A novel method for subjective picture quality assessment and further studies of HDTV formats

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below. Copyright @ IEEE 2008.This paper proposes a novel method for the assessment of picture quality, called triple stimulus continuous evaluation scale (TSCES), to allow the direct comparison of different HDTV formats. The method uses an upper picture quality anchor and a lower picture quality anchor with defined impairments. The HDTV format under test is evaluated in a subjective comparison with the upper and lower anchors. The method utilizes three displays in a particular vertical arrangement. In an initial series of tests with the novel method, the HDTV formats 1080p/50,1080i/25, and 720p/50 were compared at various bit-rates and with seven different content types on three identical 1920 times 1080 pixel displays. It was found that the new method provided stable and consistent results. The method was tested with 1080p/50,1080i/25, and 720p/50 HDTV images that had been coded with H.264/AVC High profile. The result of the assessment was that the progressive HDTV formats found higher appreciation by the assessors than the interlaced HDTV format. A system chain proposal is given for future media production and delivery to take advantage of this outcome. Recommendations for future research conclude the paper

Spitzer Observations of Cold Dust Galaxies

We combine new Spitzer Space Telescope observations in the mid- and far-infrared with SCUBA 850 micron observations to improve the measurement of dust temperatures, masses and luminosities for 11 galaxies of the SCUBA Local Universe Galaxy Survey (SLUGS). By fitting dust models we measure typical dust masses of 10E7.9 M_sol and dust luminosities of ~ 10E10 L_sol, for galaxies with modest star formation rates. The data presented in this paper combined with previous observations show that cold dust is present in all types of spiral galaxies and is a major contributor to their total luminosity. Because of the lower dust temperature of the SCUBA sources measured in this paper, they have flatter Far-IR nu F_nu(160um)/nu F_nu(850um) slopes than the larger Spitzer Nearby Galaxies Survey (SINGS), the sample that provides the best measurements of the dust properties of galaxies in the nearby universe. The new data presented here added to SINGS extend the parameter space that is well covered by local galaxies, providing a comprehensive set of templates that can be used to interpret the observations of nearby and distant galaxies.Comment: Accepted by A.J. 16 pages, 10 figures, 7 tables. High resolution version at http://mips.as.arizona.edu/~cnaw/slugs_hires.pd

Teaching old NCATs new tricks: using non-canonical amino acid tagging to study neuronal plasticity

The non-canonical amino acid labeling techniques BONCAT (bioorthogonal non-canonical amino acid tagging) and FUNCAT (fluorescent non-canonical amino acid tagging) enable the specific identification and visualization of newly synthesized proteins. Recently, these techniques have been applied to neuronal systems to elucidate protein synthesis dynamics during plasticity, identify stimulation-induced proteomes and subproteomes and to investigate local protein synthesis in specific subcellular compartments. The next generation of tools and applications, reviewed here, includes the development of new tags, the quantitative identification of newly synthesized proteins, the application of NCAT to whole animals, and the ability to genetically restrict NCAT labeling. These techniques will enable not only improved detection but also allow new scientific questions to be tackled

Controlled Waterfowl Hunting At Lake Odessa, Louisa County, Iowa

The Lake Odessa Public Hunting Area supports two systems of regulated waterfowl hunting. Control Area A consists of 55 marked blind sites which are chosen randomly by hunters during a daily drawing. Hunters using the second area, Control Area B, are not restricted to blind sites and a daily fee is not required, but all parties must possess a valid permit. Hunter use of Control Area A was uniform throughout the 1972 and 1973 hunting seasons due to the better mallard (Anas platy rhynchos) shooting on that area. Control Area B hunter use decreased as the season progressed, reflecting the early migration of wood ducks (Aix sponsa) which were more prevalent. In 1973, a year of poor mallard production but good wood duck production, hunter use of Control Area B increased over the previous year as hunters sought wood ducks. Hunters using Control Area A belonged to higher income, education, and occupation brackets, spent more money on equipment, and drove further to hunt than hunters in Control Area B. Hunter success was positively related to increasing values of vegetation parameters, but the dominant influence was not apparent. A heavy zone of annual emergent vegetation appeared to influence hunter success, but a lack of this zone could be compensated for with a strong representation of buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis). Sites on medium-sized water areas (14-20 ac.) with a strong zone of annual emergent vegetation produced the highest success rates in 1972, but the same or similar sites produced low success rates in 1973 after severe loss of vegetation. Because of reduced annual emergent vegetation on the area and the receding zones of bottonbush, a summer drawdown of water level was recommended

Weak inter-band coupling in Mg10^{10}B2_{2}: a specific heat analysis

The superconducting state of Mg$^{10}$B$_{2}$ is investigated by specific heat measurements in detail. The specific heat in the normal state is analyzed using a recently developed computer code. This allows for an extraction of the electronic specific heat in the superconducting state with high accuracy and a fair determination of the main lattice features. One of the two investigated samples shows a hump in the specific heat at low temperatures within the superconducting state, accompanied by an unusual low value of the small gap, $\Delta_{\pi}(0)=1.32 meV$, pointing to a very weak inter-band coupling. This sample allows for a detailed analysis of the contribution from the $\pi$-band to the electronic specific heat in the superconducting state. Therefore the usual analysis method is modified, to include the individual conservation of entropy of both bands. From analyzing the deviation function $D(t)$ of MgB$_{2}$, the theoretically predicted weak inter-band coupling scenario is confirmed.Comment: major revision

Animal Housing—Dietary Manipulation Overview

This fact sheet features diet manipulation as a management practice to address odor and emissions coming from animal housing and manure storage systems. Reducing nutrients in manure can lead to reductions in emissions. Reducing nutrients in manure is broken into two main areas, nutrient input reduction and nutrient form modification. This fact sheet describes both methods.This fact sheet is part of the Air Management Practices Assessment Tool (AMPAT) developed at Iowa State University and funded by the National Pork Board. Additional resources can be found on the AMPAT web page at: www.agronext.iastate.edu/ampathttps://lib.dr.iastate.edu/extension_ag_pubs/1210/thumbnail.jp