Development and evaluation of packet video schemes

Reflecting the two tasks proposed for the current year, namely a feasibility study of simulating the NASA network, and a study of progressive transmission schemes, are presented. The view of the NASA network, gleaned from the various technical reports made available to use, is provided. Also included is a brief overview of how the current simulator could be modified to accomplish the goal of simulating the NASA network. As the material in this section would be the basis for the actual simulation, it is important to make sure that it is an accurate reflection of the requirements on the simulator. Brief descriptions of the set of progressive transmission algorithms selected for the study are contained. The results available in the literature were obtained under a variety of different assumptions, not all of which are stated. As such, the only way to compare the efficiency and the implementational complexity of the various algorithms is to simulate them

Implementation issues in source coding

An edge preserving image coding scheme which can be operated in both a lossy and a lossless manner was developed. The technique is an extension of the lossless encoding algorithm developed for the Mars observer spectral data. It can also be viewed as a modification of the DPCM algorithm. A packet video simulator was also developed from an existing modified packet network simulator. The coding scheme for this system is a modification of the mixture block coding (MBC) scheme described in the last report. Coding algorithms for packet video were also investigated

Progressive transmission of pseudo-color images. Appendix 1: Item 4

The transmission of digital images can require considerable channel bandwidth. The cost of obtaining such a channel can be prohibitive, or the channel might simply not be available. In this case, progressive transmission (PT) can be useful. PT presents the user with a coarse initial image approximation, and then proceeds to refine it. In this way, the user tends to receive information about the content of the image sooner than if a sequential transmission method is used. PT finds application in image data base browsing, teleconferencing, medical and other applications. A PT scheme is developed for use with a particular type of image data, the pseudo-color or color mapped image. Such images consist of a table of colors called a colormap, plus a 2-D array of index values which indicate which colormap entry is to be used to display a given pixel. This type of image presents some unique problems for a PT coder, and techniques for overcoming these problems are developed. A computer simulation of the color mapped PT scheme is developed to evaluate its performance. Results of simulation using several test images are presented

Environmental Citizenship in Primary Formal Education

The concept of Environmental Citizenship, as it has been developed in this project, calls for the development of specific awareness, attitudes, skills, behaviours and competences that need to be cultivated from early childhood for active civic participation. Primary formal education could provide opportunities for the achievement of these goals. In this chapter, we elaborate on how Environmental Citizenship, which provides the specifics of age and formal settings, could be approached and the educational strategies that could be recommended or avoided based on the existing literature. This chapter also provides an overview of the most important educational aims regarding the development of Environmental Citizenship in primary formal education. These include environmental sensitivity, a sense of justice, a basic understanding of ecological systems, necessary skills for the investigation of ecological and social phenomena, and action skills that relate to active participation in community issues. We suggest that successful educational interventions, integrated pedagogical approaches and key designing principles could promote Environmental Citizenship at primary schools. In addition, effective training and professional development programmes can equip teachers with the knowledge, values, skills and strategies necessary to implement Environmental Citizenship at this level

A Historical Study of Nurse Anesthesia Education in Nebraska

The Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) was the first advanced practice nursing specialty, dating to the late Nineteenth Century in the United States. Nurses were first recruited and trained by surgeons to administer anesthesia beginning in the 1870’s in the United States. Apprenticeship training by either a surgeon, or another nurse, was the initial method of anesthesia training for the early nurse anesthetist. Post-graduate training programs began to appear within some hospitals at approximately 1910. The hospital-based nurse anesthesia programs became more standardized with the implementation of an accreditation program in 1952. Beginning in 1971 nurse anesthesia programs began to affiliate with academic institutions and began to award academic degrees. A master’s level education was mandated for all nurse anesthesia programs in 1998. The purpose of this study was to document the history of the education of nurse anesthetists in Nebraska from the Nineteenth Century to 2006. Evidence of: apprenticeship training, anesthesia training during the basic nursing school curriculum, organized post-graduate training programs prior to the implementation of accreditation by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), postgraduate hospital-based programs accredited by the AANA beginning in 1952, and academic degree programs at the baccalaureate and master’s level was sought and analyzed. Analysis of primary and secondary documentary evidence, as well as the collection of eighteen oral history interviews was completed for the study. Nurse anesthesia education in Nebraska evolved through three primary phases. The first phase was apprenticeship training occurring between 1898 and 1925, the second was the training of nursing students in the administration of anesthesia during the basic nursing education, occurring commonly between 1915 and 1930, and the third was the establishment of post-graduate programs. The first Nebraska post-graduate program was initiated in 1947 with an additional five programs operating at some time in the state. Three of the programs operated for two to six years, educating a small number of nurse anesthetists. All but one closed by 1987, leaving a single nurse anesthesia program in Nebraska. Adviser: Marilyn L. Grad