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Special Issue Deadlines of SPS Publications

Journal of Selected Topics in Signal Processing

• Advanced Signal Processing for GNSS and Robust Navigation - Deadline: 1 July 2008
   
• Managing Complexity in Multiuser MIMO Systems - Deadline: 1 September 2008

Recent Issues of SPS Sponsored and Co-sponsored Publications

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4. TC News

Signal Processing Education Technical Committee

The Signal Processing Education Technical Committee operates at the intersection of a rapidly evolving, industry-driven technical field and the very dynamic, human-centered profession of education. The committee focuses on improving the quality and effectiveness of signal processing education, for students as well as the public at large. The committee emphasizes a systematic approach to educational research instead of the use of isolated examples and anecdotal data. This includes publicizing best teaching practices, encouraging pedagogical innovation, and exploring new vehicles for delivering educational content. One example of this is participation on the Lensing Oversight Committee for the Connexions project. The committee also works to educate decision makers about the importance and pervasiveness of signal processing in modern technology, and its impact on society. Committee members represent a broad range of signal processing research interests, and are typically active within both the SPS and the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) communities. This places the members at an ideal vantage point from which to educate the SPS membership about pressing needs in other fields and related research opportunities that can benefit from the applications of signal processing.

The committee serves as a liaison among SPS TCs for education issues, and is involved in conference organization (in particular for the biennial Signal Processing Education Workshop), providing conference reviewers, and recognizing excellence in DSP education through awards and distinguished lecturers. Further information can be found at the TC website.
 

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Do you know?  IEEE SPS provides travel support for local chapters to invite SPS Distinguished Lecturers.  See a list of SPS 2007 and 2008 Distinguished Lecturers, and check each issue of the E-News for upcoming SPS Distinguished Lectures near you.  
 

If you are interested in organizing a new SPS chapter, or participating in activities in a SPS local chapter near you, please check out Local Chapter Resources. Additional questions and comments can be addressed to the SPS Chapters Committee.
 

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6. New Initiatives and Trends

Signal and Image Processing with Graphical Models and Belief Propagation

Many practical signal processing applications, ranging from modern communication systems to 3-D scene reconstruction, involve large, complex collections of hidden variables and uncertain parameters. Probabilistic graphical models provide a general framework for designing systems of this kind. Graphs are used to decompose joint distributions into a set of local constraints and dependencies, and statistical learning and inference can then be applied to solve the problem.

The March 2008 issue of the IEEE Signal Processing Magazine featured an "DSP Applications" column article by E.B. Sudderth and W.T. Freeman to review an effective and widely adopted inference algorithm known as Belief Propagation (BP).  Read more about BP algorithms and applications from this article.

Learn Exploratory DSP from the latest issue of the IEEE Signal Processing Magazine in May 2008 on
"Seeing Speech:  Capturing Vocal Tract Shaping Using Real-Time Magnetic Resonance Imaging" by E. Bresch, Y-C. Kim, K. Nayak, D. Byrd, and S. Narayanan.
 

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Education advices on Effective Communication featured in the IEEE Signal Processing Magazine

• "Excellence in a Technical Presentation" by W.T. Padgett and M.A. Yoder (March 2008)
   

• "Tips on Technical Writing" by H.S. Malvar (May 2008)

DSP Tips and Tricks featured in the IEEE Signal Processing Magazine

• "DC Blocker Algorithms" by R. Yates and R. Lyons (March 2008)

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Lino Coria Mendoza (University of British Columbia, Canada):
"Low-complexity methods for image and video watermarking," March 2008. 
Advised by Prof. Rabab K. Ward and Dr. Panos Nasiopoulos.

Watermarking can be used to identify the owner of the media content. It can also provide information about the content's usage restrictions. Several applications are considered and three watermarking solutions are provided in this thesis. First, for applications such as proof of ownership and digital fingerprinting, a fast content-dependent image watermarking method is proposed. The method generates a set of evenly distributed codewords that are constructed via an iterative algorithm. Every message bit is represented by one of these codewords and is embedded in one of the image's blocks. Two watermarking schemes designed to prevent theatre camcorder piracy are also presented. In these methods, the video is watermarked so that its display is not permitted if a compliant video player detects the watermark. The proposed algorithms take advantage of the properties of the dual-tree complex wavelet transform. The schemes are simple to implement and the resultant watermarks are robust to geometric distortions and lossy compression.

