This book constitutes the proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Simulation of Adaptive Behaviour, SAB 2012, held in Odense, Denmark, in August 2012. The 22 full papers as well as 22 poster papers included in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 66 submissions. They are organized in topical sections named: animat approach and methodology; perception and motor control; evolution; learning and adaptation, and collective and social behaviour.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Applications of Natural Language to Information Systems, held in Groningen, The Netherlands, in June 2012. The 12 full papers, 24 short papers and 16 poster papers presented in this volume together with a full-paper length invited talks were carefully reviewed and selected from 90 submissions. The rapidly evolving state-of-the-art in NLP and the shifting interest to appcliations targeting document and data collections available on the Web, including an increasing amount of user generated content, is reflected in the contributions to this book. Topics covered are information retrieval, text classification and clustering, summarization, normalization of user generated content, "forensic" NLP, ontologies and natural language, sentiment analysis, question answering and information extraction, terminology and named entity recognition, and NLP tools development.

This book is the first attempt to bring together current research findings in the domain of interactive horizontal displays. The novel compilation will integrate and summarise findings from the most important international tabletop research teams. It will provide a state-of-the art overview of this research domain and therefore allow for discussion of emerging and future directions in research and technology of interactive horizontal displays. Latest advances in interaction and software technologies and their increasing availability beyond research labs, refuels the interest in interactive horizontal displays. In the early 1990s Mark Weiser's vision of Ubiquitous Computing redefined the notion of Human Computer Interaction. Interaction was no longer considered to happen only with standard desktop computers but also with elements of their environment. This book is structured in three major areas: 'under', 'on/above' and 'around' tabletops. These areas are associated with different research disciplines such as Hardware/Software and Computer Science, Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and Computer Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW). However, the comprehensive and compelling presentation of the topic of the book results from its interdisciplinary character. The book addresses fellow researchers who are interested in this domain and practitioners considering interactive tabletops in real-world projects. It will also be a useful introduction into tabletop research that can be used for the academic curriculum.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 34th Symposium of the German Association for Pattern Recognition, DAGM 2012, and the 36th Symposium of the Austrian Association for Pattern Recognition, OAGM 2012, held in Graz, Austria, in August 2012. The 27 revised full papers and 23 revised poster papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 98 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on segmentation, low-level vision, 3D reconstruction, recognition, applications, learning, and features.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Image and Signal Processing, ICISP 2012, held in Agadir, Morocco, in June 2012. The 75 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 158 submissions. The contributions are grouped into the following topical sections: multi/hyperspectral imaging; image itering and coding; signal processing; biometric; watermarking and texture; segmentation and retieval; image processing; pattern recognition.

Active Contours deals with the analysis of moving images - a topic of growing importance within the computer graphics industry. In particular it is concerned with understanding, specifying and learning prior models of varying strength and applying them to dynamic contours. Its aim is to develop and analyse these modelling tools in depth and within a consistent framework.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 4th Mexican Conference on Pattern Recognition, MCPR 2012, held in Huatulco, Mexico, in June 2012. The 31 revised full papers and 3 keynotes presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 64 submissions and are organized in topical sections on image processing; computer vision and image recognition; pattern recognition and neural networks; and document processing and speech recognition.

The two volume set LNCS 7491 and 7492 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Parallel Problem Solving from Nature, PPSN 2012, held in Taormina, Sicily, Italy, in September 2012. The total of 105 revised full papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 226 submissions. The meeting began with 6 workshops which offered an ideal opportunity to explore specific topics in evolutionary computation, bio-inspired computing and metaheuristics. PPSN 2012 also included 8 tutorials. The papers are organized in topical sections on evolutionary computation; machine learning, classifier systems, image processing; experimental analysis, encoding, EDA, GP; multiobjective optimization; swarm intelligence, collective behavior, coevolution and robotics; memetic algorithms, hybridized techniques, meta and hyperheuristics; and applications.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 13th IFIP TC 6/TC 11 International Conference on Communications and Multimedia Security, CMS 2012, held in Canterbury, UK, in September 2012. The 6 revised full papers presented together with 8 short papers, 8 extended abstracts describing the posters that were discussed at the conference, and 2 keynote talks were carefully reviewed and selected from 43 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on image and handwriting analysis, authentication and performance, biometrics, forensics and watermarking, and communications security.

