Reconfigurable media coding: a new specification model for multimedia coders

Multimedia coding technology, after about 20 years of active research, has delivered a rich variety of different and complex coding algorithms. Selecting an appropriate subset of these algorithms would, in principle, enable a designer to produce the codec supporting any desired functionality as well as any desired trade-off between compression performance and implementation complexity. Currently, interoperability demands that this selection process be hard-wired into the normative descriptions of the codec, or at a lower level, into a predefined number of choices, known as profiles, codified within each standard specification. This paper presents an alternative paradigm for codec deployment that is currently under development by MPEG, known as Reconfigurable Media Coding (RMC). Using the RMC framework, arbitrary combinations of fundamental algorithms may be assembled, without predefined standardization, because everything necessary for specifying the decoding process is delivered alongside the content itself. This side-information consists of a description of the bitstream syntax, as well as a description of the decoder configuration. Decoder configuration information is provided as a description of the interconnections between algorithmic blocks. The approach has been validated by development of an RMC format that matches MPEG-4 Video, and then extending the format by adding new chroma-subsampling patterns

Reconfigurable media coding: a new specification model for multimedia coders

Multimedia coding technology, after about 20 years of active research, has delivered a rich variety of different and complex coding algorithms. Selecting an appropriate subset of these algorithms would, in principle, enable a designer to produce the codec supporting any desired functionality as well as any desired trade-off between compression performance and implementation complexity. Currently, interoperability demands that this selection process be hard-wired into the normative descriptions of the codec, or at a lower level, into a pre-defined number of choices, known as profiles, codified within each standard specification. This paper presents an alternative paradigm for codec deployment that is currently under development by MPEG, known as Reconfigurable Media Coding (RMC). Using the RMC framework, arbitrary combinations of fundamental algorithms may be assembled, without pre-defined standardization, because everything necessary for specifying the decoding process is delivered alongside the content itself. This side-information consists of a description of the bitstream syntax, as well as a description of the decoder configuration. Decoder configuration information is provided as a description of the interconnections between algorithmic blocks. The approach has been validated by development of an RMC format that matches MPEG-4 Video, and then extending the format by adding new chroma-subsampling patterns

ARC OF RECREATION 2.0 Connecting the McKnight Rail Trail From Mason Square to Union Station, Springfield MA

ARC OF RECREATION 2.0 Connecting the McKnight Rail Trail From Mason Square to Union Station, Springfield MA ARC OF RECREATION 2.0 is a Senior Urban Design Studio that created design concepts to envision the McKnight Rail Trail on an abandoned railroad corridor as a place to walk, bike, recreate, and congregate and to connect Mason Square to Union Station. Arc of Recreation was a name that was coined over 10 years ago through a different project at UMass. Finally realization is within reach. The City published a feasibility study in 2014 and has freed a construction budget of $430,000 for the first phases.The McKnight neighborhood hosts a diverse demographic that would benefit to an implemented rail trail in their community. With health complications including obesity and diabetes, the trail can provide a free means of transportation to the metro center that encourages an active lifestyle and increased employment in the neighborhood. Children will be able to utilize a safe passage to school, such as the nearby Rebecca M. Johnson Middle School, as well as young adults working part time jobs in the neighborhood and surrounding areas. The trail will connect from Union Station in downtown to Mason Square in the east. Access along the trail route will enable more community members to enter the trail and use it. Therefore it creates a more equitable transportation network that can be shared by all residents. The Studio created design concepts including first phase tactical interventions that make the street and public space experience enticing to visitors and engaging for the local residents, workers, and their families. The designs reflect the feedback of local community members through community meetings and a design charrette. In conclusion, the envisioned trail will foster community engagement and interaction to steer the future development of the neighborhood. The following measures are crucial for a successful rail trail: • Improvement of major street crossings to enable safe use of the trail during all day and nighttime hours. • Integration of on street bike lanes and the trail to create a bicycle loop around the neighborhood. Expand the downtown bike-share stations for entry points to the trail. • Create accessibility to public parks in the City through a network of safe streets with extensive tree plantings. Envision a trail that allows for access to the Connecticut River Walk and Bikeway. • Embrace the industrial and underused architecture through public art. • Protect existing wetlands on the trail through bypasses and boardwalks. • Raise awareness for the rich ecology on the trail through signage and education. • Create diverse opportunities to play for all ages and demographics. • Create areas for urban gardening to connect trail and community. • Creation of spaces on the trail where the community comes together and hold events and meetings. • Design for activities throughout the year including the winter season. • Rezone the trail to Open Space to guide its future development as a functioning rail trail

