Adaptive deblocking filter for transform domain Wyner-Ziv video coding

Wyner-Ziv (WZ) video coding is a particular case of distributed video coding, the recent video coding paradigm based on the Slepian-Wolf and Wyner-Ziv theorems that exploits the source correlation at the decoder and not at the encoder as in predictive video coding. Although many improvements have been done over the last years, the performance of the state-of-the-art WZ video codecs still did not reach the performance of state-of-the-art predictive video codecs, especially for high and complex motion video content. This is also true in terms of subjective image quality mainly because of a considerable amount of blocking artefacts present in the decoded WZ video frames. This paper proposes an adaptive deblocking filter to improve both the subjective and objective qualities of the WZ frames in a transform domain WZ video codec. The proposed filter is an adaptation of the advanced deblocking filter defined in the H.264/AVC (advanced video coding) standard to a WZ video codec. The results obtained confirm the subjective quality improvement and objective quality gains that can go up to 0.63 dB in the overall for sequences with high motion content when large group of pictures are used

Anaphylaxis in Pregnancy: a Rare Cause of Neonatal Mortality

Anaphylaxis is a rare condition in pregnancy. Drugs are the aetiological agents most often implicated. Maternal anaphylaxis can lead to significant fetal morbidity and even mortality if uterine perfusion and maternal oxygenation are compromised. Significant risk of neonatal neurological damage or death can occur even when the maternal clinical outcome is favourable. The authors present the case of a newborn, born at gestational age of 29 weeks, who died at 11 days of life with hypoxic-ischaemic cerebral injuries as a consequence of maternal anaphylaxis following the administration of amoxicillin in the community setting.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Statistical motion learning for improved transform domain Wyner-Ziv video coding

Wyner - Ziv (WZ) video coding is a particular case of distributed video coding (DVC), the recent video coding paradigm based on the Slepian - Wolf and Wyner - Ziv theorems which exploits the source temporal correlation at the decoder and not at the encoder as in predictive video coding. Although some progress has been made in the last years, WZ video coding is still far from the compression performance of predictive video coding, especially for high and complex motion contents. The WZ video codec adopted in this study is based on a transform domain WZ video coding architecture with feedback channel-driven rate control, whose modules have been improved with some recent coding tools. This study proposes a novel motion learning approach to successively improve the rate-distortion (RD) performance of the WZ video codec as the decoding proceeds, making use of the already decoded transform bands to improve the decoding process for the remaining transform bands. The results obtained reveal gains up to 2.3 dB in the RD curves against the performance for the same codec without the proposed motion learning approach for high motion sequences and long group of pictures (GOP) sizes

VO2 prediction based on physiologic and mechanical exercise measurements

The Cardiopulmonary Exercise Test (CPET) is a diagnostic test that evaluates the functional capacity of an individual through the integrated response of the cardiovascular, respiratory, and metabolic systems. VO2 max is the parameter that access functional capacity, although it’s difficult to achieve given the effort that implies. In recent years, an increase in computing capabilities combined with the available storage of large amounts of information has led to a heightened interest in machine learning (ML). We aimed in this study to enable CPET with ML models that allow predicting oxygen consumption in healthy individuals. The study methodology is based on the cleaning and exploratory analysis of a public database with about 992 CPETs performed on healthy individuals and athletes. To predict each value of VO2 (~569,000 instances), five ML algorithms were used (Random Forests, kNN, Neural Networks, Linear Regression, and SVM) with heart rate, respiratory rate, time from the beginning of the exam and treadmill speed, using a 20-fold cross-validation. The best result came from the Random Forest model, with a R2 of 0.88 and a RMSE of 334.34 ml.min-1. Furthermore, using the same methodology but different features, we tried to predict the VO2max with the 724 adult participants with a maximal test (RER≥1.05) but weaker results were obtained (the best model was the Linear Regression, with a R2 of 0.50 and a RMSE of 498.06 ml.min-1). Still, this model showed a better correlation with the real VO2max than the Wasserman equation (R=0.71 vs R=0.59). It is possible to predict with accuracy breath-by-breath VO2, based on easy-to-obtain physiological and mechanical measurements.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Prelacteal Feeding of Newborns in Postconflict Timor-Leste

