This paper describes our approaches to introduce service learning and research concepts from image and signal processing into the undergraduate ECE curriculum at Purdue University. In particular, we describe two project courses we have developed: one is in the context of the Purdue Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) program and the other is a new course known as Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP). We will describe three projects: EPICS TCHA, EPICS C-SPAN, and VIP Multimedia. These projects provide students, from first-year students to seniors, with the opportunities to integrate real-world solutions and fundamental materials covered in the classroom

The Block-based Discrete Cosine Transform (BDCT) is one of the most widely used transforms in image and video coding. However, it introduces annoying blocking artifact at low data rates. A great deal of work has been done to reduce the artifact. In this paper, we propose a transform domain-based Markov Random Field (TD-MRF) model to address this problem. Based on this new model, a transform domain maximum a posteriori (MAP) algorithm is presented to remove the blocking artifacts in images and video. It is shown that our new approach can reduce the computational complexity dramatically while achieving significant visual improvements.

Recent trends have created new challenges in the presentation of multimedia information. First, large, high-resolution video displays are increasingly popular. Meanwhile, many mobile devices, such as PDAs and mobile telephones, can display images and videos on small screens. One obvious issue is that content designed for a large display is inappropriate for a small display. Moreover, wireless bandwidth and battery lifetime are precious resources for mobile devices. In order to provide useful content across systems with different resources, we propose “resource-driven content adaptation” by augmenting the content with metadata that can be used to display or render the content based on the available resources. We are investigating several problems related to resource-driven content adaptation. These include: adaptation of the presented content based on available resources- display resolution, bandwidth, processor speed, quality of services, and energy. Content adaptation may add or remove information based on available resources. Adaptive content can utilize resources more effectively but also present challenges in resource management, content creation, transmission, and user perception.

We present a spatially adaptive wavelet video coding technique with an update-first lifting structure. A common problem in many adaptive-transform frameworks is the introduction of a large overhead to address side information. We demonstrate that our structure does not need to transmit any side information to synchronize the encoder and decoder. We incorporate this technique in a motion compensated wavelet video codec. The experimental results confirm the performance improvement.

Food services and nutrition education are priorities for the Coordinated School Health Program in Massachusetts, which is a CDC-funded partnership between the Massachusetts Departments of Education and Public Health. Despite funding and resources provided by governmental and non-governmental agencies, schools are facing barriers in effectively creating a healthy nutritional environment. A qualitative survey was conducted to understand barriers to implementing quality lunch and nutrition education programs perceived by superintendents, principals, food service directors, nurses, and health educators in Massachusetts. The results suggest that while funding can initially enable schools to provide quality lunch, but without changes in students’ preference for unhealthy food and parental and community involvement in fostering students’ healthy eating behavior, the lunch programs cannot achieve a sustainable success. Lack of opportunity for communication among food service staff, health educators, and teachers appears to hinder the coordination necessary to promote school lunch as well as school-wide nutrition education. Respondents acknowledged that the state’s academic assessment system is the priority issue in their schools, but expressed that the interests and initiatives of superintendents and principals in the lunch and nutrition education programs can be enhanced. Overall, the results suggest that successful implementation of quality lunch and nutrition education programs require not only the collaborative efforts of school administration and staff but also the support of parents, community, and the mass media.

As mobile systems (such as laptops and mobile telephones) continue growing, navigation assistance and location-based services are becoming increasingly important. Existing technology allow mobile users to access Internet services (e.g. email and web surfing), simple multimedia services (e.g. music and video clips), and make telephone calls. However, the potential of advanced multimedia services has not been fully developed, especially multimedia for navigation or location based services. At Purdue University, we are developing an image database, known as LAID, in which every image is annotated with its location, compass heading, acquisition time, and weather conditions. LAID can be used to study several types of navigation problems: A mobile user can take an image and transmit the image to the LAID sever. The server compares the image with the images stored in the database to determine where the user is located. We refer to this as the “forward” navigation problem. The second type of problem is to provide a “virtual tour on demand”. A user inputs a starting and an ending addresses and LAID retrieves the images along a route that connects the two addresses. This is a generalization of route planning. Our database currently contains over 20000 images and covers approximately 25% of the city of West Lafayette, Indiana.

