Implementation and analysis of several keyframe-based browsing interfaces to digital video

In this paper we present a variety of browsing interfaces for digital video information. The six interfaces are implemented on top of Físchlár, an operational recording, indexing, browsing and playback system for broadcast TV programmes. In developing the six browsing interfaces, we have been informed by the various dimensions which can be used to distinguish one interface from another. For this we include layeredness (the number of “layers” of abstraction which can be used in browsing a programme), the provision or omission of temporal information (varying from full timestamp information to nothing at all on time) and visualisation of spatial vs. temporal aspects of the video. After introducing and defining these dimensions we then locate some common browsing interfaces from the literature in this 3-dimensional “space” and then we locate our own six interfaces in this same space. We then present an outline of the interfaces and include some user feedback

Evaluating and combining digital video shot boundary detection algorithms

The development of standards for video encoding coupled with the increased power of computing mean that content-based manipulation of digital video information is now feasible. Shots are a basic structural building block of digital video and the boundaries between shots need to be determined automatically to allow for content-based manipulation. A shot can be thought of as continuous images from one camera at a time. In this paper we examine a variety of automatic techniques for shot boundary detection that we have implemented and evaluated on a baseline of 720,000 frames (8 hours) of broadcast television. This extends our previous work on evaluating a single technique based on comparing colour histograms. A description of each of our three methods currently working is given along with how they are evaluated. It is found that although the different methods have about the same order of magnitude in terms of effectiveness, different shot boundaries are detected by the different methods. We then look at combining the three shot boundary detection methods to produce one output result and the benefits in accuracy and performance that this brought to our system. Each of the methods were changed from using a static threshold value for three unconnected methods to one using three dynamic threshold values for one connected method. In a final summing up we look at the future directions for this work

Scoping Job Enlargement with the Cultural Dimension of Individualism: An Industrial

Job satisfaction and sustainable job performance require managers to find the right balance between job enlargement and the division of labor in designing the optimum scope of work toward a continuum of employee engagement. This dissertation explores the cultural dimension of “Individualism” and its’ implication in this balance. If a manufacturing line is transferred from the United States (91 mean individualism score) to China (20 mean individualism score) does the scope of the work need to change to ensure that a greater population of workers is engaged and that they have work passion toward sustained performance (Hofstede, n.d.)? Does the statement of work need to increase in detail and prescriptiveness or conversely in autonomy and diversity of tasks to match the mean cultural dimension of individualism corresponding with the target culture of the workforce? This study builds on the theory of job enlargement, and considers a cultural implication of individualism in international business

English as a lingua franca communication between domestic helpers and employers in Hong Kong:a study of pragmatic strategies

This paper discusses an exploratory, small-scale study that investigated the use of English as a lingua franca in domestic workplaces in Hong Kong between Filipino employees and Hong Kongese employers. Through data collected from 26 surveys of and interviews with 18 employers and employees, the study explored the characteristics of the pragmatic features of communication, and identified the challenges experienced by participants and the pragmatic strategies that they used to communicate. In general, it was found that what can be defined as active strategies, such as clarification, repetition and direct questioning, were more successful in achieving effective communication from a transactional perspective, while passive strategies, such as ignoring unknown language produced by an interlocutor in the expectation that it would either become clear or redundant, were more likely to lead to ambiguity and misunderstanding. The study also found that pragmatic competence was viewed as being more important than language ‘proficiency’ as it has traditionally been conceived. The article concludes that there may be a need for critical reflection on the ESP courses that are currently provided in the Hong Kong context

Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency: Recent Developments in Gene Therapy Research

Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency is a hereditary disorder associated with mutations in the SERPINA1 gene (Kelly et al., 2008; Greene et al., 2008). Over 100 different alleles have been identified however the most common disease-causing mutation, termed Z, encodes a glutamic acid to lysine substitution at position 342 of the mature AAT protein. As a member of the serine proteinase inhibitor family, the role of AAT is to inhibit serine proteases throughout the body but principally in the lung. The ZAAT protein fails to adopt the correct protein conformation and polymerises and accumulates intracellularly in AAT-producing cells. The liver is the major source of the body’s pool of AAT. The major consequences of ZAAT accumulation in hepatocytes are toxic gain of function events leading to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) expansion and dilation and activation of multiple ER stress signalling pathways (Lomas et al., 1992; Teckman & Perlmutter, 2000; Lawless et al., 2004; Hidvegi et al., 2005; Hidvegi et al., 2007; Miller et al., 2007). These predispose to liver failure. The second major clinical consequence of ZAAT deficiency is a lower than normal antiprotease protective screen throughout the body, but most importantly in the lung (Lomas et al., 1993). ZAAT deficient individuals can develop emphysematous lung disease as early as in their 4th decade. Gene therapies to treat both aspects of the disease are currently at various stages of development. For the liver disease approaches that can be considered include ribozymes, antisense, peptide nucleic acids and small-interfering RNAs; all designed to inhibit expression of the mutant gene (recently reviewed in McLean et al., 2009). For the lung disease gene therapies using non-viral, lentiviral and adeno-associated viral approaches to express the normal gene either locally or intramuscularly have been reported (Chulay et al., 2011; Brantly et al., 2006; Flotte et al., 2007; Argyros et al., 2008; Brantly et al., 2009; Liqun Wang et al., 2009); all aim to increase AAT levels in the circulation above the deficiency threshold of 11 μM. New approaches are focused on coupling haematopoietic stem cell therapy with AAT-lentiviral gene therapy (Ghaedi et al., 2010; Argyros et al., 2008). This chapter will review the history and current state-of-the-art in these areas.</p

