrictions which the domains involved in composition might want to impose on access to the data they provide or the source from which they can accept data. The data flow constraints are overcome by breaking down an input composite web service specification into topologies (a topology is a set of partitions communicatively connected with one another at runtime). The system applies a rule-based filtering mechanism to choose a topology that does not violate any data flow constraints. Each of the partitions belonging to the chosen topology is executed within the same domain as the corresponding web service it invokes, thus having the same access rights as the corresponding web service. The composite web service is orchestrated in a decentralized fashion using these partitions, thereby ensuring that no data flow constraints are violated.

Abstract: The present invention provides a mechanism for preventing quality degradation of decoded data during the decoding of encoded data. In one embodiment, error propagation is detected and corresponding data is flagged. An error recovery process is then applied to the flagged data. In an alternate embodiment, scores for hypotheses are calculated for lost/damaged data. A score distribution is used for detection of the false hypotheses. The data are flagged if their score distribution is within a range defined by a threshold and an error recovery process is applied to recover those data having associated error flags set.

Abstract: Provided are methods, apparatus and computer programs for scheduling storage input and/or output (I/O) requests. A method for scheduling storage access requests determines a request processing sequence calculated to maximize SLA-based revenues achievable from processing a number of requests. A storage controller includes a scheduler which implements a revenue-based scheduling function to determine a revenue-maximizing processing sequence, and then assigns storage access requests to locations in a queue corresponding to the determined sequence. In an on-line mode, the scheduler can adapt to additional received requests, evaluating the revenue function for the additional requests and modifying the schedule if required. The method may include analysing a request stream to predict requests that are likely to be received in the near future, and taking account of the predicted requests when determining a processing schedule.

Abstract: A method and system are described for a multiple level shuffling process of a signal that provides for robust error recovery. A signal is defined as multiple levels wherein each level comprises a frame, a plurality of pixels, and a plurality of bits. In one embodiment, shuffling occurs on each level and between levels. Multiple level shuffling causes burst error loss to be distributed across multiple levels thereby facilitating image reconstruction of those areas of the image in which the loss occurred.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and system for modifying images characterized in that it includes the ability to assign colour intensity values to pixels exposed during image manipulation operations comprising: means for using the color intensity values of remaining pixels in the original image, and means for assigning color values to the exposed pixels that are similar to those of the surrounding pixels so that the exposed regions blends smoothly with the surrounding region. The instant invention also provides a configured computer program product for carrying out the above method.

Abstract: A system, method, and program storage device implementing the method for modifying images has the ability to assign color intensity values to pixels exposed during image manipulation operations. The method comprises using the color intensity values of remaining pixels in the original image, and assigning color values to the exposed pixels that are similar to those of the surrounding pixels so that the exposed regions blend smoothly with the surrounding region.

Abstract: The system and method of the present invention provides an innovative technique and efficient hardware structure for recovering lost or damaged (lost/damaged) compression constants in the encoded domain. In one embodiment, a lost/damaged compression constant is recovered by estimating a compression constant of the block using encoded data of at least one neighboring block of data and other recoverable compression constants of the block.

Abstract: Prediction-based online admission control for incoming jobs has an explicit objective of optimizing a utility function. The input to an algorithmic procedure is a set of requests made in respect of a network service. Each request has information about the length of the request. An output of the algorithmic procedure is a selected subset of requests that can be served within the capacity constraints of the network service, such that the utility function is approximately optimized (for example, minimized or maximized) depending on the context of the particular application.

Abstract: Searching online catalog databases by shoppers is improved by performing similarity searching on searches performed by the shopper, in conjunction with adjusting the similarity metric used during the search to interactively improve the relevance of the resulting search results to the shopper. This involves using relevance feedback and/or product redefinition to learn the “implied concept” of the shopper's stated product requirements; that is, the quality of the search results is enhanced through understanding the concept implied by the shopper's queries by, for example, learning from the product results marked as “relevant” or “irrelevant” by the shopper. This approach is in contrast with attempts to enhance search results using, for example, the shopper's past orders or previous actions, or the past orders or previous actions of other shoppers who may have a purchase history similar to that of the current shopper.

Abstract: The system and method of the present invention provides an innovative technique and efficient hardware structure for recovering lost or damaged (lost/damaged) compression constants in the encoded domain. In one embodiment, a lost/damaged compression constant is recovered by estimating a compression constant of the block using encoded data of at least one neighboring block of data and other recoverable compression constants of the block.

Abstract: The present invention provides a mechanism for preventing quality degradation of decoded data during the decoding of encoded data. In one embodiment, error propagation is detected and corresponding data is flagged. An error recovery process is then applied to the flagged data. In an alternate embodiment, scores for candidate hypotheses are calculated for lost/damaged data. A score distribution is used for detection of the false candidate hypotheses. The data are flagged if their score distribution is within a range defined by a threshold and an error recovery process is applied to recover those data having associated error flags set.

Abstract: A method for source coding a signal is described. In particular, a signal comprising multiple signal elements is processed. Each signal element is encoded to form a bitstream. The bits within a given bitstream are distributed across different bitstreams. Thus, the parameters describing components of the segment elements are distributed across the different bitstreams. The grouping and distributing steps result in error distribution across multiple levels of image reconstruction. Another method is also described for a multiple level shuffling process. A signal is defined as multiple levels wherein each level comprises a frame, a plurality of pixels, and a plurality of bits. In one embodiment, shuffling occurs on each level and between levels. Multiple level shuffling causes burst error loss to be distributed across multiple levels thereby facilitating image reconstruction of those areas of the image in which the loss occurred.

Abstract: A method of doing meaningful modifications on an image is presented. These modifications can then be used in variety of applications related to image shape manipulation and similar shape retrieval. The method extracts macrofeatures and microfeature from a given shape. Deformations are done on the macrofeatures only. These deformations are either predefined, or are taken from a deformation library, or are calculated from the shape itself, The microfeatures are then added to the deformed macrofeatures to get a deformed shape. The shape deformations then allow user's perception of shape similarity to be learned, which is reflected in the values of parameters in a parameterized shape similarity metric. The user can use one of the deformed shapes as the initial query point, instead of the shape he or she started with.