The two volume set LNCS 7491 and 7492 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Parallel Problem Solving from Nature, PPSN 2012, held in Taormina, Sicily, Italy, in September 2012. The total of 105 revised full papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 226 submissions. The meeting began with 5 workshops which offered an ideal opportunity to explore specific topics in evolutionary computation, bio-inspired computing and metaheuristics. PPSN 2012 also included 8 tutorials. The papers are organized in topical sections on evolutionary computation; machine learning, classifier systems, image processing; experimental analysis, encoding, EDA, GP; multiobjective optimization; swarm intelligence, collective behavior, coevolution and robotics; memetic algorithms, hybridized techniques, meta and hyperheuristics; and applications.

Computer processing and image analysis technologies have improved substantially over the course of the past decade. This rapidly advancing technology along with the emphasis on video surveillance since 911 has propelled the development of effective video image detection (VID) systems for ?re. Fire protection system designers initially employed these VID systems for use in large facilities, outdoor locations and tunnels. However, video-based detection is being used for a broadening range of applications [e. g. , 1]. For example, these systems are c- rently installed in electrical power plants, paper mills, document storage facilities, historic municipal buildings, nuclear research facilities, automotive plants, wa- house/distribution centers, and onshore and offshore oil platforms. The 2007 edition of NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm Code [2], recognized the use of VID systems for ?ame and smoke detection. Although recognized, there is limited prescriptive installation and use requirements and there is a general desire by many for the development of performance criteria that ultimately could be utilized for the design of systems or the creation of standards. Since the underlying VID technology and development of standard and network-based camera systems are in a period of fairly rapid advancement [3-5], it is not possible to de?ne a comprehensive set of stand-alone prescriptive requirements. The performance of VID systems depends on both the video hardware and the software algorithms; there is no basic underlying principle, such as there is for ionization or pho- electric detection for smoke detectors. Consequently, performance-based inst- lation and operation requirements are needed.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 8th International Conference, MLDM 2012, held in Berlin, Germany in July 2012. The 51 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 212 submissions. The topics range from theoretical topics for classification, clustering, association rule and pattern mining to specific data mining methods for the different multimedia data types such as image mining, text mining, video mining and web mining.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the first Workshop on Applications of Discrete Geometry and Mathematical Morphology, WADGMM 2010, held at the International Conference on Pattern Recognition in Istanbul, Turkey, in August 2010. The 11 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 25 submissions. The book was specifically designed to promote interchange and collaboration between experts in discrete geometry/mathematical morphology and potential users of these methods from other fields of image analysis and pattern recognition.

The two-volume set LNCS 7367 and 7368 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 9th International Symposium on Neural Networks, ISNN 2012, held in Shenyang, China, in July 2012. The 147 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions. The contributions are structured in topical sections on mathematical modeling; neurodynamics; cognitive neuroscience; learning algorithms; optimization; pattern recognition; vision; image processing; information processing; neurocontrol; and novel applications.

The two-volume set LNCS 7324/7325 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Image and Recognition, ICIAR 2012, held in Aveiro, Portugal, in June 2012. The 107 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 207 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on clustering and classification; image processing; image analysis; motion analysis and tracking; shape representation; 3D imaging; applications; biometrics and face recognition; human activity recognition; biomedical image analysis; retinal image analysis; and call detection and modeling.

The two-volume set LNCS 7324/7325 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Image and Recognition, ICIAR 2012, held in Aveiro, Portugal, in June 2012. The 107 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 207 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on clustering and classification; image processing; image analysis; motion analysis and tracking; shape representation; 3D imaging; applications; biometrics and face recognition; human activity recognition; biomedical image analysis; retinal image analysis; and call detection and modeling.

The development of new-generation micro-manufacturing technologies and systems has revolutionised the way products are designed and manufactured today with a s- nificant impact in a number of key industrial sectors. Micro-manufacturing techno- gies are often described as disruptive, enabling and interdisciplinary leading to the creation of whole new classes of products that were previously not feasible to ma- facture. While key processes for volume manufacture of micro-parts such as mach- ing and moulding are becoming mature technologies, micro-assembly remains a key challenge for the cost-effective manufacture of complex micro-products. The ability to manufacture customizable micro-products that can be delivered in variable volumes within relatively short timescales is very much dependent on the level of development of the micro-assembly processes, positioning, alignment and measurement techniques, gripping and feeding approaches and devices. Micro-assembly has developed rapidly over the last few years and all the pred- tions are that it will remain a critical technology for high-value products in a number of key sectors such as healthcare, communications, defence and aerospace. The key challenge is to match the significant technological developments with a new gene- tion of micro-products that will establish firmly micro-assembly as a mature manuf- turing process. th The book includes the set of papers presented at the 5 International Precision - sembly Seminar IPAS 2010 held in Chamonix, France from the 14th to the 17th February 2010.

