Transformer-based Image Compression with Variable Image Quality Objectives

This paper presents a Transformer-based image compression system that allows for a variable image quality objective according to the user's preference. Optimizing a learned codec for different quality objectives leads to reconstructed images with varying visual characteristics. Our method provides the user with the flexibility to choose a trade-off between two image quality objectives using a single, shared model. Motivated by the success of prompt-tuning techniques, we introduce prompt tokens to condition our Transformer-based autoencoder. These prompt tokens are generated adaptively based on the user's preference and input image through learning a prompt generation network. Extensive experiments on commonly used quality metrics demonstrate the effectiveness of our method in adapting the encoding and/or decoding processes to a variable quality objective. While offering the additional flexibility, our proposed method performs comparably to the single-objective methods in terms of rate-distortion performance

Transformer-based Variable-rate Image Compression with Region-of-interest Control

This paper proposes a transformer-based learned image compression system. It is capable of achieving variable-rate compression with a single model while supporting the region-of-interest (ROI) functionality. Inspired by prompt tuning, we introduce prompt generation networks to condition the transformer-based autoencoder of compression. Our prompt generation networks generate content-adaptive tokens according to the input image, an ROI mask, and a rate parameter. The separation of the ROI mask and the rate parameter allows an intuitive way to achieve variable-rate and ROI coding simultaneously. Extensive experiments validate the effectiveness of our proposed method and confirm its superiority over the other competing methods.Comment: Accepted to IEEE ICIP 202

TransTIC: Transferring Transformer-based Image Compression from Human Visualization to Machine Perception

This work aims for transferring a Transformer-based image compression codec from human vision to machine perception without fine-tuning the codec. We propose a transferable Transformer-based image compression framework, termed TransTIC. Inspired by visual prompt tuning, we propose an instance-specific prompt generator to inject instance-specific prompts to the encoder and task-specific prompts to the decoder. Extensive experiments show that our proposed method is capable of transferring the codec to various machine tasks and outshining the competing methods significantly. To our best knowledge, this work is the first attempt to utilize prompting on the low-level image compression task

Study of the River Bed Variation after the Baling Check-Dam Failure

The study provides longitudinal and cross-sectional analysis of 8 pieces topography data collected from 1980 to 2011 and bed material particle size based on three investigations conducted between 2008 and 2012. The mainstream topography data in December 2007 shows that the head-cutting distance was about 3 kilometers after the dam broke. The topography data since 2008 displays that river the channel is stable as well. The topography data shows that the longitudinal section in the tributary had a head-cutting distance of about 3 kilometers after the dam broke, and the river channel still is showing adjustment behavior. The scour-and-fill analysis result of the mainstream cross-section shows that the transverse adjust changed significantly upstream from the dam location from 2006-2008. The particle size of the bed material has shown a trend from coarsening to fining according to different sampling points. Therefore, the river bed is still adjusting continuously. Finally, this study is based on a debris flow and sediment laden flow numerical model. The simulation result is fit for river-bed changes after dam-break.2007年石門水庫上游的巴陵防砂壩潰壩事件，導致上游河床沖刷約20公尺，下游最大淤積約10公尺。本文蒐集巴陵防砂壩1980至2011年潰壩前後8次地形測量資料與2008-2012年共進行三次河床質粒徑調查以分析潰壩對於河床變動及河床質粒徑變化的影響。結果顯示，巴陵壩潰壩3個月後河床已逐漸趨於動態平衡，河床質粒徑整體有粗化再細化的趨勢。最後，本文以適用於土石流及高含砂水流的數值模式進行潰壩事件模擬，並利用河床測量成果進行比較

Hypoalbuminemia in peritoneal dialysis patients

This study aimed to determine the factors that were associated with hypoalbuminemia in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. End-stage renal disease patients who had received PD at the National Taiwan University Hospital for more than three months were included and divided into two groups. Patients who had mean serum albumin levels greater or equal to 3.5g/dL were allocated to Group 1, while those who had mean serum albumin levels less than 3.5g/dL were allocated to Group 2. Demographic characteristics, clinical parameters and laboratory data were then compared between the two groups. Logistic regression was also performed to identify the factors that were associated with hypoalbuminemia. There were 359 patients (mean age 54.3 years, male 46.5%) included. Group 2 patients (10.3%) were older (P=0.0536), had lower body mass index (P=0.0008), lower total Kt/V (P=0.0060), and lower levels of hemoglobin (P=0.0268), blood urea nitrogen (P=0.0501), creatinine (P<0.0001), triglyceride (P=0.0014), potassium (P=0.0028), phosphorus (P=0.0036), but higher levels of C-reactive protein (P=0.0194). More Group 2 patients had high or high-average peritoneal equilibration test (PET) (P=0.0199). Using logistic regression, factors that were found to be associated with hypoalbuminemia were total Kt/V (P=0.0015), hemoglobin (P=0.0019), creatinine (P<0.0001), triglyceride (P=0.0060), and potassium (P=0.0126). In conclusion, hypoalbuminemia in our PD patients was associated with total Kt/V as well as levels of hemoglobin, creatinine, triglyceride, and potassium

