Robotics and autonomous systems can aid disabled individuals in daily living or make a workplace more productive, but these tools are only as effective as the technology behind them. Robotic systems must be able to accurately identify and act upon elements in their environment to be effective in performing their duties. Innovative Research in Attention Modeling and Computer Vision Applications explores the latest research in image processing and pattern recognition for use in robotic real-time cryptography and surveillance applications. This book provides researchers, students, academicians, software designers, and application developers with next-generation insight into the use of computer vision technologies in a variety of industries and endeavors. This premier reference work includes chapters on topics ranging from biometric and facial recognition technologies, to digital image and video watermarking, among many others.

The search for alternative sources of energy is an attempt to solve two of the main problems facing the modern world. Today's resources are mainly based on fossil flammable substances such as coal, oil, and natural gas. The first problem is related to the expected and observed depletion of deposits, not only those available but also less accessible. Another is related to global warming from emissions of greenhouse gases (mainly carbon dioxide) as well as emissions of other pollutants in the atmosphere. Mitigating the harmful effects of fossil fuel use is an obvious challenge for mankind. This Special Issue includes articles on the search for new raw materials and new technologies for obtaining energy, such as those existing in nature, methane hydrates, biomass, etc., new more efficient technologies for generating electricity, as well as analyses of the possibilities and conditions of use of these resources for practical applications.

Within modern forensic science and criminal investigation, experts face several challenges including managing huge amounts of data, handling miniscule pieces of evidence in a chaotic and complex environment, navigating traditional laboratory structures, and, sometimes, dealing with insufficient knowledge. These challenges must be overcome to avoid failure in investigation or miscarriage of justice. Technologies to Advance Automation in Forensic Science and Criminal Investigation provides a platform for researchers to present state-of-the-art technologies within forensic science and criminal investigation. Covering topics such as financial fraud, machine learning, and source camera identification, this book is an essential reference for criminal investigators, justice departments, law enforcement, legislators, computer scientists, automation professionals, researchers, academicians, and students and educators in higher education.

Current Trends and Advances in Computer-Aided Intelligent Environmental Data Engineering merges computer engineering and environmental engineering. The book presents the latest finding on how data science and AI-based tools are being applied in environmental engineering research. This application involves multiple domains such as data science and artificial intelligence to transform the data collected by intelligent sensors into relevant and reliable information to support decision-making. These tools include fuzzy logic, knowledge-based systems, particle swarm optimization, genetic algorithms, Monte Carlo simulation, artificial neural networks, support vector machine, boosted regression tree, simulated annealing, ant colony algorithm, decision tree, immune algorithm, and imperialist competitive algorithm. This book is a fundamental information source because it is the first book to present the foundational reference material in this new research field. Furthermore, it gives a critical overview of the latest cross-domain research findings and technological developments on the recent advances in computer-aided intelligent environmental data engineering. Captures the application of data science and artificial intelligence for a broader spectrum of environmental engineering problems Presents methods and procedures as well as case studies where state-of-the-art technologies are applied in actual environmental scenarios Offers a compilation of essential and critical reviews on the application of data science and artificial intelligence to the entire spectrum of environmental engineering

Presently, general-purpose optimization techniques such as Simulated Annealing, and Genetic Algorithms, have become standard optimization techniques. Concerted research efforts have been made recently in order to invent novel optimization techniques for solving real life problems, which have the attributes of memory update and population-based search solutions. The book describes a variety of these novel optimization techniques which in most cases outperform the standard optimization techniques in many application areas. New Optimization Techniques in Engineering reports applications and results of the novel optimization techniques considering a multitude of practical problems in the different engineering disciplines – presenting both the background of the subject area and the techniques for solving the problems.

An Introduction to Audio Content Analysis Enables readers to understand the algorithmic analysis of musical audio signals with AI-driven approaches An Introduction to Audio Content Analysis serves as a comprehensive guide on audio content analysis explaining how signal processing and machine learning approaches can be utilized for the extraction of musical content from audio. It gives readers the algorithmic understanding to teach a computer to interpret music signals and thus allows for the design of tools for interacting with music. The work ties together topics from audio signal processing and machine learning, showing how to use audio content analysis to pick up musical characteristics automatically. A multitude of audio content analysis tasks related to the extraction of tonal, temporal, timbral, and intensity-related characteristics of the music signal are presented. Each task is introduced from both a musical and a technical perspective, detailing the algorithmic approach as well as providing practical guidance on implementation details and evaluation. To aid in reader comprehension, each task description begins with a short introduction to the most important musical and perceptual characteristics of the covered topic, followed by a detailed algorithmic model and its evaluation, and concluded with questions and exercises. For the interested reader, updated supplemental materials are provided via an accompanying website. Written by a well-known expert in the music industry, sample topics covered in Introduction to Audio Content Analysis include: Digital audio signals and their representation, common time-frequency transforms, audio features Pitch and fundamental frequency detection, key and chord Representation of dynamics in music and intensity-related features Beat histograms, onset and tempo detection, beat histograms, and detection of structure in music, and sequence alignment Audio fingerprinting, musical genre, mood, and instrument classification An invaluable guide for newcomers to audio signal processing and industry experts alike, An Introduction to Audio Content Analysis covers a wide range of introductory topics pertaining to music information retrieval and machine listening, allowing students and researchers to quickly gain core holistic knowledge in audio analysis and dig deeper into specific aspects of the field with the help of a large amount of references.