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of prelacteal feeding and its associated factors in Timor-Leste using updated data from the national survey. Methods: Complex sample analysis was undertaken to account for the 2-stage cluster design of the Demographic and Health Survey 2009–2010. Backward stepwise logistic regression was conducted to ascertain factors associated with the prevalence of prelacteal feeding. Results: A total of 4821 mother–infant pairs were included in the analysis. The prevalence of prelacteal feeding was 12.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 11.1–13.5). The most popular prelacteal food was plain water (50.7%), followed by glucose/sugar water (32.5%) and milk other than breast milk (22.7%). Older mothers (35–49 years), mothers with upper socioeconomic status, those who perceived their newborns as small size, and those residing in urban areas were approximately 1.5 times more likely to give prelacteal feeds, whereas women who followed religions other than Roman Catholic had twice the risk (adjusted odds ratio 1.98; 95% CI 1.16–3.41). Conclusions: Antenatal and postnatal counselling sessions that promote exclusive breast-feeding and discourage prelacteal feeding are needed that specifically target these vulnerable subgroups of Timorese mothers

Traffic Vertical Signposting: Materials Characterization and Structural Numerical Simulation

Aknowlegements: This work was supported by the project POCI-01-0247-FEDER-010797from the Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (IAPMEI). In addition, the authors acknowledge the funding from the project UID/Multi/04044/2013 of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and PAMI - ROTEIRO/0328/2013 (Nº 022158).The existing metallic solutions used for vertical traffic signs are associated with higher costs and environmental issues due to their manufacturing and degradation, when compared with polymeric solutions. Thus, the development of vertical signs considering the injection from polymeric materials in order to overcome problems related with sustainability, maintenance costs, and to achieve higher resistance to corrosion assumes nowadays an important role. The use of ecofriendly and innovative products considering the industrial waste combined with synthetic polymers performing the appropriate mechanical properties, can also be studied to find out new solutions that allow to solve the aforementioned problems. Additionally, these innovative vertical signs can contribute to avoid vandalism events related with theft and graffiti activities. This work presents the prior materials investigation and the structural design of vertical signs that are intended to be produced through polymer injection. Three main steps were considered: i) materials research, ii) materials characterisation through the analysis of polycarbonate resin isolated and in different sets of mixtures with different concentrations through tensile testing and static water contact angle measurements to find the optimal material composition; and iii) structural numerical simulation considering polycarbonate resin and using the current standard EN 12899-1 [1] to compute wind resistance, temporary and permanent deflections. Both experimental and numerical results led to an optimized proposal of the vertical signposting structural design.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Electron spin resonance of nitrogen-vacancy centers in optically trapped nanodiamonds

Using an optical tweezers apparatus, we demonstrate three-dimensional control of nanodiamonds in solution with simultaneous readout of ground-state electron-spin resonance (ESR) transitions in an ensemble of diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers. Despite the motion and random orientation of NV centers suspended in the optical trap, we observe distinct peaks in the measured ESR spectra qualitatively similar to the same measurement in bulk. Accounting for the random dynamics, we model the ESR spectra observed in an externally applied magnetic field to enable d.c. magnetometry in solution. We estimate the d.c. magnetic field sensitivity based on variations in ESR line shapes to be ~50 microTesla/Hz^1/2. This technique may provide a pathway for spin-based magnetic, electric, and thermal sensing in fluidic environments and biophysical systems inaccessible to existing scanning probe techniques.Comment: 29 pages, 13 figures for manuscript and supporting informatio

An ASPIC Based Assessment of Redfish (S. mentella and S. fasciatus) in NAFO Divisions 3LN (assuming that the highest apparently sustained historical average level of catch is a sound proxy to MSY)

There are two species of redfish in Divisions 3L and 3N, the deep-sea redfish (Sebastes mentella) and the Acadian redfish (Sebastes fasciatus) that have been commercially fished and reported collectively as redfish in fishery statistics. Redfish in Div. 3LN is regarded as a management unit composed of two Grand Bank populations from those two very similar redfish species. The present ASPIC assessment is based on the logistic form of a non-equilibrium surplus production model (Schaeffer, 1954; Prager, 1994), adjusted to a standardized catch rate series (Power, 1997) and to most of the stratified-random bottom trawl surveys conducted in various years and seasons in Div. 3L and Div. 3N from 1978 onwards. Both CPUE and surveys were used with all observations of each series. This assessment is not a follow up of the previous ones (Ávila de Melo et al., 2012 and 2010). The logistic Schaefer production model (1954) incorporated in ASPIC operating model (Prager, 1994) can not cope anymore with the most recent biomass increases observed in both spring and (mainly) autumn Canadian 3LN surveys, unless it is allowed to provide unrealistic assessment results. And continuing to strip off the highs of each one of these series, in order to get a picture in line to what is the perception of the stock history from commercial and survey data trends, is no longer a valid option, as reflected on the last STACFIS research recommendation on this matter (NAFO, 2012). Being so, input has been reframed opening room to a new combination of Canadian autumn 3L and 3N surveys. The inclusion of the Spanish spring survey on Div. 3N and the removal of the historical CPUE series have also been considered. Two selected frameworks options have finally run with MSY kept constant at an initial starting guess, instead of being estimated by the model. Before entering the latest (2013) ASPIC Suite flow, the input selected from exploratory analysis was submitted to a sensitivity test in order to evaluate the robustness of the new framework against variability on random number seed, start user guesses for key model parameters and last year survey biomass. The consistency of the new ASPIC assessment with their predecessors was checked by comparison of biomass and fishing mortality fit trajectories against previous ones from the 2012 and 2010 assessments. A 2014-2012 retrospective analysis was also performed with good results (small retro bias on relative biomass and fishing 2 mortality in response to the general increase of the still standing survey series), and the assessment pursued successfully to bootstrap mode (again good consistency with previous results) and projections. A medium term management plan is finally proposed, based on bi-annual increases of the catch from the present TAC level of 6 500 t up to target catch/TAC of 18 100 t, the 2014 equilibrium yield from the present assessment, that should be in place by 2019-2020. This management plan allows, with a very high probability, that biomass is kept above Bmsy and fishing mortality below Fmsy

