Video compression

Parameters to affect digital video quality

1. Number of scan lines in each frame
2. Number of pixels in each scan line
3. Number of frames per second
4. Scanning techniques

Video compression makes use of two different compression techniques

1. Partial redundancy (intra-frame compression)
2. Temporal redundancy (inter-frame compression)

What is quadrature mirror filter (QMF) and conjugate quadrature filter (CQF)?

1. How does it work?
2. How is it designed?
3. Where is it applied?

1. The quadrature mirror filter (QMF) does not work in general. It has only two coefficients (unless the IIR filters are used).
2. The conjugate quadrature filter (CQF) can work with larger filters (usually even number of filter coefficients).

For example:

oooooo---h_1 ------- x_h_0() -------- g_1 ----
x(n)----ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo---x(n)
oooooo---h_0 ------- x_h_1() -------- g_0 ----

Fig. Two-channel filter bank.

1. For QMF if h_0={a,b}
h_1={a,-b} is the same as h_0 but negate every other value.
g_0={a,b} is the same h_0.
g_1={-a,b} is -h_1.

2. For CQF if h_0={a,b}
h_1={b,-a} is the reversed version of h_0 and negate every other value.
g_0={b,a} is the reversed version of h_0.
g_1={-a,b} is the reversed version of h_1.

Simulated Annealing (SA) algorithms

1. Always accept the better state.
2. Accept the lower state with the probability e^(-Delta/T).
Delta = h(s_current)-h(s_new). T is the temperature parameter that is having its values decreased over each iteration.

*Note: The above algorithm tries to find the global maximum.

Properties

1. At the high temperature, there is a higher chance to accept the lower state.
2. At the low temperature, the SA algorithm behaves like greedy search.

Markov models and Hidden Markov Models (HMMs)

1. What is Markov model?

It consists of a set of states and a set of transition probabilities from one state to another.

2. How does it work? We represent the state transition probabilities in matrix form and compute the probability of the sequence as follows.

P(s1s2s3)=P(s3|s2)P(s2|s1)P(s1|start_state)

* Note: the conditional probabilities are the transition probabilities.

3. Where is it applied?

When we are given a Markov model, we can compute the probability of the sequence occurred, for example, P(s1s2s3). If we are given two models and each model represents for each class, then we can compute the probability of the sequence occurred for each class. After that, we can decide which class the sequence s1s2s3 belongs to based on the comparison of these two probabilities. The MM can be applied in speech recognition, classification of gene (DNA).

1. What is HMM?

It consists of transition probabilities; and states with the probability for each value belong to states.

2. Where is it applied? It can be applied in speech recognition.

3. How does it work?

Evolutionary algorithms

1. Select P in population.
2. Evaluate P.
3. If P satisfies the termination condition then stop
else select P' in P such that the fitness objective function achieves best.
4. Apply crossover or/and mutation operators to P' to reproduce P.
5. Go back to step 2.

Object-oriented design concepts

1. Polymorphism: a term used in object-oriented design to refer to the use of operations of the same name for a variety of purposes.

2. Inheritance: a term used in object-oriented design to refer to data and operations from the parent class used by its child classes.

3. Class: a template or pattern that defines the basic attributes, relationships and operations available to its objects.

4. Object: a container for a set of data and operations that act on this set.

5. Operation overriding: a term used in object-oriented design to refer to the situation in which a parent class provides an operation, but the inheriting child class defines its own version of that operation.

6. Overloading: a term used in object-oriented design to refer to operations in single class that have the same name. For example, two methods have the same name but different parameters.

7. Object-oriented design: a methodology that views the system as a collection of interacting objects, rather than functions, whose internal structure is hidden from the user.

8. Attribute: a characteristic or property of an object.

9. Accessor: a name for an operation that retrieves or "get" the value of an attribute.

10. Constructor: a set of instructions that creates an object and initialises its attributes.

11. Mutator: a name for an operation that provides or "sets" the value of an attribute.

12. Operation: a set of services that an object can perform.

13. Procedure-driven design: a design methodology based on the idea that the most important feature of a program is its processes or functions.

14. Data-driven design: a design methodology based on the idea that the data in a program is more stable than the processes involved.

15. Event-driven design: a design methodology based on the idea that an event can cause a program to change from one known state to another.

References
1. Lesley Anne Robertson, "Simple program design", 5th Ed, Thomson Learning, 2006.

What makes a good law?

Asking yourself about these questions.

