A perceptual based rate control scheme for MPEG-2

In this paper, a new perceptual based rate control algorithm for MPEG-2 is presented. The algorithm first determines the target bit count for each frame using simple statistical models. Precise bit allocation is used to adjust the macroblock quantization scale factors to meet the given bit count, with the uniform visual fidelity as the primary objective. Since the buffer is very stable, it is less sensitive to transmission delay, Experimental results showed that it gave better visual quality and less buffer variations as compared to the TM5 rate control scheme.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

Post-processing of transform coded images using selective filtering and fuzzy-based enhancement

Transform coding often leads to artifacts called blocking when the image or video is compressed to low bit-rate. In this paper, a new post-processing scheme using selective low-pass filtering and fuzzy-based enhancement is proposed. The merit of the scheme is that it can remove most of the blocking artifacts found in image or video coding while preserving most of the fine details. Simulation results demonstrated that the proposed algorithm can significantly improve the visual quality of the decoded image.published_or_final_versio

Multiresolution motion compensation coding for video compression

Motion estimation using block matching algorithm (BMA) is frequently used to reduced the temporal redundancy found in video coding. The performance of the mean squared error (MSE) is usually better than the mean absolute difference (MAD). However, the computational complexity is higher due to the squaring operations. In this paper, we propose a multiple candidates approach to shorten the gap between the two methods with slight increase in computational complexity. Application of the proposed algorithm to subband motion-estimation is studied and simulation results demonstrate that great improvement in performance can be obtained with similar computational complexity as the MAD measure.published_or_final_versio

t(6;11)(q15;q23)

Review on t(6;11)(q15;q23), with data on clinics, and the genes involved

1q triplication in hematologic malignancies

Review on 1q triplication in hematologic malignancies, with data on clinics, and the genes involved

A stitch in time: Efficient computation of genomic DNA melting bubbles

Background: It is of biological interest to make genome-wide predictions of the locations of DNA melting bubbles using statistical mechanics models. Computationally, this poses the challenge that a generic search through all combinations of bubble starts and ends is quadratic. Results: An efficient algorithm is described, which shows that the time complexity of the task is O(NlogN) rather than quadratic. The algorithm exploits that bubble lengths may be limited, but without a prior assumption of a maximal bubble length. No approximations, such as windowing, have been introduced to reduce the time complexity. More than just finding the bubbles, the algorithm produces a stitch profile, which is a probabilistic graphical model of bubbles and helical regions. The algorithm applies a probability peak finding method based on a hierarchical analysis of the energy barriers in the Poland-Scheraga model. Conclusions: Exact and fast computation of genomic stitch profiles is thus feasible. Sequences of several megabases have been computed, only limited by computer memory. Possible applications are the genome-wide comparisons of bubbles with promotors, TSS, viral integration sites, and other melting-related regions.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figure

Grand Rounds: An Outbreak of Toxic Hepatitis among Industrial Waste Disposal Workers

CONTEXT: Industrial waste (which is composed of various toxic chemicals), changes to the disposal process, and addition of chemicals should all be monitored and controlled carefully in the industrial waste industry to reduce the health hazard to workers. CASE PRESENTATION: Five workers in an industrial waste plant developed acute toxic hepatitis, one of whom died after 3 months due to fulminant hepatitis. In the plant, we detected several chemicals with hepatotoxic potential, including pyridine, dimethylformamide, dimethylacetamide, and methylenedianiline. The workers had been working in the high-vapor-generating area of the plant, and the findings of pathologic examination showed typical features of acute toxic hepatitis. DISCUSSION: Infectious hepatitis and drug-induced hepatitis were excluded by laboratory findings, as well as the clinical course of hepatitis. All cases of toxic hepatitis in this plant developed after the change of the disposal process to thermochemical reaction–type treatment using unslaked lime reacted with industrial wastes. During this chemical reaction, vapor containing several toxic materials was generated. Although we could not confirm the definitive causative chemical, we suspect that these cases of hepatitis were caused by one of the hepatotoxic agents or by a synergistic interaction among several of them. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL OR PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE: In the industrial waste treatment process, the danger of developing toxic hepatitis should be kept in mind, because any subtle change of the treatment process can generate various toxic materials and threaten the workers’ health. A mixture of hepatotoxic chemicals can induce clinical manifestations that are quite different from those predicted by the toxic property of a single agent

Value-added Synthesis of Graphene: Recycling Industrial Carbon Waste into Electrodes for High-Performance Electronic Devices

We have developed a simple, scalable, transfer-free, ecologically sustainable, value-added method to convert inexpensive coal tar pitch to patterned graphene films directly on device substrates. The method, which does not require an additional transfer process, enables direct growth of graphene films on device substrates in large area. To demonstrate the practical applications of the graphene films, we used the patterned graphene grown on a dielectric substrate directly as electrodes of bottom-contact pentacene field-effect transistors (max. field effect mobility similar to 0.36 cm(2).V-1.s(-1)), without using any physical transfer process. This use of a chemical waste product as a solid carbon source instead of commonly used explosive hydrocarbon gas sources for graphene synthesis has the dual benefits of converting the waste to a valuable product, and reducing pollution.111714Ysciescopu