Scalable Video Coding Guidelines and Performance Evaluations for Adaptive Media Delivery of High Definition Content

International audienceScalability within media coding allows for content adaptation towards heterogeneous user contexts and enables in-network adaptation. However, there is no straightforward solution how to encode the content in a scalable way while maximizing rate-distortion performance. In this paper we provide encoding guidelines for scalable video coding based on a survey of media streaming industry solutions and a comprehensive performance evaluation using four state of the art scalable video codecs with a focus on high-definition content (1080p)

Effect of severe corrosion upon natural frequencies of beam-like structures

Corrosion, as the spontaneous process of material degradation produced by the environment, affects the reliability and safety of structures, both by reducing the section of the components, due to material loss and by diminution of the materials mechanical strength. The authors have found a mathematical relation between discontinuities in beams and changes of its natural frequencies and developed a method to identify these discontinuities. The present paper considers the more complex case of damage determined by corrosion, where beam thinning is accompanied by mass decrease. These impose considering natural frequency changes in both directions: decrease due damage and increase because of mass loss. FEM simulations and analytical investigations were carried out, in order to find the relation between mass change in different positions along the beam and the frequency increase. The results were correlated with the “classical” relation describing frequency decrease because of discontinuities. Finally, the authors developed a new relation, proper to be used for damage produced by severe corrosion, which was validated by laboratory experiments

Design Space Exploration for Partially Reconfigurable Architectures in Real-Time Systems

International audienceIn this paper, we introduce FoRTReSS (Flow for Reconfigurable archiTectures in Real-time SystemS), a methodology for the generation of partially reconfigurable architectures with real-time constraints, enabling Design Space Exploration (DSE) at the early stages of the development. FoRTReSS can be completely integrated into existing partial reconfiguration flows to generate physical constraints describing the architecture in terms of reconfigurable regions that are used to floorplan the design, with key metrics such as partially reconfigurable area, real-time or external fragmentation. The flow is based upon our SystemC simulator for real-time systems that helps develop and validate scheduling algorithms with respect to application timing constraints and partial reconfiguration physical behaviour. We tested our approach with a video stream encryption/decryption application together with Error Correcting Code and showed that partial reconfiguration may lead to an area improvement up to 38% on some resources without compromising application performance, in a very small amount of time: less than 30 s

Photodissociation dynamics of the methyl perthiyl radical at 248 nm via photofragment translational spectroscopy

Photofragment translational spectroscopy was used to study the photodissociation of the methyl perthiyl radical CH 3 SS at 248 nm. The radical was produced by flash pyrolysis of dimethyl disulfide (CH 3 SSCH 3 ). Two channels were observed: CH 3 + S 2 and CH 2 S + SH. Photofragment translational energy distributions indicate that CH 3 + S 2 results from C-S bond fission on the ground state surface. The CH 2 S + SH channel can proceed through isomerization to CH 2 SSH on the ground state surface but also may involve production of electronically excited CH 2 S

On Providing Cloud-awareness to Client's DASH Application by Using DASH over HTTP/2, Journal of Telecommunications and Information Technology, 2015, nr 4

Mobile Cloud Networks group together mobile users and clouds containing content servers. Hence, they are an ideal framework for media content delivery. Streams witching adaptive video players cope well with some limitations of Mobile Cloud Networks as low bandwidth and bandwidth variability in access network. Nonetheless, other limitations, as cloud congestion, are difficult to be managed by the video players. This paper presents a system for discovering fault situations at the cloud (e.g., cloud congestion) and notifying to the video player, which will take appropriate actions for saving the quality of media transmission. In proposed implementation the video application is DASH-capable and adaptation action may be both stream rate adaptation and content server adaptation. The communication between client and server uses \bidirectional" communication feature of HTTP/2 thanks to the new deployed modules running DASH over HTTP/2 in both client's and server's applications

