Quality-aware Content Adaptation in Digital Video Streaming

User-generated video has attracted a lot of attention due to the success of Video Sharing Sites such as YouTube and Online Social Networks. Recently, a shift towards live consumption of these videos is observable. The content is captured and instantly shared over the Internet using smart mobile devices such as smartphones. Large-scale platforms arise such as YouTube.Live, YouNow or Facebook.Live which enable the smartphones of users to livestream to the public. These platforms achieve the distribution of tens of thousands of low resolution videos to remote viewers in parallel. Nonetheless, the providers are not capable to guarantee an efficient collection and distribution of high-quality video streams. As a result, the user experience is often degraded, and the needed infrastructure installments are huge. Efficient methods are required to cope with the increasing demand for these video streams; and an understanding is needed how to capture, process and distribute the videos to guarantee a high-quality experience for viewers. This thesis addresses the quality awareness of user-generated videos by leveraging the concept of content adaptation. Two types of content adaptation, the adaptive video streaming and the video composition, are discussed in this thesis. Then, a novel approach for the given scenario of a live upload from mobile devices, the processing of video streams and their distribution is presented. This thesis demonstrates that content adaptation applied to each step of this scenario, ranging from the upload to the consumption, can significantly improve the quality for the viewer. At the same time, if content adaptation is planned wisely, the data traffic can be reduced while keeping the quality for the viewers high. The first contribution of this thesis is a better understanding of the perceived quality in user-generated video and its influencing factors. Subjective studies are performed to understand what affects the human perception, leading to the first of their kind quality models. Developed quality models are used for the second contribution of this work: novel quality assessment algorithms. A unique attribute of these algorithms is the usage of multiple features from different sensors. Whereas classical video quality assessment algorithms focus on the visual information, the proposed algorithms reduce the runtime by an order of magnitude when using data from other sensors in video capturing devices. Still, the scalability for quality assessment is limited by executing algorithms on a single server. This is solved with the proposed placement and selection component. It allows the distribution of quality assessment tasks to mobile devices and thus increases the scalability of existing approaches by up to 33.71% when using the resources of only 15 mobile devices. These three contributions are required to provide a real-time understanding of the perceived quality of the video streams produced on mobile devices. The upload of video streams is the fourth contribution of this work. It relies on content and mechanism adaptation. The thesis introduces the first prototypically evaluated adaptive video upload protocol (LiViU) which transcodes multiple video representations in real-time and copes with changing network conditions. In addition, a mechanism adaptation is integrated into LiViU to react to changing application scenarios such as streaming high-quality videos to remote viewers or distributing video with a minimal delay to close-by recipients. A second type of content adaptation is discussed in the fifth contribution of this work. An automatic video composition application is presented which enables live composition from multiple user-generated video streams. The proposed application is the first of its kind, allowing the in-time composition of high-quality video streams by inspecting the quality of individual video streams, recording locations and cinematographic rules. As a last contribution, the content-aware adaptive distribution of video streams to mobile devices is introduced by the Video Adaptation Service (VAS). The VAS analyzes the video content streamed to understand which adaptations are most beneficial for a viewer. It maximizes the perceived quality for each video stream individually and at the same time tries to produce as little data traffic as possible - achieving data traffic reduction of more than 80%

Social video: A collaborative video annotation environment to support E-learning

Our social video system allows users to enrich video by additional information like external websites, hypertext, images, other videos, or communication channels. Users are able to annotate whole videos, scenes, and objects in the video. We do not focus on a single user accessing the system but on multiple users watching the video and accessing the annotations others have created. Our web-based prototype differs from classical hypervideo systems because it allows annotation (authoring) and navigation in videos by focusing on collaboration and communication between the users. The prototype is integrated into the online social network Facebook and was evaluated with more than 300 users. The evaluation analyzes the usage of the system with a learning scenario in mind and indicates a learning success of users

Unified model for network dynamics exhibiting nonextensive statistics

We introduce a dynamical network model which unifies a number of network families which are individually known to exhibit $q$-exponential degree distributions. The present model dynamics incorporates static (non-growing) self-organizing networks, preferentially growing networks, and (preferentially) rewiring networks. Further, it exhibits a natural random graph limit. The proposed model generalizes network dynamics to rewiring and growth modes which depend on internal topology as well as on a metric imposed by the space they are embedded in. In all of the networks emerging from the presented model we find q-exponential degree distributions over a large parameter space. We comment on the parameter dependence of the corresponding entropic index q for the degree distributions, and on the behavior of the clustering coefficients and neighboring connectivity distributions.Comment: 11 pages 8 fig

Development and in vivo validation of phospholipid-based depots for the sustained release of bupivacaine.