During the past two decades there has been a considerable growth in interest in problems of pattern recognition and image processing (PRIP). This inter est has created an increasing need for methods and techniques for the design of PRIP systems. PRIP involves analysis, classification and interpretation of data. Practical applications of PRIP include character recognition, re mote sensing, analysis of medical signals and images, fingerprint and face identification, target recognition and speech understanding. One difficulty in making PRIP systems practically feasible, and hence, more popularly used, is the requirement of computer time and storage. This situation is particularly serious when the patterns to be analyzed are quite complex. Thus it is of the utmost importance to investigate special comput er architectures and their implementations for PRIP. Since the advent of VLSI technology, it is possible to put thousands of components on one chip. This reduces the cost of processors and increases the processing speed. VLSI algorithms and their implementations have been recently developed for PRIP. This book is intended to document the recent major progress in VLSI system design for PRIP applications."

A guide on the use of SVMs in pattern classification, including a rigorous performance comparison of classifiers and regressors. The book presents architectures for multiclass classification and function approximation problems, as well as evaluation criteria for classifiers and regressors. Features: Clarifies the characteristics of two-class SVMs; Discusses kernel methods for improving the generalization ability of neural networks and fuzzy systems; Contains ample illustrations and examples; Includes performance evaluation using publicly available data sets; Examines Mahalanobis kernels, empirical feature space, and the effect of model selection by cross-validation; Covers sparse SVMs, learning using privileged information, semi-supervised learning, multiple classifier systems, and multiple kernel learning; Explores incremental training based batch training and active-set training methods, and decomposition techniques for linear programming SVMs; Discusses variable selection for support vector regressors.

"Time-of-Flight Cameras and Microsoft Kinect " closely examines the technology and general characteristics of time-of-flight range cameras, and outlines the best methods for maximizing the data captured by these devices. This book also analyzes the calibration issues that some end-users may face when using these type of cameras for research, and suggests methods for improving the real-time 3D reconstruction of dynamic and static scenes.

"Time-of-Flight Cameras and Microsoft Kinect "is intended for researchers and advanced-level students as a reference guide for time-of-flight cameras.Practitioners working in a related field will also find the book valuable. "

Why are We Writing This Book? Visual data (graphical, image, video, and visualized data) affect every aspect of modern society. The cheap collection, storage, and transmission of vast amounts of visual data have revolutionized the practice of science, technology, and business. Innovations from various disciplines have been developed and applied to the task of designing intelligent machines that can automatically detect and exploit useful regularities (patterns) in visual data. One such approach to machine intelligence is statistical learning and pattern analysis for visual data. Over the past two decades, rapid advances have been made throughout the ?eld of visual pattern analysis. Some fundamental problems, including perceptual gro- ing,imagesegmentation, stereomatching, objectdetectionandrecognition,and- tion analysis and visual tracking, have become hot research topics and test beds in multiple areas of specialization, including mathematics, neuron-biometry, and c- nition. A great diversity of models and algorithms stemming from these disciplines has been proposed. To address the issues of ill-posed problems and uncertainties in visual pattern modeling and computing, researchers have developed rich toolkits based on pattern analysis theory, harmonic analysis and partial differential eq- tions, geometry and group theory, graph matching, and graph grammars. Among these technologies involved in intelligent visual information processing, statistical learning and pattern analysis is undoubtedly the most popular and imp- tant approach, and it is also one of the most rapidly developing ?elds, with many achievements in recent years. Above all, it provides a unifying theoretical fra- work for intelligent visual information processing applications.