Scalable Media Coding Enabling Content-Aware Networking

Increasingly popular multimedia services are expected to play a dominant role in the future of the Internet. In this context, it is essential that content-aware networking (CAN) architectures explicitly address the efficient delivery and processing of multimedia content. This article proposes the adoption of a content-aware approach into the network infrastructure, thus making it capable of identifying, processing, and manipulating media streams and objects in real time to maximize quality of service (QoS) and experience (QoE). Our proposal is built on the exploitation of scalable media coding technologies within such a content-aware networking environment. This discussion is based on four representative use cases for media delivery (unicast, multicast, peer-to-peer, and adaptive HTTP streaming) and reviews CAN challenges, specifically flow processing, caching/buffering, and QoS/QoE management

The global, regional, and national burden of adult lip, oral, and pharyngeal cancer in 204 countries and territories:A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Importance Lip, oral, and pharyngeal cancers are important contributors to cancer burden worldwide, and a comprehensive evaluation of their burden globally, regionally, and nationally is crucial for effective policy planning.Objective To analyze the total and risk-attributable burden of lip and oral cavity cancer (LOC) and other pharyngeal cancer (OPC) for 204 countries and territories and by Socio-demographic Index (SDI) using 2019 Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors (GBD) Study estimates.Evidence Review The incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) due to LOC and OPC from 1990 to 2019 were estimated using GBD 2019 methods. The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate the proportion of deaths and DALYs for LOC and OPC attributable to smoking, tobacco, and alcohol consumption in 2019.Findings In 2019, 370 000 (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 338 000-401 000) cases and 199 000 (95% UI, 181 000-217 000) deaths for LOC and 167 000 (95% UI, 153 000-180 000) cases and 114 000 (95% UI, 103 000-126 000) deaths for OPC were estimated to occur globally, contributing 5.5 million (95% UI, 5.0-6.0 million) and 3.2 million (95% UI, 2.9-3.6 million) DALYs, respectively. From 1990 to 2019, low-middle and low SDI regions consistently showed the highest age-standardized mortality rates due to LOC and OPC, while the high SDI strata exhibited age-standardized incidence rates decreasing for LOC and increasing for OPC. Globally in 2019, smoking had the greatest contribution to risk-attributable OPC deaths for both sexes (55.8% [95% UI, 49.2%-62.0%] of all OPC deaths in male individuals and 17.4% [95% UI, 13.8%-21.2%] of all OPC deaths in female individuals). Smoking and alcohol both contributed to substantial LOC deaths globally among male individuals (42.3% [95% UI, 35.2%-48.6%] and 40.2% [95% UI, 33.3%-46.8%] of all risk-attributable cancer deaths, respectively), while chewing tobacco contributed to the greatest attributable LOC deaths among female individuals (27.6% [95% UI, 21.5%-33.8%]), driven by high risk-attributable burden in South and Southeast Asia.Conclusions and Relevance In this systematic analysis, disparities in LOC and OPC burden existed across the SDI spectrum, and a considerable percentage of burden was attributable to tobacco and alcohol use. These estimates can contribute to an understanding of the distribution and disparities in LOC and OPC burden globally and support cancer control planning efforts

Quality indicators for patients with traumatic brain injury in European intensive care units

Background: The aim of this study is to validate a previously published consensus-based quality indicator set for the management of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) at intensive care units (ICUs) in Europe and to study its potential for quality measur

Changing care pathways and between-center practice variations in intensive care for traumatic brain injury across Europe

Purpose: To describe ICU stay, selected management aspects, and outcome of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in Europe, and to quantify variation across centers. Methods: This is a prospective observational multicenter study conducted across 18 countries in Europe and Israel. Admission characteristics, clinical data, and outcome were described at patient- and center levels. Between-center variation in the total ICU population was quantified with the median odds ratio (MOR), with correction for case-mix and random variation between centers. Results: A total of 2138 patients were admitted to the ICU, with median age of 49 years; 36% of which were mild TBI (Glasgow Coma Scale; GCS 13–15). Within, 72 h 636 (30%) were discharged and 128 (6%) died. Early deaths and long-stay patients (> 72 h) had more severe injuries based on the GCS and neuroimaging characteristics, compared with short-stay patients. Long-stay patients received more monitoring and were treated at higher intensity, and experienced worse 6-month outcome compared to short-stay patients. Between-center variations were prominent in the proportion of short-stay patients (MOR = 2.3, p < 0.001), use of intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring (MOR = 2.5, p < 0.001) and aggressive treatme