An efficient hardware architecture for H.264 adaptive deblocking filter algorithm

This paper presents an efficient hardware architecture for real-time implementation of adaptive deblocking filter algorithm used in H.264 video coding standard. This hardware is designed to be used as part of a complete H.264 video coding system for portable applications. We use a novel edge filter ordering in a Macroblock to prevent the deblocking filter hardware from unnecessarily waiting for the pixels that will be filtered become available. The proposed architecture is implemented in Verilog HDL. The Verilog RTL code is verified to work at 72 MHz in a Xilinx Virtex II FPGA. The FPGA implementation can code 30 CIF frames (352x288) per second

Design and simulation of micro resonator oscillator for communication circuits

In this theses design and simulation of a Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) based oscillator is presented. Electrostatic comb drive is chosen as the core structure in oscillator. MicroElectroMechanical (MEM) vibrating structures such as linear drive resonators can be used as driving components in signal processing applications. The choice of these components is assisted by the fact that these MEM devices display high quality factor values when operated under vacuum. The design of a highly stable oscillator is an example utilizing the linear drive resonators and working samples are demonstrated at 16.5 kHz. For this oscillator to be used in portable communication devices, the operating frequency will have to be increased to at least IF band (> 450kHz). MEMS based microstructures are simulated and prepared for implementation by properly adjusting the physical dimensions of the micromechanical resonator. The Dimensions of the resonator is tuned to achieve higher resonance frequencies. Electrical model and governing equations of interdigitated finger structure are studied. Based on results of these studies a micromechanical oscillator is designed to attain above-mentioned frequency. The study is carried out both analytically and on the equivalent circuit. Integration of MEMS structure with Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) electronics is another motivation and driving force of this study. Therefore completely monolithic high-Q micromechanical oscillator integrated with CMOS circuits is aimed and described. As it has high Q (over 80.000) and very stable, laterally driven microresonators can be a good miniaturized replacement of a crystal and surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonator based oscillators used in telecommunication applications. The electrical model of the microresonator is given and used as a frequency selective network in the oscillator design. Different oscillator circuits are designed and simulated to estimate and compare their performance to other mechanical based oscillators (SAW, FBAR, Crystal etc.). Analog CMOS integraated circuits are designed and optimized to achieve highly stable oscillations

Low power H.264 video compression hardware designs

Video compression systems are used in many commercial products such as digital camcorders, cellular phones and video teleconferencing systems. H.264 / MPEG4 Part 10, the recently developed international standard for video compression, offers significantly better video compression efficiency than previous international standards. However, this coding gain comes with an increase in encoding complexity and therefore in power consumption. Since portable devices operate with battery, it is important to reduce power consumption so that the battery life can be increased. In addition, consuming excessive power degrades the performance of integrated circuits, increases packaging and cooling costs, reduces the reliability and may cause device failures. Therefore, power consumption is an important design metric for video compression hardware. In this thesis, we propose low power hardware designs for Deblocking Filter (DBF), intra prediction and intra mode decision parts of an H.264 video encoder. The proposed hardware architectures are implemented in Verilog HDL and mapped to Xilinx Virtex II FPGA. We performed detailed power consumption analysis of FPGA implementations of these hardware designs using Xilinx XPower tool. We also measured the power consumptions of DBF hardware implementations on a Xilinx Virtex II FPGA and there is a good match between estimated and measured power consumption results. We then worked on decreasing the power consumption of FPGA implementations of these H.264 video compression hardware designs by reducing switching activity using Register Transfer Level (RTL) low power techniques. We applied several RTL low power techniques such as clock gating and glitch reduction to these designs and quantified their impact on the power consumption of the FPGA implementations of these designs. We proposed novel computational complexity and power reduction techniques which avoid unnecessary calculations in DBF, intra prediction and intra mode decision parts of an H.264 video encoder. We quantified the computation reductions achieved by the proposed techniques using H.264 Joint Model software encoder. We applied these techniques to proposed hardware designs and quantified their impact on the power consumption of the FPGA implementations of these designs

