End-to-End Learning of Video Super-Resolution with Motion Compensation

Learning approaches have shown great success in the task of super-resolving an image given a low resolution input. Video super-resolution aims for exploiting additionally the information from multiple images. Typically, the images are related via optical flow and consecutive image warping. In this paper, we provide an end-to-end video super-resolution network that, in contrast to previous works, includes the estimation of optical flow in the overall network architecture. We analyze the usage of optical flow for video super-resolution and find that common off-the-shelf image warping does not allow video super-resolution to benefit much from optical flow. We rather propose an operation for motion compensation that performs warping from low to high resolution directly. We show that with this network configuration, video super-resolution can benefit from optical flow and we obtain state-of-the-art results on the popular test sets. We also show that the processing of whole images rather than independent patches is responsible for a large increase in accuracy.Comment: Accepted to GCPR201

Dog Ecology and Dog Rabies Control

Dog populations, like other populations, depend on the availability of resources (food, water, and shelter). Humans either make available or deliberately withhold resources for varying proportions of dog populations. Dog-keeping practices and the duties of responsible ownership vary with the cultural setting. Dog populations often attain densities that allow the species to be a main host of rabies. The epidemiology of dog rabies is not well understood, despite the easy access to dog populations. Today dog rabies is predomina~t in developing countries. In addition to the high rate of exposure of humans to dogs, tradItional medical beliefs and practices are the most important cultural factors that lead to high numbers of cases of human rabies. Dog rabies control programs have been succe~sful in the past, but most are failing today. Program development should follow managenal principles and take into consideration the biology of dog populations as w~ll as. cultural constraints. Elimination of stray dogs IS not an effIcIent means of controllIng eIther the dog population or rabies, but it may create public awarenes

Addition theorems and the Drach superintegrable systems

We propose new construction of the polynomial integrals of motion related to the addition theorems. As an example we reconstruct Drach systems and get some new two-dimensional superintegrable Stackel systems with third, fifth and seventh order integrals of motion.Comment: 18 pages, the talk given on the conference "Superintegrable Systems in Classical and Quantum Mechanics", Prague 200

The impact of metallic contacts on propagation losses of an underlying photonic crystal waveguide

In view of an electrically pumped photonic crystal-based semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA), we investigate optical mode propagation in 2D PhC waveguides in the presence of metal contacts for carrier injection. Our photonic crystal (PhC) devices are manufactured in the InP/InGaAsP material system. For the loss measurements, we have fabricated contact strips as narrow as 300nm with a sub-50nm placing accuracy on top of W3 waveguides. We study the influence of their position and width on optical power transmission through passive waveguides with respect to viability for future active devices. Our experimental results are complemented by numerical studies (FDTD, plane-wave expansion method)

128Xe and 130Xe: Testing He-shell burning in AGB stars

The s-process branching at 128I has been investigated on the basis of new, precise experimental (n,g) cross sections for the s-only isotopes 128Xe and 130Xe. This branching is unique, since it is essentially determined by the temperature- and density-sensitive stellar decay rates of 128I and only marginally affected by the specific stellar neutron flux. For this reason it represents an important test for He-shell burning in AGB stars. The description of the branching by means of the complex stellar scenario reveals a significant sensitivity to the time scales for convection during He shell flashes, thus providing constraints for this phenomenon. The s-process ratio 128Xe/130Xe deduced from stellar models allows for a (9+-3)% p-process contribution to solar 128Xe, in agreement with the Xe-S component found in meteoritic presolar SiC grains.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Astophysical Journa

The s-process branching at 185W

The neutron capture cross section of the unstable nucleus 185W has been derived from experimental photoactivation data of the inverse reaction 186W(gamma,n)185W. The new result of sigma = (687 +- 110) mbarn confirms the theoretically predicted neutron capture cross section of 185W of sigma = 700 mbarn at kT = 30 keV. A neutron density in the classical s-process of n_n = (3.8 +0.9 -0.8} * 1e8 cm-3 is derived from the new data for the 185W branching. In a stellar s-process model one finds a significant overproduction of the residual s-only nucleus 186Os.Comment: ApJ, in pres

Age-dependent differences in demographics, risk factors, co-morbidity, etiology, management, and clinical outcome of acute ischemic stroke

