Media aesthetics based multimedia storytelling.

Since the earliest of times, humans have been interested in recording their life experiences, for future reference and for storytelling purposes. This task of recording experiences --i.e., both image and video capture-- has never before in history been as easy as it is today. This is creating a digital information overload that is becoming a great concern for the people that are trying to preserve their life experiences. As high-resolution digital still and video cameras become increasingly pervasive, unprecedented amounts of multimedia, are being downloaded to personal hard drives, and also uploaded to online social networks on a daily basis. The work presented in this dissertation is a contribution in the area of multimedia organization, as well as automatic selection of media for storytelling purposes, which eases the human task of summarizing a collection of images or videos in order to be shared with other people. As opposed to some prior art in this area, we have taken an approach in which neither user generated tags nor comments --that describe the photographs, either in their local or on-line repositories-- are taken into account, and also no user interaction with the algorithms is expected. We take an image analysis approach where both the context images --e.g. images from online social networks to which the image stories are going to be uploaded--, and the collection images --i.e., the collection of images or videos that needs to be summarized into a story--, are analyzed using image processing algorithms. This allows us to extract relevant metadata that can be used in the summarization process. Multimedia-storytellers usually follow three main steps when preparing their stories: first they choose the main story characters, the main events to describe, and finally from these media sub-groups, they choose the media based on their relevance to the story as well as based on their aesthetic value. Therefore, one of the main contributions of our work has been the design of computational models --both regression based, as well as classification based-- that correlate well with human perception of the aesthetic value of images and videos. These computational aesthetics models have been integrated into automatic selection algorithms for multimedia storytelling, which are another important contribution of our work. A human centric approach has been used in all experiments where it was feasible, and also in order to assess the final summarization results, i.e., humans are always the final judges of our algorithms, either by inspecting the aesthetic quality of the media, or by inspecting the final story generated by our algorithms. We are aware that a perfect automatically generated story summary is very hard to obtain, given the many subjective factors that play a role in such a creative process; rather, the presented approach should be seen as a first step in the storytelling creative process which removes some of the ground work that would be tedious and time consuming for the user. Overall, the main contributions of this work can be capitalized in three: (1) new media aesthetics models for both images and videos that correlate with human perception, (2) new scalable multimedia collection structures that ease the process of media summarization, and finally, (3) new media selection algorithms that are optimized for multimedia storytelling purposes.Postprint (published version

Food-bridging: a new network construction to unveil the principles of cooking

In this manuscript we propose, analyse, and discuss a possible new principle behind traditional cuisine: the Food-bridging hypothesis and its comparison with the food-pairing hypothesis using the same dataset and graphical models employed in the food-pairing study by Ahn et al. [Scientific Reports, 1:196 (2011)]. The Food-bridging hypothesis assumes that if two ingredients do not share a strong molecular or empirical affinity, they may become affine through a chain of pairwise affinities. That is, in a graphical model as employed by Ahn et al., a chain represents a path that joints the two ingredients, the shortest path represents the strongest pairwise chain of affinities between the two ingredients. Food-pairing and Food-bridging are different hypotheses that may describe possible mechanisms behind the recipes of traditional cuisines. Food-pairing intensifies flavour by mixing ingredients in a recipe with similar chemical compounds, and food-bridging smoothes contrast between ingredients. Both food-pairing and food-bridging are observed in traditional cuisines, as shown in this work. We observed four classes of cuisines according to food-pairing and food-bridging: (1) East Asian cuisines, at one extreme, tend to avoid food-pairing as well as food-bridging; and (4) Latin American cuisines, at the other extreme, follow both principles. For the two middle classes: (2) Southeastern Asian cuisines, avoid food-pairing and follow food-bridging; and (3) Western cuisines, follow food-pairing and avoid food-bridging

Vocoder lpc a 2400 bps sobre tms 320c304

This script describes a vocoder LPC-10 system real time 2400 bps. lmptementation. The worklng condltlon of the system are descrlbed as we/1 as the atgorithm, whtch lnciudes a sllence detector to reduce the lnformation ftow. The imptementatlon on a TMS320C30 DSP process is exptalned wlth a detalled time-consumtion tabte. The atgorlthm ls also lmplemented on a DSP32C In order to compare lts performances wlth the prevlous ones obtalned wlth the TMS320C30.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Holocene changes in deep-water circulation of the Western Mediterranean Basin, links to North Atlantic climate variability

preliminary results from multicores recovered in the Minorca sediment drift, south of the Western Mediterranean Deep Water formation area, reveal changes in deep-water circulation during the last 2500 yr. Records of grain-size and SST Mg/Ca derived from G. bulloides show oscillations in deep-water current intensities that could be related to cool periods on land, i.e. the Little Ice Age, but also denote some relationship with changes in sea surface salinity likely associated with changes in continental humid conditions

Carbon dioxide emissions from dry watercourses

Temporary watercourses that naturally cease to flow and run dry comprise a notable fraction of the world’s river networks, yet estimates of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from watercourses do not consider emissions from these systems when they are dry. Using data from a sampling campaign in a Mediterranean river during the summer drought period, we demonstrate that the CO2 efflux from dry watercourses can be substantial, comparable to that from adjacent terrestrial soils and higher than from running or stagnant waters. With an up-scaling approach, we show that including emissions from dry watercourses could increase the estimate of CO2 emissions from watercourses in our study region by 0.6–15%. Moreover, our results tentatively illustrate that emissions from dry watercourses could be especially important in arid regions, increasing the estimate of global CO2 emissions from watercourses by 0.4–9%. Albeit relatively small, the contribution of dry watercourses could help to constrain the highly uncertain magnitude of the land carbon sink. We foresee that in many areas of the world, the expected increase in the extent of temporary watercourses associated with future global change will increase the relevance of CO2 emissions from dry watercourses