By direct deposition of the drug at the local site of action, injectable depot formulations - intended for treatment of a local disease or for local intervention - are designed to limit the immediate exposure of the active principle at a systemic level and to reduce the frequency of administration. To overcome known drawbacks in the production of some marketed phospholipid-based depots, here we propose to manufacture drug-loaded negatively charged liposomes through conventional technologies and to control their aggregation mixing a solution of divalent cations prior to administration. We identified phosphatidylglycerol (PG) as the most suitable phospholipid for controlled aggregation of the liposomes and to modulate the release of the anesthetic bupivacaine (BUP) from liposomal depots. In vivo imaging of the fluorescently-labelled liposomes showed a significantly higher retention of the PG liposomes at the injection site with respect to neutral ones. In situ mixing of PG liposomes with calcium salts significantly extended the area under the curve of BUP in plasma compared to the non-depot system. Overall, controlling the aggregation of negatively charged liposomes with divalent cations not only modulated the particle clearance from the injection site but also the release in vivo of a small amphipathic drug such as BUP

Observation of mesoscopic crystalline structures in a two-dimensional Rydberg gas

The ability to control and tune interactions in ultracold atomic gases has paved the way towards the realization of new phases of matter. Whereas experiments have so far achieved a high degree of control over short-ranged interactions, the realization of long-range interactions would open up a whole new realm of many-body physics and has become a central focus of research. Rydberg atoms are very well-suited to achieve this goal, as the van der Waals forces between them are many orders of magnitude larger than for ground state atoms. Consequently, the mere laser excitation of ultracold gases can cause strongly correlated many-body states to emerge directly when atoms are transferred to Rydberg states. A key example are quantum crystals, composed of coherent superpositions of different spatially ordered configurations of collective excitations. Here we report on the direct measurement of strong correlations in a laser excited two-dimensional atomic Mott insulator using high-resolution, in-situ Rydberg atom imaging. The observations reveal the emergence of spatially ordered excitation patterns in the high-density components of the prepared many-body state. They have random orientation, but well defined geometry, forming mesoscopic crystals of collective excitations delocalised throughout the gas. Our experiment demonstrates the potential of Rydberg gases to realise exotic phases of matter, thereby laying the basis for quantum simulations of long-range interacting quantum magnets.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure

Large-scale genome-wide association studies and meta-analyses of longitudinal change in adult lung function.

BACKGROUND: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified numerous loci influencing cross-sectional lung function, but less is known about genes influencing longitudinal change in lung function. METHODS: We performed GWAS of the rate of change in forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) in 14 longitudinal, population-based cohort studies comprising 27,249 adults of European ancestry using linear mixed effects model and combined cohort-specific results using fixed effect meta-analysis to identify novel genetic loci associated with longitudinal change in lung function. Gene expression analyses were subsequently performed for identified genetic loci. As a secondary aim, we estimated the mean rate of decline in FEV1 by smoking pattern, irrespective of genotypes, across these 14 studies using meta-analysis. RESULTS: The overall meta-analysis produced suggestive evidence for association at the novel IL16/STARD5/TMC3 locus on chromosome 15 (P  =  5.71 × 10(-7)). In addition, meta-analysis using the five cohorts with ≥3 FEV1 measurements per participant identified the novel ME3 locus on chromosome 11 (P  =  2.18 × 10(-8)) at genome-wide significance. Neither locus was associated with FEV1 decline in two additional cohort studies. We confirmed gene expression of IL16, STARD5, and ME3 in multiple lung tissues. Publicly available microarray data confirmed differential expression of all three genes in lung samples from COPD patients compared with controls. Irrespective of genotypes, the combined estimate for FEV1 decline was 26.9, 29.2 and 35.7 mL/year in never, former, and persistent smokers, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In this large-scale GWAS, we identified two novel genetic loci in association with the rate of change in FEV1 that harbor candidate genes with biologically plausible functional links to lung function