NMR SPECTROSCOPIC STUDY AND DFT CALCULATIONS OF VIBRATIONAL ANALYSES, GIAO NMR SHIELDINGS AND 1JCH, 1JCC SPIN-SPIN COUPLING CONSTANTS OF 1,7-DIAMINOHEPTANE

Vibrational frequencies and approximate mode descriptions of 1,7-diaminoheptane (dahp) have been determined via Becke-3-Lee-Yang-Parr (B3LYP) density functional method with 6-31G(d) basis set. 1H, proton coupled and uncoupled 13C, 15N, DEPT, COSY, HETCOR, INADEQUATE NMR spectra and the magnitude of one bond 1JCH, 1JCC coupling constants of dahp (C7H18N2) have been reported for the first time. 1H, 13C, 15N NMR chemical shifts and 1JCH, 1JCC coupling constants of dahp have been calculated by means of B3LYP density functional method with 6-311++G(d,p) basis set. Comparison between the experimental and the theoretical results indicates that density functional B3LYP method is able to provide satisfactory results for predicting vibrational frequencies and NMR properties.KEY WORDS: 1,7-Diaminoheptane, Vibrational assignments, NMR, GIAO, DFTBull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2009, 23(1), 85-96

Učinak intraartikularne plazme obogaćene trombocitima, biofizički aktivirane autologne plazme obogaćene trombocitima (PRP-a) i primjene mezenhimnih matičnih stanica na interleukine u pasa s osteoartritisom

The aim of this study was to determine the levels of cytokines (TNF-α, PGE2, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10) in synovial fluid samples from joints affected by osteoarthritis (OA), and to assess the efficacy of a single intraarticular (IA) injection of an autologous platelet rich plasma (PRP), mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), bio-physically activated platelet rich plasma (B-PRP) and their combinations for treatment of OA in dogs. Thirty-six different breeds, gender, age and weight dogs affected by OA were used as materials. The groups were divided into: PRP, MSCs, PRP + MSCs, B-PRP, B-PRP + MSCs and SC (Saline Control). Only one dose was injected. The primary inclusion criterion for the dogs was that they had no systemic disease. The Genesis Cell System was used for preparation of autologous PRP, and the platelets were counted before injection. The Genesis Autologous Cell System 2 (30ml) was used as the bio-physical activator in preparation of the PRP. The bio-PRP physical activator device was mounted on one end and the other end of the activator was left empty. Biovalda Health Technology Inc. was used for producing allogeneic adipose stem cells. Cytokines (TNF-α, PGE2, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10) in terms of quantities were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) from the synovial fluid samples before treatment and on the 0, 15th, 30th, 60th and 90th days of treatment. In all cases, clinic and radiographic examinations were performed on the 0, 15th, 30th, 60th and 90th days. The results obtained from the PRP + MSCs combination group were more successful compared to the other groups. It was noted that successful results could be obtained with PRP alone or in combination with stem cells, especially if repeated intra-articular injections are required. Also future studies are needed to understand the effectiveness of B-PRP. Only the B-PRP and MSCs combination were effective on many enzymes, but varying results were obtained in all cases.Cilj istraživanja bio je odrediti razine citokina TNF-α, PGE2, IL-1β, IL-6 i IL-10 u uzorcima sinovijske tekućine iz zglobova zahvaćenih osteoartritisom (OA) te procijeniti učinkovitost pojedinačne intraartikularne injekcije (IA) (PRP), mezenhimnih matičnih stanica (MSC), biofizički aktivirane plazme obogaćene trombocitima (B-PRP) i njihovih kombinacija u liječenju osteoartritisa u pasa. U istraživanju je upotrijebljeno 36 pasa s osteoartritisom, različitih pasmina, spola, dobi i tjelesne mase. Oni su podijeljeni u skupine PRP, MSCs, PRP + MSCs, B-PRP, B-PRP + MSCs i SC (Saline Control). Injicirana je samo jedna doza. Primarni je kriterij za uključivanje pasa bio da nisu imali sistemsku bolest. Autologni stanični sustav Genesis 2 (30 mL) upotrijebljen je kao biofizički aktivator u pripremi PRP-a. Uređaj za biofizičko aktiviranje PRP-a montiran je na jednom kraju, a drugi je kraj aktivatora ostao prazan. Alogene adipozne matične stanice proizvedene su prema uputama a Biovalda Health Technology Inc. Količina citokina TNF-α, PGE2, IL-1β, IL-6 i IL-10 dobivena je testom ELISA iz uzoraka sinovijalne tekućine prije liječenja te 0., 15., 30., 60. i 90. dan liječenja. U svim su slučajevima klinički i radiološki pregledi obavljeni 0., 15., 30., 60. i 90. dan. Rezultati dobiveni u skupini PRP + MSC pokazali su veću učinkovitost u usporedbi s drugim skupinama. Zapaženo je da se dobri rezultati mogu postići samo uz PRP ili u kombinaciji PRP-a i matičnih stanica, posebno u slučaju ponovljene intraartikularne injekcije. Potrebna su i daljnja istraživanja kako bi se objasnila učinkovitost B-PRP-a. Vezano za enzime, samo je kombinacija B-PRP-a i MSC-a bila učinkovita, ali s različitim rezultatima