Vegetative and reproductive growth of an invasive weed Bidens pilosa L. var. radiata and its noninvasive congener Bidens bipinnata in Taiwan

To gain a better understanding of traits and mechanisms underlying the fast spreading of an invasive plant, B. pilosa var. radiata, in Taiwan, we compared vegetative and reproductive growth of this invasive plant with its sympatric congener Bidens bipinnata L., a naturalized species. The two species had similar photosaturated photosynthetic rate and apparent quantum yield. However, both species differed in the temperature response of seed germination, in traits associated with life history, and in biomass allocation pattern. At winter temperature (18°C) seed germination was inhibited in B. bipinnata but not in B. pilosa var. radiata. Compared to B. bipinnata, B. pilosa var. radiata had higher specific leaf area, allocated more resource to leaves and roots in early growth stage, consequently, had a better growth and accumulated more biomass for an extended growth period. Laboratory experiment showed that shoot segments of B. pilosa var. radiata were capable of growing adventitious roots while those of B. bipinnata had no such ability. Thus, differences in specific leaf area, pattern of biomass allocation, seed germination response and vegetative reproduction between these two species explained why B. pilosa var. radiata outcompeted B. bipinnata in the field

Contrasting Effects of Aqueous Tissue Extracts from an Invasive Plant, Bidens pilosa L. var. radiata, on the Performance of Its Sympatric Plant Species

Bidens pilosa L. var. radiata Sch. Bip., a common weed in lowland Taiwan, is listed as one of the twenty most noxious invasive plants in Taiwan. In this study, we examined the effect of aqueous extracts of leaves, stems and roots of the invasive plant on germination and growth of seedlings (estimated by measuring the elongation of hypocotyls and radicals) of the same species and two other sympatric species, B. bipinnata and Ageraturem conyzoides. The objective of this study was to understand whether the aqueous tissue extracts affected the performance of the target species and whether these effects varied among tissue types and among target species. We found that the germination percentage of seeds of B. bipinnata was significantly reduced by root and leaf extracts, that of B. pilosa var. radiata was also significantly reduced by the application of root extract, while that of A. conyzoides was not affected by any of the three tissue extracts. The application of stem and leaf extracts inhibited the elongation of radicals of B. pilosa var. radiata, consequently, the growth of seedlings of this species was decreased in these two treatments. Though the elongation of hypocotyls was stimulated by leaf extract, the overall growth of seedlings of B. bipinnata was not affected by any tissue extract. In contrast, all three extracts stimulated the elongation of hypocotyls and radicals of A. conyzoides, consequently, the overall growth of seedlings of this plant was promoted by all three extracts. These results revealed that aqueous extracts from tissue of B. pilosa var. radiata had differential effect on the emergence and seedling growth of the three target species. The inhibition effect of its root and leaf extracts on the germination of B. bipinnata may partially explain the overwhelming dominance of B. pilosa var. radiata over B. bipinnata when they are sympatric

An Empirical Study on the Relationship between Board Characteristics and Capital Adequacy Ratio: Evidence from Commercial Banks in Taiwan

[[abstract]]金融業由於其高風險的特質，屬於高度管制的產業，而近年來的金融危機反映了金融機構公司治理及風險管理上的重大缺失；有鑑於此，本研究以2008年～2010年上市、上櫃與公開發行之本國銀行資料，探討董事會特性與銀行資本適足率之關聯性。研究結果發現董監事的教育程度越高、董事會中具備金融產業經歷的成員比率越高、以及董事會平均任期越長，有助於增加董事會專業性，提高銀行的資本適足率，則銀行的風險承擔能力越強。[[abstract]]Financial industries are subject to high degree of regulatory control because of its high operating risk The financial crisis in recent years has reflected the weakness of financial institutions in corporate governance and risk management This paper investigated the relationships between board characteristics and capital adequacy ratios of listed and public issued commercial banks in Taiwan during 2008~2010 This study found that higher directors’ education levels higher percentage of directors with experiences in financial industry and longer average board tenure will help the board to become more professional Consequently the capital adequacy ratios will be raised and the ability to withstand risk will be stronge