Does the severity of non-flow period influence ecosystem structure and function of temporary streams? A mesocosm study

Global change is dramatically altering flow regimes worldwide. Among the most important consequences are the transition of many permanent waterways to temporary waterways, the increase in duration and frequency of non‐flow periods of temporary streams, and the increase in the severity (i.e. irradiance, temperature and humidity) of the non‐flow period. Nowadays, there is a lack of knowledge on how changes in duration, frequency and severity of the non‐flow period will reflect on biodiversity and biogeochemical changes in temporary streams. We designed a manipulative experiment using artificial streams to evaluate the effects of severity of the non‐flow period on stream biofilms. Sixteen artificial streams were assigned to four treatments: continuous flow, continuous intermittency and intermittency with and without rain events. Effects were assessed on selected features of stream biofilm structure (i.e. bacterial density and basal fluorescence) and function (photosynthetic efficiency and enzymatic activities), as well as CO2 emissions and dissolved organic matter quantity and quality from water column and sediments. The occurrence of rain events during the non‐flow period enhanced organic carbon processing and CO2 emissions to the atmosphere, reducing the sediment reservoir of exportable organic carbon and therefore reducing the dissolved organic carbon exports from streambeds at flow resumption. Given the ongoing reducing trends in the frequency of rain events in semi‐arid and arid regions, we expect temporary streams to process and emit less and to export more carbon to downstream systems

Sea surface temperature variability in the central-western Mediterranean Sea during the last 2700 years: a multi-proxy and multi-record approach

This study presents the reconstructed evolution of sea surface conditions in the central-western Mediterranean Sea during the late Holocene (2700 years) from a set of multi-proxy records as measured on five short sediment cores from two sites north of Minorca (cores MINMC06 and HERMC- MR3). Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) from alkenones and Globigerina bulloides Mg= Ca ratios are combined with 18O measurements in order to reconstruct changes in the regional evaporation-precipitation (E-P) balance. We also revisit the G. bulloides Mg= Ca-SST calibration and readjusted it based on a set of core-top measurements from the western Mediterranean Sea. Modern regional oceanographic data indicate that Globigerina bulloides Mg= Ca is mainly controlled by seasonal spring SST conditions, related to the April-May primary productivity bloom in the region. In contrast, the alkenone-SST signal represents an integration of the annual signal. The construction of a robust chronological framework in the region allows for the synchronization of the different core sites and the construction of 'stacked' proxy records in order to identify the most significant climatic variability patterns. The warmest sustained period occurred during the Roman Period (RP), which was immediately followed by a general cooling trend interrupted by several centennial-scale oscillations. We propose that this general cooling trend could be controlled by changes in the annual mean insolation. Even though some particularly warm SST intervals took place during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA), the Little Ice Age (LIA) was markedly unstable, with some very cold SST events mostly during its second half. Finally, proxy records for the last centuries suggest that relatively low E-P ratios and cold SSTs dominated during negative North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) phases, although SSTs seem to present a positive connection with the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) index

Canagliflozin and renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes and nephropathy

BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide, but few effective long-term treatments are available. In cardiovascular trials of inhibitors of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), exploratory results have suggested that such drugs may improve renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS In this double-blind, randomized trial, we assigned patients with type 2 diabetes and albuminuric chronic kidney disease to receive canagliflozin, an oral SGLT2 inhibitor, at a dose of 100 mg daily or placebo. All the patients had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 30 to <90 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 of body-surface area and albuminuria (ratio of albumin [mg] to creatinine [g], >300 to 5000) and were treated with renin–angiotensin system blockade. The primary outcome was a composite of end-stage kidney disease (dialysis, transplantation, or a sustained estimated GFR of <15 ml per minute per 1.73 m2), a doubling of the serum creatinine level, or death from renal or cardiovascular causes. Prespecified secondary outcomes were tested hierarchically. RESULTS The trial was stopped early after a planned interim analysis on the recommendation of the data and safety monitoring committee. At that time, 4401 patients had undergone randomization, with a median follow-up of 2.62 years. The relative risk of the primary outcome was 30% lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group, with event rates of 43.2 and 61.2 per 1000 patient-years, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59 to 0.82; P=0.00001). The relative risk of the renal-specific composite of end-stage kidney disease, a doubling of the creatinine level, or death from renal causes was lower by 34% (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.81; P<0.001), and the relative risk of end-stage kidney disease was lower by 32% (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.86; P=0.002). The canagliflozin group also had a lower risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67 to 0.95; P=0.01) and hospitalization for heart failure (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.80; P<0.001). There were no significant differences in rates of amputation or fracture. CONCLUSIONS In patients with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, the risk of kidney failure and cardiovascular events was lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group at a median follow-up of 2.62 years

Content selection based on compositional image quality

no reference image quality, sharpness metric, document layout, document balance, photographic composition Digital publishing workflows usually have the need for composition and balance within the document, where certain photographs will have to be chosen according to the overall layout of the document it is going to be placed in. i.e., the composition within the photograph will have a relationship/balance with the rest of the document layout. This paper presents a novel image retrieval method, in which the document where the image is to be inserted is used as query. The algorithm calculates a balance measure between the document and each of the images in the collection, retrieving the ones that have a higher balance score. The image visual weight map, used in the balance calculation, has been successfully approximated by a new image quality map that takes into consideration sharpness, contrast and chroma