HOMA-IR and non-HDL-C as predictors of high cholesteryl ester transfer protein activity in patients at risk for type 2 diabetes

Background and aims: Metabolic syndrome (MS) and type 2 diabetes are highly associated with an abnormal lipoprotein profile, which may be generated and accentuated by high cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) activity. Given the difficulty in measuring CETP activity, the aim was to identify simple biochemical predictors of high CETP activity. Design and methods: Eighty five subjects at risk for type 2 diabetes were classified according to the presence of MS. Lipoprotein profile, HOMA-IR and endogenous CETP activity were evaluated. Results: As expected, MS patients presented higher concentration of glucose, insulin, triglycerides and non-HDL-C and lower HDL-C levels. Moreover, MS patients exhibited increased HOMA-IR and CETP activity. Employing a ROC curve for MS, high CETP activity was defined as >250%ml⁻¹ h⁻¹. The predictive variables of high CETP were non-HDL-C≥160mg/dl (OR=11.1;95%IC=3.3-38.2;p2.1 (OR=4.4;95%IC=1.3-14.8;p<0.05). Conclusions: High non-HDL-C and insulin resistance were predictors for increased CETP activity which measurement is not accessible for clinical laboratories

Influence de la retaille de la vigne après une gelée sur le comportement agronomique du cépage ‘Jaen’

Dans un essai installé pour étudier l’adaptation de trois porte-greffes - 99R, 1103P et SO4 - a un terroir typique de la région du Dão - Portugal - l’incidence d’une sévère gelée, un mois après le débourrement, à détruit presque toute la végétation. Avec l´objectif de connaître la réponse a une retaille, fait au niveau du premier noeud, 15 jours après la gelée, on a subdivisé l’essai de façon a permettre la comparaison avec un témoin non retaillé. Après l’accident, beaucoup de bourgeons, latents jusque-lá, ont débourré. Sur les pousses affectées par la gelée on a vérifié une croissance des anticipés, qui ont été plus nombreuses dans le témoin. Le rapide développement de la nouvelle végétation a permis l´obtention d’un plan de feuillage bien rempli a mi-Juin. Les rendements ont été très bas (1.9 a 2.7 t/ha) et les grappillons ont contribué avec un grand pourcentage (40 a 47 %). La maturation a été plus tardive toutefois les moûts obtenus ont atteint une qualité acceptable (194 g de sucre/l). En général l’effet du porte-greffe n’a pas été significatif, hors le nombre de grappes significativement supérieur obtenu sur le SO4 et le plus élevé pH du moût obtenu sur le 1103 P. La retaille a induit un rendement significativement plus elevé en résultat d’un plus grand nombre de grappillons. Au niveau de la qualité, seulement l´acidité total du môut a présenté une valeur plus élevée dans les souches retaillées. Dans le témoin on a obtenu un nombre de sarments supérieur mais avec un poids unitaire inférieur. Toutefois l’augmentation du poids par sarment dans les souches retaillées n’a pas été suffisant pour compenser l’inférieur nombre des sarments et, conséquemment, la retaille a donné un poids de bois de taille significativement plus bas. Les donnés montrent que la retaille a été une pratique très important surtout par son effet sur la réduction du nombre de sarments. L’augmentation de la vigueur unitaire des sarments a permis une fertilité plus élevée des entre-coeurs et, probablement, a favorisé l´initiation floral des bourgeons latents, responsables pour la production de l’année suivante. Un autre avantage de la retaille c’est la plus grande facilité de la taille d’hiverinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio