An HDTV encoder for PALplus transmissions, supplemented with a digital residual signal

This paper discusses the design of a video encoder which will enable PALplus compatible HDTV transmission, by embedding a digital residual component within the standard analogue PALplus television signal. The design strategy includes a 2-D diagonal prefilter, together with a QMF band-splitting filter pair, from which the residual is initially derived. The performance of these filters is reviewed, especially in respect of the errors introduced by aliasing and crosstalk distortion. A number of different digital modulation techniques are then examined for the transmission of the residual signal and a qualitative appraisal of their effectiveness presente

Diamine ligands in copper-catalyzed reactions

The utility of copper-mediated cross-coupling reactions has been significantly increased by the development of mild reaction conditions and the ability to employ catalytic amounts of copper. The use of diamine-based ligands has been important in these advances and in this perspective we discuss these systems, including the choice of reaction conditions and applications in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, natural products and designed materials.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant GM-58160

Dialkylbiaryl phosphines in Pd-catalyzed amination: a user's guide

Dialkylbiaryl phosphines are a valuable class of ligand for Pd-catalyzed amination reactions and have been applied in a range of contexts. This perspective attempts to aid the reader in the selection of the best choice of reaction conditions and ligand of this class for the most commonly encountered and practically important substrate combinations.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant GM-58160

Pd-Catalyzed Synthesis of Ar-SCF3 Compounds under Mild Conditions

Good to excellent yields of aryl trifluoromethyl sulfides, which are an important class of compounds in both the pharmaceutical and agrochemical areas, can be achieved under mild conditions by the Pd-catalyzed reaction of aryl bromides with a trifluoromethylthiolate nucleophile (see scheme).National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (GM-58160)American Society for Engineering Education. National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (32 CFR 168a)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (CHE-980861

A PALplus-Compatible HDTV Encoder System

The paper presents a new implementation for realising PALplus signals from high-definition television (HDTV) transmissions. A proposed encoder design is introduced, which decomposes the HDTV input into two separate channels, the first of which subsamples the input signal to produce the standard resolution TV signal, and the second derives a digitally compressed residual component. The problems of non-uniform line structure due to the decimation of an interlaced signal are addressed, as are the visible distortions caused by aliasing and cross-talk effects, with appropriate solutions presented. Finally the important issues of colour enhancement and the composition of the compatible signal are briefly discusse

A novel modulation strategy for integrating digital sub-channels within a PAL/PAL plus signal

This paper presents an original methodology which facilitates the modulation of digital signals within the active video portion of a conventional analogue PAL/PALplus television signal. The resultant crosstalk distortion errors which ensue are analysed and a model postulated that enables optimization of a number of important system parameters. It is also shown that applying this model enables a balancing of subjective quality with data-rat

Analysis, Test and Simulation of Landing System Touchdown Dynamics

Future exploration missions pose demanding requirements towards the access by vehicles to scientifically interesting sites on planetary surfaces. These stem particularly from the need of more flexibility in site selection, improved payload to vehicle mass ratios and higher mission success probabilities. The Landing Technology group of the DLR Institute of Space Systems is focusing on the development and verification of experimental and analytical methods for the investigation of the touchdown dynamics of landing system, its capabilities the embedding into the landing site assessment. Core element for the experimental investigation is the Landing & Mobility Test Facility (LAMA), which allows touchdown testing under Earth gravity and under a reduced gravitational environment using an active off-loading device. The test article for investigation of legged landing systems is a modular Lander Engineering Model (LEM) designed by the Astrium ST (Bremen), representing today's European mission scenarios to the Moon and Mars such as the ESA Lunar Lander or the ESA Mars Precision Lander. Another test object recently under retesting is the Rosetta lander Philae representing a touch down system concept developed for small body landings. Usually not all relevant environmental properties of the target landing site can be provided in one single and complete test, any verification approach has to be supported by adequate numerical analyses. Thus, another key topic for the verification of the touchdown performance of a landing system is the accurate analytical and numerical representation of the flight system, its touchdown conditions and the landing site. In this area the research focuses on the development of high fidelity engineering simulations of the vehicle-to-terrain/soil interaction. The landing site characterization and assessment focuses on the development of landing site assessment methods and tools and to provide terrain models for engineering simulations (both touchdown dynamics and/or hazard detection& avoidance simulations). In return landing system performance limits are mapped onto cartographic landing site representations to support the landing safety assessment. This poster outlines the test facility, simulation and analysis tools developed by the working group and used in recent landing missions

Quadrature-Mirror Filter Design for the sub-band coding of Digital Video Signals

The paper firstly reviews the basic two-channel subband coding system and its implementation using both quadrature mirror filter (QMF) and conjugate quadrature filter (CQF) designs. Their features and performance characteristics for the one-dimensional case are examined and then using the principle of separability, 2-D QMF-CQF implementations are constructed, as the product of two l-D transfer functions. Examples of 2-D QMF-CQFs in band-splitting configurations for video applications are explored and discusse

Unmet challenges in septoplasty-nordic studies from a uniform healthcare and geographical area

PurposeNasal septoplasty is one of the most common surgical procedures in otorhinolaryngology and optimising both patient selection and the surgery is a challenge. The Nordic countries have similar public healthcare systems and comparable populations in terms of size. MethodsThis is a review of studies of outcome and predictors related to septoplasty from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, published during the last decade. The aim of this review was to identify areas in need of further research to meet the challenges of septoplasty in the Nordic countries with reference to international data. ResultsPostoperative patient satisfaction at 6-12 months was reported in around 2/3 of the patients and well in line with international data. Patients with more severe symptoms had a higher chance of improvement. Lack of standardisation in patient selection, surgical methods and skills, and follow up procedures, still makes it difficult to explain the 25% failure rate in septoplasty surgery. ConclusionThis review of the Nordic studies from the last decade shows that septoplasty in general is effective in relieving nasal obstruction. There is a need for studies addressing the standardisation of diagnostic tools and algorithms and the systematic and continuous implementation of follow-up of the surgical results at both departmental and personal level. This includes an awareness of how surgical skills in septoplasty are obtained and maintained.Peer reviewe

Virtually Instantaneous, Room-Temperature [11C]-Cyanation Using Biaryl Phosphine Pd(0) Complexes

A new radiosynthetic protocol for the preparation of [[superscript 11]C]aryl nitriles has been developed. This process is based on the direct reaction of in situ prepared L·Pd(Ar)X complexes (L = biaryl phosphine) with [[superscript 11]C]HCN. The strategy is operationally simple, exhibits a remarkably wide substrate scope with short reaction times, and demonstrates superior reactivity compared to previously reported systems. With this procedure, a variety of [[superscript 11]C]nitrile-containing pharmaceuticals were prepared with high radiochemical efficiency.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH GM46059)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (NSF predoctoral fellowship (2010094243))Amgen Inc. (Educational donation)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH-NIDA postdoctoral fellowship (2T32DA015036)