Background : Comparisons between younger and older stroke patients including comorbidities are limited. Methods : Prospective data of consecutive patients with first ever acute ischemic stroke were compared between younger (≤ 45 years) and older patients (> 45 years). Results : Among 1004 patients, 137 (14 %) were ≤ 45 years. Younger patients were more commonly female (57 % versus 34 %; p < 0.0001), had a lower frequency of diabetes (1 % versus 15 %; p < 0.0001), hypercholesterolemia (26 % versus 56 %; p < 0.0001), hypertension (19 % versus 65 %; p < 0.0001), coronary heart disease (14 % versus 40 %; p < 0.0001), and a lower mean Charlson co-morbidity index (CCI), (0.18 versus 0.84; p < 0.0001). Tobacco use was more prevalent in the young (39 % versus 26 %; P < 0.0001). Large artery disease (2 % versus 21 %; p < 0.0001), small artery disease (3 % versus 12 %; p = 0.0019) and atrial fibrillation (1 % versus 17 %; p = 0.001) were less common in young patients, while other etiologies (31 % versus 9 %; p < 0.0001), patent foramen ovale or atrial septal defect (44 % versus 26 %; p < 0.0001), and cervical artery dissection (26 % versus 7 %; p < 0.0001) were more frequent. A favorable outcome (mRS 0 or 1) was more common (57.4 % versus 46.9 %; p = 0.023), and mortality (5.1 % versus 12 %; p = 0.009) was lower in the young. After regression analysis, there was no independent association between age and outcome (p = 0.206) or mortality (p = 0.073). Baseline NIHSS score (p < 0.0001), diabetes (p = 0.041), and CCI (p = 0.002) independently predicted an unfavorable outcome. Conclusions : Younger patients were more likely to be female, had different risk factors and etiologies and fewer co-morbidities. There was no independent association between age and clinical outcome or mortalit

The bmi-1 oncoprotein is differentially expressed in non-small cell lung cancer and correlates with INK4A-ARF locus expression

Genes of the polycomb group function by silencing homeotic selector genes that regulate embryogenesis. In mice, downregulation of one of the polycomb genes, bmi-1, leads to neurological alterations and severe proliferative defects in lymphoid cells, whilst bmi-1 overexpression, together with upregulation of myc-1, induces lymphoma. An oncogenic function has been further supported in primary fibroblast studies where bmi-1 overexpression induces immortalization due to repression of p16/p19ARF, and where together with H-ras, it readily transforms MEFs. It was the aim of this study to assess the expression of bmi-1 in resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in association with p16 and p14ARF (=human p19ARF). Tumours (48 resectable NSCLC (32 squamous, 9 adeno-, 2 large cell, 4 undifferentiated carcinomas and 1 carcinoid); stage I, 29, II, 7, III, 12; T1, 18, T2, 30; differentiation: G1 12, G2 19, G3 17) were studied by immunohistochemistry for protein expression and by comparative multiplex PCR for gene amplification analysis. In tumour-free, normal lung tissue from patients, weak – moderate bmi-1 staining was seen in some epithelial cells, lymphocytes, glandular cells and in fibroblasts, whereas blood, endothelial, chondrocytes, muscle cells and adipocytes did not exhibit any bmi-1 expression. In tumours, malignant cells were negative/weakly, moderately and strongly positive in 20, 22 and 6 cases, respectively. As assessed by multiplex PCR, bmi-1 gene amplification was not the reason for high-level bmi-1 expression. Tumours with moderate or strong bmi-1 expression were more likely to have low levels of p16 and p14ARF (P = 0.02). Similarly, tumours negative for both, p16 and p14ARF, exhibit moderate–strong bmi-1 staining. 58% of resectable NSCLC exhibit moderate–high levels of bmi-1 protein. The inverse correlation of bmi-1 and the INK4 locus proteins expression (p16/p14ARF) supports a possible role for bmi-1 misregulation in lung carcinogenesis. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign www.bjcancer.co

Sensitivity of p-Process Nucleosynthesis to Nuclear Reaction Rates in a 25 Solar Mass Supernova Model

The astrophysical p process, which is responsible for the origin of the proton rich stable nuclei heavier than iron, was investigated using a full nuclear reaction network for a type II supernova explosion when the shock front passes through the O/Ne layer. Calculations were performed with a multi-layer model adopting the seed of a pre-explosion evolution of a 25 solar mass star. The reaction flux was calculated to determine the main reaction path and branching points responsible for synthesizing the proton rich nuclei. In order to investigate the impact of nuclear reaction rates on the predicted p-process abundances, extensive simulations with different sets of collectively and individually modified neutron-, proton-, alpha-capture and photodisintegration rates have been performed. These results are not only relevant to explore the nuclear physics related uncertainties in p-process calculations but are also important for identifying the strategy and planning of future experiments.Comment: 27 pages, 24 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

Fibers and global geometry of functions

Since the seminal work of Ambrosetti and Prodi, the study of global folds was enriched by geometric concepts and extensions accomodating new examples. We present the advantages of considering fibers, a construction dating to Berger and Podolak's view of the original theorem. A description of folds in terms of properties of fibers gives new perspective to the usual hypotheses in the subject. The text is intended as a guide, outlining arguments and stating results which will be detailed elsewhere