Video processing for panoramic streaming using HEVC and its scalable extensions

Panoramic streaming is a particular way of video streaming where an arbitrary Region-of-Interest (RoI) is transmitted from a high-spatial resolution video, i.e. a video covering a very “wide-angle” (much larger than the human field-of-view – e.g. 360°). Some transport schemes for panoramic video delivery have been proposed and demonstrated within the past decade, which allow users to navigate interactively within the high-resolution videos. With the recent advances of head mounted displays, consumers may soon have immersive and sufficiently convenient end devices at reach, which could lead to an increasing demand for panoramic video experiences. The solution proposed within this paper is built upon tile-based panoramic streaming, where users receive a set of tiles that match their RoI, and consists in a low-complexity compressed domain video processing technique for using H.265/HEVC and its scalable extensions (H.265/SHVC and H.265/MV-HEVC). The proposed technique generates a single video bitstream out of the selected tiles so that a single hardware decoder can be used. It overcomes the scalability issue of previous solutions not using tiles and the battery consumption issue inherent of tile-based panorama streaming, where multiple parallel software decoders are used. In addition, the described technique is capable of reducing peak streaming bitrate during changes of the RoI, which is crucial for allowing a truly immersive and low latency video experience. Besides, it makes it possible to use Open GOP structures without incurring any playback interruption at switching events, which provides a better compression efficiency compared to closed GOP structures

A BDD proposal for Probabilistic Switching Activity Estimation

Switching activity computation is a essential stage for dynamic power estimation. Binary decision diagrams (BDD) are widely used in probabilistic activity estimation. However, the BDD size used for switching activity increases significantly in respect to the logic function BDDs. In this paper we propose a new BDD structure for activity computations in which important size reductions are achieved with no accuracy loss. The proposal includes the definition of a BDD activity operator. This operator has been implemented in a BDD package and then, in an automated tool. This implementation has permitted the analysis of several circuits and has corroborated the size reductions and the accuracy of the result

Sustainable earthworks: Optimization with the ICOM method

Tmrees, EURACA, 13 to 16 April 2020, Athens, Greece[EN] In the construction of highways and roads, one of the main activities is earthworks. This activity has an economic and environmental impact that cannot be overlooked. The classic method, based on the use of mass diagram models and optimization, does not take into account the type and quality of the material found on site, making it difficult to optimize the actual flow of each material. The ICOM method (Intelligent Method of Optimized Mass Compensation) allows the optimization of classic works such as excavations and fillings resulting in the optimization of operating costs. This versatile method contemplates different options for each project and allows choosing the most appropriate one taking into account, among other factors, the distance travelled by each type of material, which translates into the amount of CO2 emitted and waste generated. This is why the use of the iCom method will enable us to make the work sustainable, while reducing environmental pollution and the amount of waste. This article compares the results obtained by applying the ICOM method with those that can be obtained with the classic method for twenty-four work projects in Spain and Portugal. The results analysed show that the ICOM method achieves a significant reduction in financial costs between 5% and 14.1% and a shortening of the time needed to carry out the work. The method also obtains a reduction in CO2 emissions (between 5.1% and 14%), while generating a smaller volume of waste materials, which implies a reduction in environmental impact. Furthermore, this method provides the reports, plans and diagrams necessary for the complete definition of the earthworks to be carried outS

Ageing and Quenching through the ageing diagram II: physical characterization of galaxies