Distribution of anti-HAV IgM positivity according to age and months of a year in Van region,Turkey

Objectives: In this study we investigated the anti-HAVIgM positivity rates and their distribution according to ageand season of a year in Van region of Turkey.Materials and methods: During five-year period between2006-2010, the presence of anti-HAV IgM weredetermined in the serum samples sent to our laboratorythat have prediagnosis of hepatitis A by ELISA test, usingAxSYM (Abbott Diagnostics, Germany) and i2000SR Architect(Abbott Diagnostics, Germany) analyzers. For statisticalanalyze of Anti-HAV IgM positivity rates, patients’age and gender and time of year when specimen wasobtain were compared.Results: The presence of anti-HAV IgM was investigatedin a total of 8851 patients, including 5303 (60%) childrenand 3548 (40%) adults. Anti-HAV IgM in children and adultpatients were determined as 9.8% and 2.6%, respectively,and this difference was found statistically significant (p<0.01). Anti-HAV IgM positivity rate began to rise in August,reached the highest level in November-Decemberand decreased to the initial level in January. The highestfrequency detected during the November-December periodwas statistically significantly higher than rates foundduring other months.Conclusions: The prevalence of Hepatitis A was found tobe similar with previous studies performed in our country.The prevalence of disease was significantly increased especiallybetween November and December.Key words: Anti-HAV IgM, seasonal distribution, seroprevalence,ag

Evaluation of internal dosimetry methods in nuclear medicine applications

Nükleer tıp uygulamalarında tanı ve tedavi amaçlı birçok radyonüklid kullanılır. Vücuttaki farklı organlar tarafından soğurulan radyasyon dozunun bilinmesi bu uygulamaların risklerinin ve yararlarının değerlendirilebilmesi açısından oldukça önemlidir. İnternal dozimetri vücut içindeki radyonüklidler ile dokuda depo edilen radyasyon enerjisinin uzaysal ve zamansal dağılımı ve miktarının belirlenmesi ile ilgilenir. Nükleer tıpta tiroid kanseri ve hipertiroidi tedavisinde yaygın kullanımı olan I-31 radyoizotopunun yanında, son yıllarda hepatosellüler karsinoma ve nöroendokrin tümör tedavisinde rutin uygulamaya giren Lu-177 ve Y-90 radyoizotopları da başarı ile uygulanmaktadır. Risk değerlendirilmesi açısından, organ doz hesapları Medikal İnternal Radyasyon Dozimetri (MIRD) tarafından belirlenen standart uygulamanın yanısıra, hastaya spesifik olarak kinetik ve anatomik parametrelerin değerlendirilmesi açısından önemlidir. Bu çalışmada internal dozimetri hesaplarında kullanılan metotlar ele alınmış, bu metodlarda farklı yaş ve cinsiyetlerdeki bireyleri temsil eden uygun modeller, matematiksel formulasyonlar ile açıklanmıştır.Many radionuclides are used for diagnostic and therapeutic in nuclear medicine applications. The knowledge of radiation dose absorbed by different organs in the body is critical to evaluate known risks and benefits of these applications. Internal dosimetry deals with the determination of the amount and the spatial and temporal distribution of radiation energy deposited in tissue by radionuclides within the body. Widely used in nuclear medicine in the treatment of thyroid cancer and hyperthyroidism radioisotope I-131, as well as routine practice in recent years into the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma and neuroendocrine tumor Lu-177 and Y-90 also successfully applied to radioisotopes. In terms of risk assessment, the organ dose calculations Medical Internal Radiation Dosimetry (MIRD), as well as the application of the standard set by the patient-specific parameters in the evaluation of kinetics and anatomy is important. The methods used internal dosimetry calculations in this study are considered and the appropriate models representing individuals of different ages and regardless of gender are described with mathematical formulations