Manager's Role in Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) Control

This presentation captures the essence of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) engineering from a project manager's perspective. It explains the basics of EMC and the benefits to the project of early incorporation of EMC best practices. The EMC requirement products during a project life cycle are identified, along with the requirement verification methods that should be utilized. The goal of the presentation is to raise awareness and simplify the mystique surrounding electromagnetic compatibility for managers that have little or no electromagnetics backgroun

Bile acids at the cross-roads of gut microbiome–host cardiometabolic interactions

This work is supported in part by the APC Microbiome Institute (under Science Foundation Ireland [SFI] Grant Number: SFI/12/RC/2273) and by Enterprise Ireland Commercialization Fund (Contract Reference: CF/2013/3030A/B).peer-reviewedWhile basic and clinical research over the last several decades has recognized a number of modifiable risk factors associated with cardiometabolic disease progression, additional and alternative biological perspectives may offer novel targets for prevention and treatment of this disease set. There is mounting preclinical and emerging clinical evidence indicating that the mass of metabolically diverse microorganisms which inhabit the human gastrointestinal tract may be implicated in initiation and modulation of cardiovascular and metabolic disease outcomes. The following review will discuss this gut microbiome–host metabolism axis and address newly proposed bile-mediated signaling pathways through which dysregulation of this homeostatic axis may influence host cardiovascular risk. With a central focus on the major nuclear and membrane-bound bile acid receptor ligands, we aim to review the putative impact of microbial bile acid modification on several major phenotypes of metabolic syndrome, from obesity to heart failure. Finally, attempting to synthesize several separate but complementary hypotheses, we will review current directions in preclinical and clinical investigation in this evolving field.Enterprise IrelandScience Foundation Irelan

Gene targeted therapeutics for liver disease in alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency

Alpha-1 antitrypsin (A1AT) is a 52 kDa serine protease inhibitor that is synthesized in and secreted from the liver. Although it is present in all tissues in the body the present consensus is that its main role is to inhibit neutrophil elastase in the lung. A1AT deficiency occurs due to mutations of the A1AT gene that reduce serum A1AT levels to <35% of normal. The most clinically significant form of A1AT deficiency is caused by the Z mutation (Glu342Lys). ZA1AT polymerizes in the endoplasmic reticulum of liver cells and the resulting accumulation of the mutant protein can lead to liver disease, while the reduction in circulating A1AT can result in lung disease including early onset emphysema. There is currently no available treatment for the liver disease other than transplantation and therapies for the lung manifestations of the disease remain limited. Gene therapy is an evolving field which may be of use as a treatment for A1AT deficiency. As the liver disease associated with A1AT deficiency may represent a gain of function possible gene therapies for this condition include the use of ribozymes, peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) and RNA interference (RNAi), which by decreasing the amount of aberrant protein in cells may impact on the pathogenesis of the condition

Candida species in cystic fibrosis: A road less travelled.

Candida species are isolated with high frequency from cystic fibrosis patients, yet their definitive role in the disease remains unclear. Previously considered to have minimal inherent virulence owing to their commensal ability, the last decade has heralded an increasing recognition of Candida infection among patients with cystic fibrosis. What has been more recently hypothesized is that the organism possesses virulence factors that play diverse roles at different body sites during varied stages of an infection. Currently, limited data is accessible in the area of cystic fibrosis. This review aims to provide an overview of the role of Candida species in cystic fibrosis as it is currently understood including the common local and systemic infections observed in clinical practice. The uncertain role of airway colonization and insight into emerging fields such as Candida-bacterial interactions are also addressed. Finally, we outline the current understanding of the innate, cellular and humoral immune responses associated with this genus which has been the major focus of work performed to date