1/ What is the purpose of the law?
2/ Is it fair?
3/ Is it clear?
4/ Can citizens be expected to follow it?
5/ Can it be enforced?
6/ Is it consistent with constitutionally guaranteed individual rights?
7/ Is it flexible?

References

1/ NJ Center for Civic & Law-Related Education, 2007.

What makes a good law?

Asking yourself about these questions.

1/ What is the purpose of the law?
2/ Is it fair?
3/ Is it clear?
4/ Can citizens be expected to follow it?
5/ Can it be enforced?
6/ Is it consistent with constitutionally guaranteed individual rights?
7/ Is it flexible?

References

1/ NJ Center for Civic & Law-Related Education, 2007.

Structure of a formal report

The structure of a formal report is as follow:

1. Title page
2. Letter of transmittal (to indicate a specific reader and calls attention to those items or sections in the report)
3. Table of contents
4. List of figures, illustrations and tables
5. Summary (to give an overview of the report)
6. Introduction
-----6.1. Aims and objectives (to provide reasons for the investigation)
-----6.2. Scope
9. Body of report
-----9.1 Method of research
-----9.2 Results
-----9.3 Discussion and analysis
10. Conclusions
11. Recommendations
12. References/bibliography
13. Appendices

References

Terry Mohan, Helen McGregor, Shirley Saunders and Ray Archee "Communicating as professionals", 3nd Ed, Thomson, 2008.

Structure of a formal report

The structure of a formal report is as follow:

1. Title page
2. Letter of transmittal (to indicate a specific reader and calls attention to those items or sections in the report)
3. Table of contents
4. List of figures, illustrations and tables
5. Summary (to give an overview of the report)
6. Introduction
-----6.1. Aims and objectives (to provide reasons for the investigation)
-----6.2. Scope
9. Body of report
-----9.1 Method of research
-----9.2 Results
-----9.3 Discussion and analysis
10. Conclusions
11. Recommendations
12. References/bibliography
13. Appendices

References

Terry Mohan, Helen McGregor, Shirley Saunders and Ray Archee "Communicating as professionals", 3nd Ed, Thomson, 2008.

The meaning of assertiveness

I. Assertive behavior is where you are able to:

1/ Act in your own best interests
2/ Stand up for yourself without undue anxiety
3/ Express honest feelings comfortably
4/ Exercise personal rights without denying the rights of others.

II. Situations where assertiveness may be appropriate include:

1/ Your manager making unfair comments on your work
2/ Another student failing to pull his or her weight in your group
3/ Another person claiming credit for your work
4/ A new salary agreement disadvantaging you
5/ A client falsely criticising your product to justify breaking a contract

III. Example of a statement to a demanding supervisor

When you ask me to take on another job with a tight deadline, I feel pressured because I don't have adequate time to do the new job properly and carry out the other work I have to do.

IV. References

Terry Mohan, Helen McGregor, Shirley Saunders and Ray Archee "Communicating as professionals", 3nd Ed, Thomson, 2008.

The meaning of assertiveness

I. Assertive behavior is where you are able to:

1/ Act in your own best interests
2/ Stand up for yourself without undue anxiety
3/ Express honest feelings comfortably
4/ Exercise personal rights without denying the rights of others.

II. Situations where assertiveness may be appropriate include:

1/ Your manager making unfair comments on your work
2/ Another student failing to pull his or her weight in your group
3/ Another person claiming credit for your work
4/ A new salary agreement disadvantaging you
5/ A client falsely criticising your product to justify breaking a contract

III. Example of a statement to a demanding supervisor

When you ask me to take on another job with a tight deadline, I feel pressured because I don't have adequate time to do the new job properly and carry out the other work I have to do.

IV. References

Terry Mohan, Helen McGregor, Shirley Saunders and Ray Archee "Communicating as professionals", 3nd Ed, Thomson, 2008.

Interpersonal skills

Interpersonal skills include the following.

1/ Personal presentation

2/ Listening skills

3/ Questioning skills

4/ Oral-presentation skills

5/ Customer-service skills

-Have a good knowledge of products, services and contracts
-Admit mistakes, as appropriate, and offer solutions
-Create a helping climate and build rapport
-Acknowledge the customer's point of view
-Be accessible and listen to the customer with empathy

6/ Skills to work in teams

7/ References

Terry Mohan, Helen McGregor, Shirley Saunders and Ray Archee "Communicating as professionals", 3nd Ed, Thomson, 2008.