Despite scholarly consensus that there is more than one type of involvement, investigators have not developed measures that assess the various types across diverse contexts. The goal of this study was to develop and validate measures of value-, outcome-, and impression-relevant involvement. Items were developed for three social issues (abortion, death penalty, marijuana) and two consumer products (jeans, toothpaste). The results indicate that these items effectively distinguish the three types of involvement. In addition, evidence of construct validity was obtained. Specifically, impression-relevant involvement was associated with other-directedness, outcome-relevant involvement was more strongly associated with information seeking than either value- or impression-relevant involvement, and value-relevant involvement (but also outcome-relevant involvement) was related to attitude extremity.

This paper overviews the problems with temporal synchronization in video watermarking and describes a new approach for efficient synchronization and resynchronization. A complete version of the new method has been presented.

In this paper, we propose an algorithm for identifying regions of interest (ROIs) in video, particularly for the keyframes extracted from a home video. The camera motion is introduced as a new factor that can influence the visual saliency. The global motion parameters are used to generate location-based importance maps. These maps can be combined with other saliency maps calculated using other visual and high-level features. Here, we employed the contrast-based saliency as an important low level factor along with face detection as a high level feature in our approach.

This study represents the first cross-cultural investigation of the third person effect hypothesis, which states that individuals overestimate mass media effect on others (Davidson, 1983). It is predicted that the difference between perceived effects of the media on self vs. other will be greater in an individualistic than collectivistic culture, because in the latter self and other are not as separate and the motivation for self-enhancement is not as salient as in the former. Survey data were collected from 671 South Korean (n = 351) and U. S. (n = 320) college students regarding their perceptions about the effects of beer commercials, liquor advertisements, television news about AIDS, and television news about the effects of smoking. The third person effect of undesirable media content emerged from both American and Korean samples, but the size was consistently greater among Americans compared to Koreans. Likewise, the first person effect was greater among Americans rather than Koreans.

This paper describes methods for forensic characterization of imaging devices. This is important in verifying the trust and authenticity of data and the device that created it. Current forensic identification techniques for imaging devices, such as digital cameras, scanners, and printers, are presented. We discuss our ongoing research in creating a forensic framework for these devices. Also discussed are methods we have developed for securely embedding a separate communications channel in the device output.

The HIV/AIDS infection rate of Ethiopia is one of the world’s highest. Prevention campaigns should systematically incorporate and respond to at-risk population’s existing beliefs, emotions, and perceived barriers in the message design process to effectively promote behavior change. However, guidelines for conducting formative evaluation that are grounded in proven risk communication theory and empirical data analysis techniques are hard to find. This article provides a five-step formative evaluation process that translates theory and research for developing effective messages for behavior change. Guided by the extended parallel process model, the five-step process helps message designers manage public’s fear surrounding issues such as HIV/AIDS. An entertainment education project that used the process to design HIV/AIDS prevention messages for Ethiopian urban youth is reported. Data were collected in five urban regions of Ethiopia and analyzed according to the process to develop key messages for a 26-week radio soap opera.

This study represents an initial attempt to examine the intended and unintended effects of fear appeals among individuals in different stages of change. Toward this end, a pilot study investigated the effects of fear appeals promoting skin cancer preventive behavior among college students. After being exposed to fear appeals, individuals who were in the precontemplation stage indicated a greater likelihood of thinking defensively and fatalistically regarding the facts on health risk than those who had intended to engage in or who had previously engaged in preventive behavior. Concurrently, after being exposed to fear appeals, those who were in the precontemplation stage reported less favorable attitudes toward message recommendations, weaker intentions to engage in recommended behavior, and less performance of preventive behavior than those who had contemplated or had previously engaged in preventive behavior. Implications of these results on future public health campaigns are discussed.

This paper describes a method for forensic characterization of RF devices using two-tone probe signals. When transmitted to an RF device, the two-tone signal is affected by nonlinear circuit components such as amplifiers or diodes. The nonlinear components cause intermodulation distortion to the input signal, which is reradiated by the device. Features of the intermodulation distortion products are used to construct a device fingerprint. The fingerprint is then used to characterize the device so that it can be identified from other RF devices.