On holomorphic isometric embeddings of the unit n-ball into products of two unit m-balls

We study holomorphic isometric embeddings of the complex unit n-ball into products of two complex unit m-balls with respect to their Bergman metrics up to normalization constants (the isometric constant). There are two trivial holomorphic isometric embeddings for m ≥ n, given by F1(z) = (0, In;m(z)) with the isometric constant equal to (m + 1)/(n + 1) and F2(z) = (In;m(z), In;m(z)) with the isometric constant equal to 2(m + 1)/(n + 1). Here In;m: ℂn → ℂm is the canonical embedding. We prove that when m < 2n, these are the only holomorphic isometric embeddings up to unitary transformations. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.postprin

Effect of blood's velocity on blood resistivity

Blood resistivity is an important quantity whose value influences the results of various methods used in the study of heart and circulation. In this paper, the relationship between blood resistivity and velocity of blood flow was evaluated and analyzed based upon a probe using six-ring electrodes and a circulatory model. The experimental results indicated that the change in blood resistivity was only ±1.1% when the velocity of blood flow changed from 2.83 to 40 cm/s and it rose to 23% when the velocity was lower than 2.83 cm/s

A multiresolution two-layer video codec for networking applications

We propose an improved multiresolution two-layer video codec that can operate at a base layer of 64 kbps and a variable bit rate second layer (VBR). The basic idea is to use a multiresolution technique to reduce the original CIF format video to the QCIF format. The low-resolution video is then encoded with an improved H.261 codec. To reduce the bit rate of the second layer, the residuals are encoded with the discrete cosine transform (DCT) using perceptually weighted quantization step sizes. Simulation results show that the Miss America sequence can be transmitted at 64 kbps in the CIF format with a reasonably good picture quality. For a good picture quality, the second layer would typically require 190 kbps.published_or_final_versio

Buffer control algorithm for low bit-rate video compression

In this paper, a new buffer control algorithm for motion-compensated hybrid DPCM/DCT coding (like H.261 and MPEG-1 I pictures) is presented. The algorithm uses the bit allocation algorithm to determine the quantization scale factor of each macroblock under a given target bit rate. An important advantage of the algorithm is that it has precise control of the buffer and avoids buffer overflow events which is a severe problem in low bit rate video coder. Furthermore, the coder is able to allocate bits to the picture as a whole, resulting in better rate-distortion trade-off. Simulation results show that the H.261 coder, using the proposed algorithm, can achieve a higher PSNR and better visual quality than codec using conventional buffer control algorithm.published_or_final_versio

An adaptive multiresolution modification of the H.263 video coding algorithm

An adaptive multiresolution approach for video coding is presented. The algorithm uses the information content to determine the resolution of the video to be encoded. An important advantage of the algorithm is that the codec can maintain a very stable frame rate with reasonable image quality during scene change and provide better quality video when the motion is less rapid. Simulation results show that the modified H.263 coder, using the proposed algorithm, can maintaining better image quality and a more steady frame rate than the TMN 5 algorithm at low bit-rate.published_or_final_versio

A modified H.263 algorithm using bit allocation buffer control algorithm

Buffer control is an important problem in very low bitrate video coding. In a recent work [ 111, the authors had proposed a new buffer control algorithm for motion-compensated hybrid DPCMiDCT coding. The algorithm is based on the use of bit allocation algorithm to determine the quantization scale factors in such coder to meet a given target bit rate. Simulation results showed that, using the proposed algorithm, the H.261 coder can achieve a higher PSNR and better visual quality than the coder using traditional buffer control algorithm. In this paper, we apply this buffer control algorithm to a modified version of the H.263 algorithm for very low bit-rate video coding. Comparing the performance of the modified H.263 codec with the TMN5 model also shows that better visual quality can be obtained at comparable PSNR values.published_or_final_versio

不受歡迎的生物多樣性：香港的外來植物物種

The flora of Hong Kong has been well-surveyed since the mid nineteenth century and has had a long history of alien plant invasions. To the present day, more than 2130 wild plant species have been recorded, including 238 species that are probably naturalized alien species. Among them, Mikania micrantha, Ipomoea cairica, Eupatorium catarium, and Panicum maximum are most abundant. Naturalized alien plants are most prominent in human-disturbed habitats, such as abandoned farmland, wasteland and roadsides, and are rarely important in relatively undisturbed forest habitats, or in fire-maintained impoverished shrubland and grassland. Impacts of naturalized alien plants on local ecosystems are so far limited to lowland habitats, including wetlands and forest margins, where they form monospecific thickets, out-compete native plant species, and reduce local habitat and animal diversity. The biggest impact on the local flora by an alien species, however, was caused by the Pinewood Nematode introduced in the 1970s. Introduction of alien vertebrates may also have an impact on Hong Kong' s vegetation. As the biggest port on the southern coast of China, Hong Kong has probably been an important entry point for alien species to China. Among Hong Kong' s naturalized alien plants, some have only recently been noticed, and have few or no records from the mainland. The potential for these species to invade the mainland should not be neglected. Appropriate measures to control spread of these plants, both locally and regionally, are essential.published_or_final_versio

A robust M-estimate adaptive equaliser for impulse noise suppression

In this paper, a FIR adaptive equaliser for impulse noise suppression is proposed. It is based on the minimization of an M-estimate objective function which has the ability to ignore or down-weight a large error signal when it exceeds certain thresholds. An advantage of the proposed method is that its solution is governed by a system of linear equations, called the M-estimate normal equation. Therefore, traditional fast algorithms like the recursive least squares algorithm can be applied. Using a robust estimation of the thresholds and the recursive least square algorithm, an M-estimate RLS (M-RLS) algorithm is developed. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm has better convergence performance than the N-RLS and MN-LMS algorithms when the input signal of the equaliser is corrupted by individually or consecutive impulse noises. It also shares the low steady state error of the traditional RLS algorithm.published_or_final_versio

A new fast motion estimation algorithm using hexagonal subsampling pattern and multiple candidates search

In this paper we present a fast algorithm to reduce the computational complexity of block motion estimation. The reduction is obtained from the use of a new hexagonal subsampling pattern and the domain decimation method introduced by Cheng and Chan (see Proc. IEEE ICASSP, vol.4, p.2313, 1996). The multiple candidates search method is also introduced to improve the robustness of the algorithm. Computer simulation shows that the performance is very close to that of the full search.published_or_final_versio

Data compression and transmission aspects of panoramic videos

Panoramic videos are effective means for representing static or dynamic scenes along predefined paths. They allow users to change their viewpoints interactively at points in time or space defined by the paths. High-resolution panoramic videos, while desirable, consume a significant amount of storage and bandwidth for transmission. They also make real-time decoding computationally very intensive. This paper proposes efficient data compression and transmission techniques for panoramic videos. A high-performance MPEG-2-like compression algorithm, which takes into account the random access requirements and the redundancies of panoramic videos, is proposed. The transmission aspects of panoramic videos over cable networks, local area networks (LANs), and the Internet are also discussed. In particular, an efficient advanced delivery sharing scheme (ADSS) for reducing repeated transmission and retrieval of frequently requested video segments is introduced. This protocol was verified by constructing an experimental VOD system consisting of a video server and eight Pentium 4 computers. Using the synthetic panoramic video Village at a rate of 197 kb/s and 7 f/s, nearly two-thirds of the memory access and transmission bandwidth of the video server were saved under normal network traffic.published_or_final_versio