Click here for more information of the thesis.

Interested in submitting or recommending a recent Ph.D. thesis?
Please prepare the following material and visit the web submission site to provide your input. Contact Associate Editor Prof. Alessandro Piva at <piva AT lci.det.unifi.it> if you have any questions.
(1) thesis author's information (full name, contact, current affiliation, URL if available), Ph.D. granting institution, thesis advisor's name and contact information;
(2) title, URL, and a short summary of the thesis (100-150 words); and
(3) an email from the thesis advisor to Associate Editor at <alessandro.piva AT unifi.it>, confirming that the author has already successfully defended the Ph.D. thesis and that a final version of the thesis has officially been submitted according to the Ph.D. degree requirements of the author's institution.

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Nonlinear Digital Filters: Analysis and Applications, W. K. Ling, Elsevier, 2007.

Description from the publisher: This book provides an easy-to-understand overview of nonlinear behavior in digital filters, showing how it can be utilized or avoided when operating nonlinear digital filters. It gives techniques for analyzing discrete-time systems with discontinuous linearity, enabling the analysis of other nonlinear discrete-time systems, such as sigma delta modulators, digital phase lock loops, and turbo coders.

Visit the book's website for detailed Table of Contents and ordering information.

Wireless Sensor and Actuator Networks: Technologies, Analysis and Design,
R. Verdone, D. Dardari, G. Mazzini and A. Conti, Elsevier, 2008.

Description from the publisher: When choosing the technology options to develop a wireless sensor network (WSN), it is vital that their performance levels can be assessed for the type of application intended. This book describes the different technology options – MAC protocols, routing protocols, localization and data fusion techniques – and provides the means to numerically measure their performance, whether by simulation, mathematical models or experimental test beds. Case studies, based on the authors’ direct experience of implementing wireless sensor networks, describe the design methodology and the type of measurements used, together with samples of the performance measurements attained.

Visit the book's website for detailed Table of Contents and ordering information.

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Research Associate in Systems and Control
Uppsala University, Sweden

The Department of Information Technology is inviting applications for a position as Research Associate in Systems and Control.  The position is oriented towards research in either Automatic Control or Signal Processing. This is principally a research appointment but will also involve teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate level and supervision of students at postgraduate level. The teaching is mainly oriented towards courses in automatic control.

To qualify for appointment as Research Associate, candidates must have a Ph.D. Priority is given to applicants who have completed their Ph.D. within five years of the application deadline of 1 September 2008. According to Uppsala University's general employment regulations, it is also a requirement that teachers possess the necessary skills and qualifications to carry out their duties proficiently. Qualified candidates may also be considered for Assistant Professorship. More details about the position and how to apply can be found at this link. 

The Division of Systems and Control has extensive research both in automatic control and in signal processing. Inquiries can be addressed to Prof. Hakan Lanshammar <hl@it.uu.se>.

• Postdoctoral Fellowship on Vision and Pattern Analysis at Sabanci University, Istanbul, Turkey

• Ph.D. Assistantship and Postdoctoral Position in Multimedia Indexing at Institut EURECOM, France

• PhD Scholarship on Medical Signal Processing at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

Interested in advertising graduate scholarship, post-doc positions, or funding opportunities?
Please prepare a short text of the announcement (150-200 words) and visit the web submission site to enter your input. It is recommended to include the deadline or valid period of the announcement, and an URL for more information such as group/research description and detailed qualification expectation. Contact Associate Editor Prof. Alessandro Piva at <alessandro.piva AT unifi.it> if you have any questions. Note that advertisements on faculty and other full-time position are in the domain of IEEE job advertisement (http://careers.ieee.org/); the IEEE Signal Processing Magazine also provides opportunities for paid advertisement.

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