Injury Rates in Age-Only Versus Age-and-Weight Playing Standard Conditions in American Youth Football

BACKGROUND: American youth football leagues are typically structured using either age-only (AO) or age-and-weight (AW) playing standard conditions. These playing standard conditions group players by age in the former condition and by a combination of age and weight in the latter condition. However, no study has systematically compared injury risk between these 2 playing standards. PURPOSE: To compare injury rates between youth tackle football players in the AO and AW playing standard conditions. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. METHODS: Athletic trainers evaluated and recorded injuries at each practice and game during the 2012 and 2013 football seasons. Players (age, 5-14 years) were drawn from 13 recreational leagues across 6 states. The sample included 4092 athlete-seasons (AW, 2065; AO, 2027) from 210 teams (AW, 106; O, 104). Injury rate ratios (RRs) with 95% CIs were used to compare the playing standard conditions. Multivariate Poisson regression was used to estimate RRs adjusted for residual effects of age and clustering by team and league. There were 4 endpoints of interest: (1) any injury, (2) non-time loss (NTL) injuries only, (3) time loss (TL) injuries only, and (4) concussions only. RESULTS: Over 2 seasons, the cohort accumulated 1475 injuries and 142,536 athlete-exposures (AEs). The most common injuries were contusions (34.4%), ligament sprains (16.3%), concussions (9.6%), and muscle strains (7.8%). The overall injury rate for both playing standard conditions combined was 10.3 per 1000 AEs (95% CI, 9.8-10.9). The TL injury, NTL injury, and concussion rates in both playing standard conditions combined were 3.1, 7.2, and 1.0 per 1000 AEs, respectively. In multivariate Poisson regression models controlling for age, team, and league, no differences were found between playing standard conditions in the overall injury rate (RRoverall, 1.1; 95% CI, 0.4-2.6). Rates for the other 3 endpoints were also similar (RRNTL, 1.1 [95% CI, 0.4-3.0]; RRTL, 0.9 [95% CI, 0.4-1.9]; RRconcussion, 0.6 [95% CI, 0.3-1.4]). CONCLUSION: For the injury endpoints examined in this study, the injury rates were similar in the AO and AW playing standards. Future research should examine other policies, rules, and behavioral factors that may affect injury risk within youth football

OAS1 Polymorphisms Are Associated with Susceptibility to West Nile Encephalitis in Horses

West Nile virus, first identified within the United States in 1999, has since spread across the continental states and infected birds, humans and domestic animals, resulting in numerous deaths. Previous studies in mice identified the Oas1b gene, a member of the OAS/RNASEL innate immune system, as a determining factor for resistance to West Nile virus (WNV) infection. A recent case-control association study described mutations of human OAS1 associated with clinical susceptibility to WNV infection. Similar studies in horses, a particularly susceptible species, have been lacking, in part, because of the difficulty in collecting populations sufficiently homogenous in their infection and disease states. The equine OAS gene cluster most closely resembles the human cluster, with single copies of OAS1, OAS3 and OAS2 in the same orientation. With naturally occurring susceptible and resistant sub-populations to lethal West Nile encephalitis, we undertook a case-control association study to investigate whether, similar to humans (OAS1) and mice (Oas1b), equine OAS1 plays a role in resistance to severe WNV infection. We identified naturally occurring single nucleotide mutations in equine (Equus caballus) OAS1 and RNASEL genes and, using Fisher's Exact test, we provide evidence that mutations in equine OAS1 contribute to host susceptibility. Virtually all of the associated OAS1 polymorphisms were located within the interferon-inducible promoter, suggesting that differences in OAS1 gene expression may determine the host's ability to resist clinical manifestations associated with WNV infection

Specific versus General Principles for Constitutional AI

Human feedback can prevent overtly harmful utterances in conversational models, but may not automatically mitigate subtle problematic behaviors such as a stated desire for self-preservation or power. Constitutional AI offers an alternative, replacing human feedback with feedback from AI models conditioned only on a list of written principles. We find this approach effectively prevents the expression of such behaviors. The success of simple principles motivates us to ask: can models learn general ethical behaviors from only a single written principle? To test this, we run experiments using a principle roughly stated as "do what's best for humanity". We find that the largest dialogue models can generalize from this short constitution, resulting in harmless assistants with no stated interest in specific motivations like power. A general principle may thus partially avoid the need for a long list of constitutions targeting potentially harmful behaviors. However, more detailed constitutions still improve fine-grained control over specific types of harms. This suggests both general and specific principles have value for steering AI safely