Much of our understanding of the relationships among geometric struc tures in images is based on the shape of these structures and their relative orientations, positions and sizes. Thus, developing quantitative methods for capturing shape information from digital images is an important area for computer vision research. This book describes the theory, implemen tation, and application of two multi resolution image shape description methods. The author begins by motivating the need for quantitative methods for describing both the spatial and intensity variations of struc tures in grey-scale images. Two new methods which capture this informa tion are then developed. The first, the intensity axis of symmetry, is a collection of branching and bending surfaces which correspond to the skeleton of the image. The second method, multiresolution vertex curves, focuses on surface curvature properties as the image is blurred by a sequence of Gaussian filters. Implementation techniques for these image shape descriptions are described in detail. Surface functionals are mini mized subject to symmetry constraints to obtain the intensity axis of symmetry. Robust numerical methods are developed for calculating and following vertex curves through scale space. Finally, the author demon strates how grey-scale images can be segmented into geometrically coher ent regions using these shape description techniques. Building quantita tive analysis applications in terms of these visually sensible image regions promises to be an exciting area of biomedical computer vision research. v Acknowledgments This book is a corrected and revised version of the author's Ph. D.
There is an increasing consensus in the scientific community that climate change is a real and present threat. Despite the large uncertainty on the timing, magnitude and even the direction of some of the physical and economic effects of this phenomenon, it is widely accepted that the differences are regional and that developing countries as well as lower income populations tend to suffer the most. In this context, it is critical for Latin American countries to develop strategies for adapting to the various impacts of climate change, and for contributing to global efforts aimed at mitigation. Climate Change in Latin America contributes to these efforts by addressing a number of questions related to the causes and consequences of climate change in the case of Latin America. What are the likely impacts of climate change in the region? Which countries and regions will be most affected? What can governments do to tackle the challenges associated with adapting to climate change? What role can Latin America play in the area of climate change mitigation? While the book does not attempt to provide definitive answers to these questions, it contributs new information and analysis that could help to inform the public policy debate on this important issue.
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