A low complexity Wyner-Ziv coding solution for Light Field image transmission and storage

Compressing Light Field (LF) imaging data is a challenging but very important task for both LF image transmission and storage applications. In this paper, we propose a novel coding solution for LF images using the well-known Wyner-Ziv (WZ) information theorem. First, the LF image is decomposed into a fourth-dimensional LF (4D-LF) data format. Using a spiral scanning procedure, a pseudo-sequence of 4D-LF is generated. This sequence is then compressed in a distributed coding manner as specified in the WZ theorem. Secondly, a novel adaptive frame skipping algorithm is introduced to further explore the high correlation between 4D-LF pseudo-sequences. Experimental results show that the proposed LF image compression solution is able to achieve a significant performance improvement with respect to the standard, notably around 54% bitrate saving when compared with the standard High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) Intra benchmark while requiring less computational complexity

A novel consistent quality driven for JEM based distributed video coding

© 2019 by the authors. Distributed video coding (DVC) is an attractive and promising solution for low complexity constrained video applications, such as wireless sensor networks or wireless surveillance systems. In DVC, visual quality consistency is one of the most important issues to evaluate the performance of a DVC codec. However, it is the fact that the quality of the decoded frames that is achieved in most recent DVC codecs is not consistent and it is varied with high quality fluctuation. In this paper, we propose a novel DVC solution named Joint exploration model based DVC (JEM-DVC) to solve the problem, which can provide not only higher performance as compared to the traditional DVC solutions, but also an effective scheme for the quality consistency control. We first employ several advanced techniques that are provided in the Joint exploration model (JEM) of the future video coding standard (FVC) in the proposed JEM-DVC solution to effectively improve the performance of JEM-DVC codec. Subsequently, for consistent quality control, we propose two novel methods, named key frame quantization (KF-Q) andWyner-Zip frame quantization (WZF-Q), which determine the optimal values of the quantization parameter (QP) and quantization matrix (QM) applied for the key and WZ frame coding, respectively. The optimal values of QP and QM are adaptively controlled and updated for every key and WZ frames to guarantee the consistent video quality for the proposed codec unlike the conventional approaches. Our proposed JEM-DVC is the first DVC codec in literature that employs the JEM coding technique, and then all of the results that are presented in this paper are new. The experimental results show that the proposed JEM-DVC significantly outperforms the relevant DVC benchmarks, notably the DISCOVER DVC and the recent H.265/HEVC based DVC, in terms of both Peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) performance and consistent visual quality

Joint exploration model based light field image coding: A comparative study

© 2017 IEEE. The recent light field imaging technology has been attracting a lot of interests due to its potential applications in a large number of areas including Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality (VR/AR), Teleconferencing, and E-learning. Light Field (LF) data is able to provide rich visual information such as scene rendering with changes in depth of field, viewpoint, and focal length. However, Light Field data usually associates to a critical problem - the massive data. Therefore, compressing LF data is one of the main challenges in LF research. In this context, we present in this paper a comparative study for compressing LF data with not only the widely used image/video coding standards, such as JPEG-2000, H.264/AVC, HEVC and Google/VP9 but also with the most recent image/video coding solution, the Joint Exploration Model. In addition, this paper also proposes a LF image coding flow, which can be used as a benchmark for future LF compression evaluation. Finally, the compression efficiency of these coding solutions is thoroughly compared throughout a rich set of test conditions

Is elevated SUA associated with a worse outcome in young Chinese patients with acute cerebral ischemic stroke?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Elevated serum uric acid (SUA) levels can enhance its antioxidant prosperities and reduce the occurrence of cerebral infarction. Significantly elevated SUA levels have been associated with a better prognosis in patients with cerebral infarction; however, the results from some studies on the relationship between SUA and the prognosis of patients with cerebral infarction remain controversial.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We analyzed the relationship between SUA and clinical prognosis of 585 young Chinese adults with acute ischemic stroke as determined by the modified Rankin Scale at discharge. Using multivariate logistic regression modeling, we explore the relationship between SUA levels and patient's clinical prognosis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Lower SUA levels at time of admission were observed more frequently in the lowest quintile for patients with severe stroke (P = 0.02). Patients with cerebral infarction patients caused by small-vessel blockage had higher SUA concentrations (P = 0.01) and the lower mRS scores (P < 0.01) were observed in, while the lowest SUA concentrations and the highest mRS scores were seen in patients with cardiogenic cerebral infarction patients. Logistic regression analysis adjusted for confounders confirmed the following independent predictors for young cerebral infarction: uric acid (-0.003: 95%CI 0.994 to 0.999) and platelet (0.004, 95%CI 0.993 to 0.996).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Elevated SUA is an independent predictor for good clinical outcome of acute cerebral infarction among young adults.</p

