Follow-up observation of three operative treatments for primary infantile glaucoma

AIM: To compare the efficacy and complication of extra-trabeculotomy in combination with trabeculectomy and trabeculectomy and compound trabeculectomy in the treatment of primary infantile glaucoma. <p>METHODS: Patients with primary infantile glaucoma undergone one of the three procedures from Jan 2006 to Jan 2014 were selected. Among them, group A(20 patients, 31 eyes)underwent extra-trabeculotomy in combination with trabeculectomy, group B(20 patients, 32 eyes)underwent trabeculectomy, while group C(20 patients, 30 eyes)underwent compound trabeculectomy <p>RESULTS: The success rates in group A were 96.8% at the time of discharge and 90.3% during follow-up(mean 24mo); the rates in group B were 96.9% and 81.2%(mean 24mo)the rates in group C were 83.3% and 76.7%(mean 24mo)respectively, the differences being significant(<i>P </i><0.05). In group A and group B, there was no severe complications, while in group C, one case had vitreous prolapse.<p>CONCLUSION: Extra-trabeculotomy in combination with trabeculectomy is more efficacious and safer than trabeculectomy and compound trabeculectomy in the treatment of primary infantile glaucoma. It should be the first choice for primary infantile glaucoma

Optimising QoE distribution for video applications through LTE-WiFi interworking

Mobile WiFi devices are becoming increasingly popular in non-seamless and user-controlled mobile traffic offloading alongside the standard WiFi hotspots. Unlike the operator-controlled hotspots, a mobile WiFi device relies on the capacity of the macro-cell for the data rate allocated to it. This type of devices can help offloading data traffic from the macro-cell base station and serve the end users within a closer range, but will change the pattern of resource distributions operated by the base station. We propose a resource allocation scheme that aims to optimize user quality of experience (QoE) when accessing video services in the environment where traffic offloading is taking place through interworking between a mobile communication system and low range wireless LANs. In this scheme, a rate redistribution algorithm is derived to perform scheduling which is controlled by a no-reference quality assessment metric in order to achieve the desired trade-offs between efficiency and fairness. We show the performance of this algorithm in terms of the distribution of the allocated data rates throughout the macro-cell investigated and the service coverage offered by the WiFi access point

Ensuring QoE in contemporary mobile networks for video content distribution

A framework that aims to best utilize the mobile network resources for video applications is presented in this paper. The main contribution of the work proposed is the QoE-driven optimization method that can maintain a desired trade-off between fairness and efficiency in allocating resources in terms of data rates to video streaming users in LTE networks. This method is concerned with the control of the user satisfaction level from the service continuity's point of view and applies appropriate QoE metrics (Pause Intensity and variations) to determine the scheduling strategies in combination with the mechanisms used for adaptive video streaming such as 3GP/MPEG-DASH. The superiority of the proposed algorithms are demonstrated, showing how the resources of a mobile network can be optimally utilized by using quantifiable QoE measurements. This approach can also find the best match between demand and supply in the process of network resource distribution

Coupled ocean-atmosphere dynamics of the 2017 extreme coastal El Niño.

In March 2017, sea surface temperatures off Peru rose above 28 °C, causing torrential rains that affected the lives of millions of people. This coastal warming is highly unusual in that it took place with a weak La Niña state. Observations and ocean model experiments show that the downwelling Kelvin waves caused by strong westerly wind events over the equatorial Pacific, together with anomalous northerly coastal winds, are important. Atmospheric model experiments further show the anomalous coastal winds are forced by the coastal warming. Taken together, these results indicate a positive feedback off Peru between the coastal warming, atmospheric deep convection, and the coastal winds. These coupled processes provide predictability. Indeed, initialized on as early as 1 February 2017, seasonal prediction models captured the extreme rainfall event. Climate model projections indicate that the frequency of extreme coastal El Niño will increase under global warming

An objective approach to measuring video playback quality in lossy networks using TCP

In this work, we investigate a new objective measurement for assessing the video playback quality for services delivered in networks that use TCP as a transport layer protocol. We define the new metric as pause intensity to characterize the quality of playback in terms of its continuity since, in the case of TCP, data packets are protected from losses but not from delays. Using packet traces generated from real TCP connections in a lossy environment, we are able to simulate the playback of a video and monitor buffer behaviors in order to calculate pause intensity values. We also run subjective tests to verify the effectiveness of the metric introduced and show that the results of pause intensity and the subjective scores made over the same real video clips are closely correlated

A testbed of erasure coding on video streaming system over lossy networks

As one of the most challenging aspects of streaming video over lossy networks, the technology for controlling packet losses has attracted more and more attention. Erasure coding is one of the ideal choices to deal with this problem. In most cases, the researchers need an effective method or tool to validate the erasure codes used for dealing with different packet loss patterns. Although some previous work has been done on employing erasure codes in video streaming system, few actual buildups and experiments which involve implementation of erasure codes against real packet loss in streaming systems have been reported. In this paper, we focus on constructing a testbed that integrates loss pattern generation and erasure coding implementation into video streaming services over lossy networks. With this approach, we are able to assess the capability of erasure coding in packet loss control and compare the performances of the video streaming systems with and without erasure coding. As an example, we have implemented the Reed-Solomon (7, 5) code for protecting MPEG streaming data under random packet losses. Experiment results show that the replay quality can be improved significantly by using erasure coding in video streaming systems, and that the testbed can suggest appropriate erasure code parameters for different loss environments