Antibiotics resistance of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia strains isolated from various clinical specimens

Background: A limited number of antibiotics are recommended for the therapy of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia infections due to therapy difficulties caused by its numerous mechanisms of resistance.Objectives: In this study conducted over a period of approximately 5 years we aimed to determine resistance rates of S. maltophilia based on drug classification recommended by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute.Methods: A total of 118 S. maltophilia strains isolated from various clinical specimens between January 2006 and June 2012 were included in the study. BD Phoenixautomated microbiology system (Becton Dickinson, USA) was utilized for species level identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing.Results: Sixty seven of S. maltophilia strains were isolated from tracheal aspirate isolates, 17 from blood, 10 from sputum, 10 from wound and 14 from other clinical specimens. Levofloxacin was found to be the most effective antibiotic against S. maltophilia strains with resistance rate of 7.6%. The resistance rates to other antibiotics were as follows: chloramphenicol 18.2%, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole 20.3% and ceftazidime 72%.Conclusion: The study revealed that S. maltophilia is resistant to many antibiotics. The treatment of infections caused by S. maltophilia should be preferred primarily as levofloxacin, chloramphenicol, and TMP-SXT, respectively.Keywords: Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, antibiotic, resistanc

FT-IR Spectroscopic Study of the Hofmann-Td-type Clathrates: Ni(1,9-diaminononane)M\u27(CN)4 ⋅2G (M\u27 = Cd or Hg, G = Benzene, 1,2-Dichlorobenzene or 1,4-Dichlorobenzene)

New Hofmann Td-type clathrates in the form of Ni(1,9-diaminononane)M\u27(CN)4 ⋅ 2G (M\u27 = Cd or Hg, G = benzene, 1,2-dichlorobenzene or 1,4-dichlorobenzene) were prepared in powder form and their infrared spectra are reported in the range of 4000–200 cm–1. As seen from the spectral features, the present compounds are similar in structure to the Hofmann Td-type clathrates

Live cell imaging of low- and non-repetitive chromosome loci using CRISPR-Cas9.

Imaging chromatin dynamics is crucial to understand genome organization and its role in transcriptional regulation. Recently, the RNA-guidable feature of CRISPR-Cas9 has been utilized for imaging of chromatin within live cells. However, these methods are mostly applicable to highly repetitive regions, whereas imaging regions with low or no repeats remains as a challenge. To address this challenge, we design single-guide RNAs (sgRNAs) integrated with up to 16 MS2 binding motifs to enable robust fluorescent signal amplification. These engineered sgRNAs enable multicolour labelling of low-repeat-containing regions using a single sgRNA and of non-repetitive regions with as few as four unique sgRNAs. We achieve tracking of native chromatin loci throughout the cell cycle and determine differential positioning of transcriptionally active and inactive regions in the nucleus. These results demonstrate the feasibility of our approach to monitor the position and dynamics of both repetitive and non-repetitive genomic regions in live cells