The connection between quenching mechanisms, which rapidly turn star-forming systems into quiescent, and the properties of the galaxy population remains difficult to discern. In this work we investigate the physical properties of MaNGA and SAMI galaxies at different stages of their star formation history. Specifically, we compare galaxies with signatures of recent quenching (Quenched) -- $\rm H(\alpha)$ in absorption and low $D_n(4000)$ -- with the rest of the low star-forming and active population (Retired and Ageing, respectively). The analysis is performed in terms of characteristics such as the total stellar mass, half-light radius, velocity-to-dispersion ratio, metallicity, and environment. We find that the Ageing population comprises a heterogeneous mixture of galaxies, preferentially late-type systems, with diverse physical properties. Retired galaxies, formerly Ageing or Quenched systems, are dominated by early-type high-mass galaxies found both at low and dense environments. Most importantly, we find that recently quenched galaxies are consistent with a population of compact low-mass satellite systems, with higher metallicities than their Ageing analogues. We argue that this is compatible with being quenched after undergoing a star-burst phase induced by environmental processes (e.g. ram pressure). However, we also detect a non-negligible fraction of field central galaxies likely quenched by internal processes. This study highlights that, in order to constrain the mechanisms driving galaxy evolution, it is crucial to distinguish between old (Retired) and recently quenched galaxies, thus requiring at least two estimates of the specific star formation rate over different timescales.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA

Improved caching for HTTP-based video on demand using scalable video coding

HTTP-based delivery for Video on Demand (VoD) has been gaining popularity within recent years. Progressive Download over HTTP, typically used in VoD, takes advantage of the widely deployed network caches to release video servers from sending the same content to a high number of users in the same VoD service. However, due to the inherent heterogeneity of user demands, which may result in requesting the same video content in different resolutions or qualities, the caching efficiency is expected to decrease due to a higher variety in requested media files. The use of Scalable Video Coding allows different representations of the same content to be combined in a single file, whose parts, aka layers, are requested sequentially by a user up to the maximum desired quality. In this paper we show the benefits of using Scalable Video Coding to maintain the same set of possible video content representations, while at the same time maximizing the caching efficiency

A scalable data streaming infrastructure for smart cities

Proceedings of JARCA 2016: XVIII JARCA Workshop on Qualitative Systems and Applications in Diagnosis, Robotics and Ambient Intelligence: El Toyo, Almería (Spain), 23-29 June, 2016Many of the services a smart city can provide to its citizens rely on the ability of its infrastructure to collect and process in real time vast amounts of continuous data that sensors deployed through the city produce. In this paper we present the server in- frastructure we have designed in the context of the HERMES project to collect the data from sensors and aggregate it in streams for their use in services of the smart city.Research reported in this paper was supported by the Spanish Economy Ministry through the “HERMES–Smart Driver” project (TIN2013-46801-C4-2-R) and the “HERMES–Smart Citizen” project (TIN2013-46801-C4-1-R

The delay time distribution of supernovae from integral-field spectroscopy of nearby galaxies

Constraining the delay-time distribution (DTD) of different supernova (SN) types can shed light on the timescales of galaxy chemical enrichment and feedback processes affecting galaxy dynamics, and SN progenitor properties. Here, we present an approach to recover SN DTDs based on integral field spectroscopy (IFS) of their host galaxies. Using a statistical analysis of a sample of 116 supernovae in 102 galaxies, we evaluate different DTD models for SN types Ia (73), II (28) and Ib/c (15). We find the best SN Ia DTD fit to be a power law with an exponent $\alpha = -1.1\pm 0.3$ (50\% confidence interval), and a time delay (between star formation and the first SNe) $\Delta = 50^{+100}_{-35}~Myr$ (50\% C.I.). For core collapse (CC) SNe, both of the Zapartas et al. (2017) DTD models for single and binary stellar evolution are consistent with our results. For SNe II and Ib/c, we find a correlation with a Gaussian DTD model with $\sigma = 82^{+129}_{-23}~Myr$ and $\sigma = 56^{+141}_{-9}~Myr$ (50\% C.I.) respectively. This analysis demonstrates that integral field spectroscopy opens a new way of studying SN DTD models in the local universe

Pentraxin 3 (PTX3): A Molecular Marker of Endothelial Dysfunction in Chronic Migraine