Interpersonal skills

Interpersonal skills include the following.

1/ Personal presentation

2/ Listening skills

3/ Questioning skills

4/ Oral-presentation skills

5/ Customer-service skills

-Have a good knowledge of products, services and contracts
-Admit mistakes, as appropriate, and offer solutions
-Create a helping climate and build rapport
-Acknowledge the customer's point of view
-Be accessible and listen to the customer with empathy

6/ Skills to work in teams

7/ References

Terry Mohan, Helen McGregor, Shirley Saunders and Ray Archee "Communicating as professionals", 3nd Ed, Thomson, 2008.

Group discussions

1/ As a group member, we need to carry out the following tasks.

-Give information and opinion
-Ask for information and opinion
-Clarify things
-Summarize
-Evaluate
-Take notes

2/ As a facilitator in the group discussion, we need to

-Encourage discussion
-Listen to others
-Be cordial and pleasant
-Express feelings and mood
-Reduce tension
-Facilitate participation in the group

3/ Skills to work in teams

-Contribute information
-Monitor progress and keep team members informed of developments
-Clarify objectives, goals
-Support each other
-Seek feedback on the team's efforts
-Give feedback to people who might be supporting the team (for example, admin staff, colleagues, relatives)

4/ References

Terry Mohan, Helen McGregor, Shirley Saunders and Ray Archee "Communicating as professionals", 3nd Ed, Thomson, 2008.

Group discussions

1/ As a group member, we need to carry out the following tasks.

-Give information and opinion
-Ask for information and opinion
-Clarify things
-Summarize
-Evaluate
-Take notes

2/ As a facilitator in the group discussion, we need to

-Encourage discussion
-Listen to others
-Be cordial and pleasant
-Express feelings and mood
-Reduce tension
-Facilitate participation in the group

3/ Skills to work in teams

-Contribute information
-Monitor progress and keep team members informed of developments
-Clarify objectives, goals
-Support each other
-Seek feedback on the team's efforts
-Give feedback to people who might be supporting the team (for example, admin staff, colleagues, relatives)

4/ References

Terry Mohan, Helen McGregor, Shirley Saunders and Ray Archee "Communicating as professionals", 3nd Ed, Thomson, 2008.

Cultural behaviours in Australia

1. Legal contracts: contracts are legally binding and enforceable by law.

2. Social customs: Australians tend to be forgiving of violations of their own social customs by foreigners.

3. Use of space: Australians prefer lots of personal space.

4. Use of time: Australians prefer to be on time and quickly get down to business in a meeting.

5. Friendships: Australians try to make friends very quickly and regard their business acquaintances as possible friends.

6. Class systems: class is not a predominant issue in Australia.

7. Dress: formal business attire is important. An exception would be academic settings.

8. Religion: many Australians are not deeply religious and lack knowledge of other religious beliefs.

9. Practicality: most Australians are practically oriented. If something has no practical value, it is usually thrown out.

10. Efficiency/materialism: efficiency is usually measured in terms of costs and benefits.

11. Change: while resistant to change, Australians will accommodate it eventually.

12. Competition: Australians will entertain competition in business.

13. Formality: while ostensibly formal in their dress, Australia is among the least-formal cultures in the world.

14. Equality of opportunity: Australians still have a long way to go, but are closer to equal opportunity than many other cultures.

15. Written communication: using a standard written document is usually seen as the best medium. Reports, memorandums and letters have a standard recognisable format.

16. References

Terry Mohan, Helen McGregor, Shirley Saunders and Ray Archee "Communicating as professionals", 3nd Ed, Thomson, 2008.

Cultural behaviours in Australia

1. Legal contracts: contracts are legally binding and enforceable by law.

2. Social customs: Australians tend to be forgiving of violations of their own social customs by foreigners.

3. Use of space: Australians prefer lots of personal space.

4. Use of time: Australians prefer to be on time and quickly get down to business in a meeting.

5. Friendships: Australians try to make friends very quickly and regard their business acquaintances as possible friends.

6. Class systems: class is not a predominant issue in Australia.

7. Dress: formal business attire is important. An exception would be academic settings.

8. Religion: many Australians are not deeply religious and lack knowledge of other religious beliefs.

9. Practicality: most Australians are practically oriented. If something has no practical value, it is usually thrown out.