Theoriginalmotivationsfordevelopingopticalcharacterrecognitiontechnologies weremodesttoconvertprintedtexton?atphysicalmediatodigitalform,prod- ingmachine-readabledigitalcontent. Bydoingthis,wordsthathadbeeninertand bound to physical material would be brought into the digital realm and thus gain newandpowerfulfunctionalitiesandanalyticalpossibilities. First-generation digital OCR researchers in the 1970s quickly realized that by limiting their ambitions primarily to contemporary documents printed in st- dard font type from the modern Roman alphabet (and of these, mostly English language materials), they were constraining the possibilities for future research andtechnologiesconsiderably. Domainresearchersalsosawthatthetrajectoryof OCR technologies if left unchanged would exclude a large portion of the human record. Digitalconversionofdocumentsandmanuscriptsinotheralphabets,scripts, and cursive styles was of critical importance. Embedded in non-Roman alp- bet source documents, including ancient manuscripts, papyri scrolls, clay tablets, and other inscribed artifacts was not only a wealth of scholarly information but alsonewopportunitiesandchallengesforadvancingOCR,imagingsciences,and othercomputationalresearchareas. Thelimitingcircumstancesatthetimeincluded the rudimentary capability (and high cost) of computational resources and lack of network-accessible digital content. Since then computational technology has advancedataveryrapidpaceandnetworkinginfrastructurehasproliferated. Over time, thisexponential decrease inthecost of computation, memory, and com- nicationsbandwidthcombinedwiththeexponentialincreaseinInternet-accessible digitalcontenthastransformededucation,scholarship,andresearch. Largenumbers ofresearchers,scholars,andstudentsuseanddependuponInternet-basedcontent andcomputationalresources. Thechaptersinthisbookdescribeacriticallyimportantareaofinvestigation- addressingconversionofIndicscriptintomachine-readableform. Roughestimates haveitthatcurrentlymorethanabillionpeopleuseIndicscripts. Collectively,Indic historic and cultural documents contain a vast richness of human knowledge and experience. The state-of-the-art research described in this book demonstrates the multiple values associated with these activities. Technically, the problems associated with Indicscriptrecognitionareverydif?cultandwillcontributetoandinformrelated v vi Foreword scriptrecognitionefforts. Theworkalsohasenormousconsequenceforenriching andenablingthestudyofIndicculturalheritagematerialsandthehistoricrecord of its people. This in turn broadens the intellectual context for domain scholars focusingonothersocieties,ancientandmodern. Digital character recognition has brought about another milestone in coll- tivecommunicationbybringinginert,?xed-in-place,textintoaninteractivedi- talrealm. Indoingso,theinformationhasgainedadditionalfunctionalitieswhich expandourabilitiestoconnect,combine,contextualize,share,andcollaboratively pursue knowledge making. High-quality Internet content continues to grow in an explosivefashion. Inthenewglobalcyberenvironment,thefunctionalitiesandapp- cationsofdigitalinformationcontinuetotransformknowledgeintonewundersta- ingsofhumanexperienceandtheworldinwhichwelive. Thepossibilitiesforthe futurearelimitedonlybyavailableresearchresourcesandcapabilitiesandtheim- inationandcreativityofthosewhousethem. Arlington,Virginia StephenM.

This revised and updated second edition - now with two new chapters - is the only book to give a comprehensive overview of computer algorithms for image reconstruction. It covers the fundamentals of computerized tomography, including all the computational and mathematical procedures underlying data collection, image reconstruction and image display. Among the new topics covered are: spiral CT, fully 3D positron emission tomography, the linogram mode of backprojection, and state of the art 3D imaging results. It also includes two new chapters on comparative statistical evaluation of the 2D reconstruction algorithms and alternative approaches to image reconstruction.

This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-conference proceedings of five international workshops held in conjunction with PAKDD 2011 in Shenzhen, China, in May 2011: the International Workshop on Behavior Informatics (BI 2011), the Workshop on Quality Issues, Measures of Interestingness and Evaluation of Data Mining Models (QIMIE 2011), the Workshop on Biologically Inspired Techniques for Data Mining (BDM 2011), the Workshop on Advances and Issues in Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinical Data Mining (AI-TCM 2011), and the Second Workshop on Data Mining for Healthcare Management (DMGHM 2011). The book also includes papers from the First PAKDD Doctoral Symposium on Data Mining (DSDM 2011). The 42 papers were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions. The papers cover a wide range of topics discussing emerging techniques in the field of knowledge discovery in databases and their application domains extending to previously unexplored areas such as data mining based on optimization techniques from biological behavior of animals and applications in Traditional Chinese Medicine clinical research and health care management.

This book constitutes thoroughly refereed revised selected papers from the First IAPR TC3 Workshop on Partially Supervised Learning, PSL 2011, held in Ulm, Germany, in September 2011. The 14 papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected for inclusion in the book, which also includes 3 invited talks. PSL 2011 dealt with methodological issues as well as real-world applications of PSL. The main methodological issues were: combination of supervised and unsupervised learning; diffusion learning; semi-supervised classification, regression, and clustering; learning with deep architectures; active learning; PSL with vague, fuzzy, or uncertain teaching signals; learning, or statistical pattern recognition; and PSL in cognitive systems. Applications of PSL included: image and signal processing; multi-modal information processing; sensor/information fusion; human computer interaction; data mining and Web mining; forensic anthropology; and bioinformatics.