Even though endothelial dysfunction is known to play a role in migraine pathophysiology, studies regarding levels of endothelial biomarkers in migraine have controversial results. Our aim was to evaluate the role of pentraxin 3 (PTX3) and soluble tumour necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (sTWEAK) as potential biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction in chronic migraine (CM). We performed a case-control study including 102 CM patients and 28 control subjects and measured serum levels of markers of endothelial dysfunction (PTX3 and sTWEAK) and inflammation [high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP)] as well as brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) during interictal periods. Interictal serum levels of PTX3 and sTWEAK were higher in CM patients than in controls (1350.6 ± 54.8 versus 476.1 ± 49.4 pg/mL, p < 0.001 and 255.7 ± 21.1 versus 26.4 ± 2.6 pg/mL, p < 0.0001; respectively). FMD was diminished in CM patients compared to controls (9.6 ± 0.6 versus 15.2 ± 0.9%, p < 0.001). Both PTX3 and sTWEAK were negatively correlated with FMD (r = −0.508, p < 0.001 and r = −0.188, p = 0.033; respectively). After adjustment of confounders, PTX3 remained significantly correlated to FMD (r = −0.250, p = 0.013). Diagnosis of CM was 68.4 times more likely in an individual with levels of PTX3 ≥ 832.5 pg/mL, suggesting that PTX3 could be a novel biomarker of endothelial dysfunction in CMThis research was funded by Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness—Institute of Health Carlos III, Grant/Award Numbers: PI15/01578S

Benchmarking a wide spectrum of metaheuristic techniques for the radio network design problem

The radio network design (RND) is an NP-hard optimization problem which consists of the maximization of the coverage of a given area while minimizing the base station deployment. Solving RND problems efficiently is relevant to many fields of application and has a direct impact in the engineering, telecommunication, scientific, and industrial areas. Numerous works can be found in the literature dealing with the RND problem, although they all suffer from the same shortfall: a noncomparable efficiency. Therefore, the aim of this paper is twofold: first, to offer a reliable RND comparison base reference in order to cover a wide algorithmic spectrum, and, second, to offer a comprehensible insight into accurate comparisons of efficiency, reliability, and swiftness of the different techniques applied to solve the RND problem. In order to achieve the first aim we propose a canonical RND problem formulation driven by two main directives: technology independence and a normalized comparison criterion. Following this, we have included an exhaustive behavior comparison between 14 different techniques. Finally, this paper indicates algorithmic trends and different patterns that can be observed through this analysis.Publicad

Effects of the COVID-19 Health Crisis on Sports Practice, Life Quality, and Emotional Status in Spanish High-Performance Athletes

Ajuts: This work belongs to the "Efectos de la nueva normalidad por crisis sanitaria COVID-19 en la práctica deportiva, la calidad de vida y el estado emocional de los deportistas de élite en España, EASED (CoV-19)" project, supported by San Antonio Catholic University (UCAM) (Plan Propio, PMAFICOVID19/19), Murcia, Spain.Spain is one of the many countries highly affected by the COVID-19 crisis, establishing very restrictive measures with a complete lockdown for more than 3 months. This situation forced the complete closure of sport practice and national or international competitions, leading to a negative impact on physical and psychological health of high-performance athletes. Therefore, the objectives of this study were (a) to determine the effects of the COVID-19 health crisis on Spanish high-performance athletes in terms of sports practice, life quality, and emotional state and (b) to identify the profile with the greatest difficulties during and after the lockdown. A sample of 130 high-performance athletes aged between 18 and 34 years (67 women and 63 men) participated in this study (83.1% achieved a medal in National-International elite competitions; 86.9% were considered student-athletes). Measures included socio-demographic data through a 5-dimension ad hoc survey: physical activity and exercise using an adapted version from the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) ; health status and limitations using an adapted version of SF-12 Health Questionnaire ; Perceived stress (Short-PSS) ; and Mood States (29-item POMS). All participants have shown a significant decrease pre-post-lockdown in both health and performance perception, especially in women, individual athletes, medalists, and student-athletes. Strong limitations of training, attention, and motivation as well as a moderate negative emotional state during lockdown were reported, in women, individual athletes, medalists, and student-athletes. Even with an improved emotional state and energy level in the post-lockdown period, moderate-to-high stress scores were reported by women and medalists. Our findings highlight the importance of paying attention to the physical and psychological health of elite athletes on three profiles: team athletes (due to social distance), student-athletes (dual-career issues), and women athletes (prevalence of implicit gender inequalities in sport)