Differentiation and Recruitment of Th9 Cells Stimulated by Pleural Mesothelial Cells in Human Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection

Newly discovered IL-9–producing CD4+ helper T cells (Th9 cells) have been reported to contribute to tissue inflammation and immune responses, however, differentiation and immune regulation of Th9 cells in tuberculosis remain unknown. In the present study, our data showed that increased Th9 cells with the phenotype of effector memory cells were found to be in tuberculous pleural effusion as compared with blood. TGF-β was essential for Th9 cell differentiation from naïve CD4+ T cells stimulated with PMA and ionomycin in vitro for 5 h, and addition of IL-1β, IL-4 or IL-6 further augmented Th9 cell differentiation. Tuberculous pleural effusion and supernatants of cultured pleural mesothelial cells were chemotactic for Th9 cells, and this activity was partly blocked by anti-CCL20 antibody. IL-9 promoted the pleural mesothelial cell repairing and inhibited IFN-γ-induced pleural mesothelial cell apoptosis. Moreover, pleural mesothelial cells promoted Th9 cell differentiation by presenting antigen. Collectively, these data provide new information concerning Th9 cells, in particular the collaborative immune regulation between Th9 cells and pleural mesothelial cells in human M. tuberculosis infection. In particular, pleural mesothelial cells were able to function as antigen-presenting cells to stimulate Th9 cell differentiation

The Threonine Protease Activity of Testes-Specific Protease 50 (TSP50) Is Essential for Its Function in Cell Proliferation

Background: Testes-specific protease 50 (TSP50), a newly discovered threonine enzyme, has similar amino acid sequences and enzymatic structures to those of many serine proteases. It may be an oncogene. TSP50 is up-regulated in breast cancer epithelial cells, and ectopic expression of TSP50 in TSP50-deficient Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells has been found to promote cell proliferation. However, the mechanisms by which TSP50 exerts its growth-promoting effects are not yet fully understood. Methodology/Principal Findings: To delineate whether the threonine protease activity of TSP50 is essential to its function in cell proliferation, we constructed and characterized a mutant TSP50, called TSP50 T310A, which was identified as a protease-dead mutant of TSP50. By a series of proliferation analyses, colony formation assays and apoptosis analyses, we showed that T310A mutation significantly depresses TSP50-induced cell proliferation in vitro. Next, the CHO stable cell line expressing either wild-type or T310A mutant TSP50 was injected subcutaneously into nude mice. We found that the T310A mutation could abolish the tumorigenicity of TSP50 in vivo. A mechanism investigation revealed that the T310A mutation prevented interaction between TSP50 and the NF-kBIkBa complex, which is necessary for TSP50 to perform its function in cell proliferation. Conclusion: Our data highlight the importance of threonine 310, the most critical protease catalytic site in TSP50, to TSP50induce

A Key Role of Dendritic Cells in Probiotic Functionality

BACKGROUND: Disruption of the intestinal homeostasis and tolerance towards the resident microbiota is a major mechanism involved in the development of inflammatory bowel disease. While some bacteria are inducers of disease, others, known as probiotics, are able to reduce inflammation. Because dendritic cells (DCs) play a central role in regulating immune responses and in inducing tolerance, we investigated their role in the anti-inflammatory potential of probiotic lactic acid bacteria. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Selected LAB strains, while efficiently taken up by DCs in vitro, induced a partial maturation of the cells. Transfer of probiotic-treated DCs conferred protection against 2, 4, 6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis. Protection was associated with a reduction of inflammatory scores and colonic expression of pro-inflammatory genes, while a high local expression of the immunoregulatory enzyme indolamine 2, 3 dioxgenase (IDO) was observed. The preventive effect of probiotic-pulsed DCs required not only MyD88-, TLR2- and NOD2-dependent signaling but also the induction of CD4+ CD25+ regulatory cells in an IL-10-independent pathway. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Altogether, these results suggest that selected probiotics can stimulate DC regulatory functions by targeting specific pattern-recognition receptors and pathways. The results not only emphasize the role of DCs in probiotic immune interactions, but indicate a possible role in immune-intervention therapy for IBD