A High permormance hardware architecture for an sad reuse based hierarchical motion estimation algorithm for H.264 video coding

In this paper, we present a high performance and low cost hardware architecture for real-time implementation of an SAD reuse based hierarchical motion estimation algorithm for H.264 / MPEG4 Part 10 video coding. This hardware is designed to be used as part of a complete H.264 video coding system for portable applications. The proposed architecture is implemented in Verilog HDL. The Verilog RTL code is verified to work at 68 MHz in a Xilinx Virtex II FPGA. The FPGA implementation can process 27 VGA frames (640x480) or 82 CIF frames (352x288) per second

Morphology of the atrioventricular valves and related intraventricular structures in the wild pig (Sus scrofa)

Morphology of the atrioventricular valves and the intraventricular related structures of 7 hearts of the wild pigs (Sus scrota) were observed by applying macroscopic and microscopic techniques and the findings were compared broadly to the literature. In all hearts examined, the tricuspid and mitral valves were normal and composed of 3 and 2 cusps, respectively. The papillary muscles observed in mammalian heart in general were found in both the ventricles; additionally, there were small unnamed papillary muscles in the left ventricle of the three samples. The sept marginal trabecula and false chords were present in the right ventricles, microscopically possessing myocardial fibres, connective tissue and Purkinje cells; while the false chords were located in all the left ventricles, but the sept marginal trabecula was found in the 3 samples only. Both the connective tissue and Purkinje cells were present in these two structures, but the myocardial fibres were not. Presence of the myocardial fibres in the right ventricle may have an effect on the ventricle geometry

NUTRITIVE VALUES OF SOME ANNUAL CLOVERS (Trifolium sp.) AT DIFFERENT GROWTH STAGES

This study was conducted between the years of 2001-2002 in the experimental area and laboratory of Field Crops Department of Agriculture Faculty in Trakya University, Tekirdağ (Turkey). Five different clovers [Persian (Trifolium resupinatum L. var. majus Boiss.), Mediterranean (T. spumosum L.), narrow-leaved (T. angustifolium L.), hedgehog (T. echinatum M. Bieb.) and lappa (T. lappaceum L.) clovers] were used. Each plot consisted of 8 rows with a length of 5 m. Row spacing of 30 cm and sowing rate of 10 kg ha-1 were used. Sowing times were on 2.25.2001 and on 2.28.2002. Plots were not irrigated and fertilized after sown and harvest. One cut was taken in both years at 4 growing stages such as pre-bud, pre-bloom, 50% bloom and full-bloom. The central 1 m-2 sections was cut at ground level for dry matter. Approximately 500g samples were dried at 55 °C for 24 hours and stored for one day at room temperature then found dry matter. Crude protein (%) was determined by Kjeldahl method

The Dark Side of Visionary Leadership in Strategy Implementation:Strategic Alignment, Strategic Consensus, and Commitment

Drawing from visionary leadership and strategy process research, we theorize and test the mechanism through which middle and lower-level managers’ visionary leadership affects their teams’ strategic commitment. The management literature extols the virtues of visionary leadership. In contrast to this positive stance, we reveal a dark side to visionary leadership. Our theoretical framework suggests that team manager visionary leadership harms team strategic consensus when the manager is not strategically aligned with the CEO, which in turn diminishes team commitment to the strategy. In contrast, when a team manager is strategically aligned with the CEO, team manager visionary leadership is positively related to team strategic consensus and subsequently to team strategic commitment. Data from 136 teams from two organizations support our moderated mediation model. A supplemental analysis of the content of strategic consensus and additional qualitative interviews with managers and employees in one of these organizations provide additional insights concerning the meaning of the theorized relations in practice

Imaging of subsurface lineaments in the southwestern part of the Thrace Basin from gravity data

Linear anomalies, as an indicator of the structural features of some geological bodies, are very important for the interpretation of gravity and magnetic data. In this study, an image processing technique known as the Hough transform (HT) algorithm is described for determining invisible boundaries and extensions in gravity anomaly maps. The Hough function implements the Hough transform used to extract straight lines or circles within two-dimensional potential field images. It is defined as image and Hough space. In the Hough domain, this function transforms each nonzero point in the parameter domain to a sinusoid. In the image space, each point in the Hough space is transformed to a straight line or circle. Lineaments are depicted from these straight lines which are transformed in the image domain. An application of the Hough transform to the Bouguer anomaly map of the southwestern part of the Thrace Basin, NW Turkey, shows the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Based on geological data and gravity data, the structural features in the southwestern part of the Thrace Basin are investigated by applying the proposed approach and the Blakely and Simpson method. Lineaments identified by these approaches are generally in good accordance with previously-mapped surface faults

Dental metric standards for sex estimation in archaeological populations from Iran

Sex estimation of skeletal remains is one of the major components of forensic identification of unknown individuals. Teeth are a potential source of information on sex and are often recovered in archaeological or forensic contexts due to their post-mortem longevity. Currently there is limited data on dental sexual dimorphism of archaeological populations from Iran. This dissertation represents the first study to provide a dental sex estimation method for Iron Age populations. The current study was conducted on the skeletal remains of 143 adults from two Iron Age populations in close temporal and geographic proximity in the Solduz Valley (West Azerbaijan Province of Iran). 2D and 3D cervical mesiodistal and buccolingual and root volume measurements of maxillary and mandibular teeth were used to investigate the degree of sexual dimorphism in permanent dentition and to assess their applicability in sex estimation. In total 1327, 457, and 480 anterior and posterior teeth were used to collect 2D cervical, 3D cervical, and root volume measurements respectively. 2D cervical measurements were taken using Hillson-Fitzgerald dental calliper and 3D measurements were collected using CT images provided by Open Research Scan Archive (ORSA) - Penn Museum. 3D models of the teeth were created using manual segmentation in the Amira 6.01 software package. Since tooth density largely differs from crown to apex, root segmentation required two threshold levels: the segmentation of the root from the jaw and the segmentation of the crown from the root. Thresholds used for root segmentation were calculated using the half maximum height protocol of Spoor et al. (1993) for each skull, and thresholds used for crown segmentation were set visually for each tooth separately. Data was analysed using discriminant function analysis and posterior probabilities were calculated for all produced formulae where sex was previously assessed from morphological features of pelvis and skull. Bootstrapping was used to account for small sample sizes in the analysis. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS 23. The percentage of sexual dimorphism was also used to quantify the amount of sexual dimorphism in the sample. The results showed that incisors and canines were the most sexually dimorphic teeth, providing percentages of correct sex classification between 80% and 100% depending on the measurement used. Root volume measurement was shown to be the most sexually dimorphic variable providing an accuracy of over 90% in all functions. The present study provided the first dental metric standards for sex estimation using odontometric data in Iranian archaeological populations. Dental measurements, particularly root volume measurements, were found to be of value for sex assessment and the method presented here could be a useful tool for establishing accurate demographic data from skeletal remains of the Iron Age from Iran