10. Efficiency/materialism: efficiency is usually measured in terms of costs and benefits.

11. Change: while resistant to change, Australians will accommodate it eventually.

12. Competition: Australians will entertain competition in business.

13. Formality: while ostensibly formal in their dress, Australia is among the least-formal cultures in the world.

14. Equality of opportunity: Australians still have a long way to go, but are closer to equal opportunity than many other cultures.

15. Written communication: using a standard written document is usually seen as the best medium. Reports, memorandums and letters have a standard recognisable format.

16. References

Terry Mohan, Helen McGregor, Shirley Saunders and Ray Archee "Communicating as professionals", 3nd Ed, Thomson, 2008.

Group discussions

1/ As a group member, we need to carry out the following tasks.

-Give information and opinion
-Ask for information and opinion
-Clarify things
-Summarize
-Evaluate
-Take notes

2/ As a facilitator in the group discussion, we need to

-Encourage discussion
-Listen to others
-Be cordial and pleasant
-Express feelings and mood
-Reduce tension
-Facilitate participation in the group

3/ Skills to work in teams

-Contribute information
-Monitor progress and keep team members informed of developments
-Clarify objectives, goals
-Support each other
-Seek feedback on the team's efforts
-Give feedback to people who might be supporting the team (for example, admin staff, colleagues, relatives)

4/ References

Terry Mohan, Helen McGregor, Shirley Saunders and Ray Archee "Communicating as professionals", 3nd Ed, Thomson, 2008.

Dynamic programming approach

1. Solve overlapping sub-problems with the use of the table that stores the existing computed values
2. Apply in many areas

+Operation research
+Signal processing
+Geometry
+Combinational biology

3. Problems to be solve

+Knapsack problem
+Fast matrix multiplication

Dynamic programming approach

1. Solve overlapping sub-problems with the use of the table that stores the existing computed values
2. Apply in many areas

+Operation research
+Signal processing
+Geometry
+Combinational biology

3. Problems to be solve

+Knapsack problem
+Fast matrix multiplication

What are software agents?

An agent is software that is situated in an environment.

Software agents are situated in an environment.
Agents are independent and make their own decisions.

E.g. A software assistant that buys products or services on behalf of its user.

Agent environments can be dynamic, unpredictable and unreliable.

An agent must respond to significant changes in its environment.

Agents should pursue goals over time. They have multiple ways of achieving goals.

Agents always need to interact with other agents.

Why do we need to learn software agents?

There are two types of software agents: proactive agents and reactive agents. Proactive agents have goals to pursue while reactive agents will change their behaviors in response to changes in the environment.


References

1. "Developing intelligent agent systems: a practical guide" written by Lin Padgham and Michael Winikoff, 2004.

What are software agents?

An agent is software that is situated in an environment.

Software agents are situated in an environment.
Agents are independent and make their own decisions.

E.g. A software assistant that buys products or services on behalf of its user.

Agent environments can be dynamic, unpredictable and unreliable.

An agent must respond to significant changes in its environment.

Agents should pursue goals over time. They have multiple ways of achieving goals.

Agents always need to interact with other agents.

Why do we need to learn software agents?

There are two types of software agents: proactive agents and reactive agents. Proactive agents have goals to pursue while reactive agents will change their behaviors in response to changes in the environment.


References

1. "Developing intelligent agent systems: a practical guide" written by Lin Padgham and Michael Winikoff, 2004.

Sampling rate

1. Nyquist sampling rate must be at least twice of the maximum frequency of the input signal in order to perfectly recover the signal.

2. To avoid aliasing, the signal should be passed through a low-pass filter before sampling.

3. In practice, sampling rates should be 1.2 times the Nyquist rate to allow for the filter transition band.

Reference from the book entitled "Elements of wavelets for engineers and scientists" by Dwight F. Mix and Kraig J. Olejniczak, 2003.

Sampling rate

1. Nyquist sampling rate must be at least twice of the maximum frequency of the input signal in order to perfectly recover the signal.

2. To avoid aliasing, the signal should be passed through a low-pass filter before sampling.

3. In practice, sampling rates should be 1.2 times the Nyquist rate to allow for the filter transition band.

Reference from the book entitled "Elements of wavelets for engineers and scientists" by Dwight F. Mix and Kraig J. Olejniczak, 2003.

Testing a hypothesis

To test a hypothesis, we need to carry out the following.

1. Obtain an adequate sample size for testing
2. Control variables in experiments
3. Use double blind assessment

Testing a hypothesis

To test a hypothesis, we need to carry out the following.

1. Obtain an adequate sample size for testing
2. Control variables in experiments
3. Use double blind assessment