Single-Spin Addressing in an Atomic Mott Insulator

Ultracold atoms in optical lattices are a versatile tool to investigate fundamental properties of quantum many body systems. In particular, the high degree of control of experimental parameters has allowed the study of many interesting phenomena such as quantum phase transitions and quantum spin dynamics. Here we demonstrate how such control can be extended down to the most fundamental level of a single spin at a specific site of an optical lattice. Using a tightly focussed laser beam together with a microwave field, we were able to flip the spin of individual atoms in a Mott insulator with sub-diffraction-limited resolution, well below the lattice spacing. The Mott insulator provided us with a large two-dimensional array of perfectly arranged atoms, in which we created arbitrary spin patterns by sequentially addressing selected lattice sites after freezing out the atom distribution. We directly monitored the tunnelling quantum dynamics of single atoms in the lattice prepared along a single line and observed that our addressing scheme leaves the atoms in the motional ground state. Our results open the path to a wide range of novel applications from quantum dynamics of spin impurities, entropy transport, implementation of novel cooling schemes, and engineering of quantum many-body phases to quantum information processing.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure

Evidence for large-scale gene-by-smoking interaction effects on pulmonary function

Background: Smoking is the strongest environmental risk factor for reduced pulmonary function. The genetic component of various pulmonary traits has also been demonstrated, and at least 26 loci have been reproducibly associated with either FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in 1 second) or FEV1/FVC (FEV1/forced vital capacity). Although the main effects of smoking and genetic loci are well established, the question of potential gene-by-smoking interaction effect remains unanswered. The aim of the present study was to assess, using a genetic risk score approach, whether the effect of these 26 loci on pulmonary function is influenced by smoking. Methods: We evaluated the interaction between smoking exposure, considered as either ever vs never or pack-years, and a 26-single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) genetic risk score in relation to FEV1 or FEV1/FVC in 50 047 participants of European ancestry from the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) and SpiroMeta consortia. Results: We identified an interaction (beta(int) = -0.036, 95% confidence interval, -0.040 to -0.032, P = 0.00057) between an unweighted 26 SNP genetic risk score and smoking status (ever/never) on the FEV1/FVC ratio. In interpreting this interaction, we showed that the genetic risk of falling below the FEV1/FVC threshold used to diagnose chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is higher among ever smokers than among never smokers. A replication analysis in two independent datasets, although not statistically significant, showed a similar trend in the interaction effect. Conclusions: This study highlights the benefit of using genetic risk scores for identifying interactions missed when studying individual SNPs and shows, for the first time, that persons with the highest genetic risk for low FEV1/FVC may be more susceptible to the deleterious effects of smoking.Peer reviewe

Genome-wide association analysis identifies six new loci associated with forced vital capacity

Forced vital capacity (FVC), a spirometric measure of pulmonary function, reflects lung volume and is used to diagnose and monitor lung diseases. We performed genome-wide association study meta-analysis of FVC in 52,253 individuals from 26 studies and followed up the top associations in 32,917 additional individuals of European ancestry. We found six new regions associated at genome-wide significance (P < 5 × 10−8) with FVC in or near EFEMP1, BMP6, MIR129-2–HSD17B12, PRDM11, WWOX and KCNJ2. Two loci previously associated with spirometric measures (GSTCD and PTCH1) were related to FVC. Newly implicated regions were followed up in samples from African-American, Korean, Chinese and Hispanic individuals. We detected transcripts for all six newly implicated genes in human lung tissue. The new loci may inform mechanisms involved in lung development and the pathogenesis of restrictive lung disease

Incentivizing the Dynamic Workforce: Learning Contracts in the Gig-Economy

In principal-agent models, a principal offers a contract to an agent to perform a certain task. The agent exerts a level of effort that maximizes her utility. The principal is oblivious to the agent's chosen level of effort, and conditions her wage only on possible outcomes. In this work, we consider a model in which the principal is unaware of the agent's utility and action space. She sequentially offers contracts to identical agents, and observes the resulting outcomes. We present an algorithm for learning the optimal contract under mild assumptions. We bound the number of samples needed for the principal obtain a contract that is within $\epsilon$ of her optimal net profit for every $\epsilon>0$