Highly scalable, low-complexity image coding using zeroblocks of wavelet coefficients

© 2005 IEEE.We propose a new highly scalable wavelet transform-based image coder, called S-SPECK, on the extension of a well-known zero-block image coder SPECK, by achieving not only distortion scalability, resolution scalability, and region of interest (ROI) retrievability, but also excellent compression performance with very low computational complexity. Though new features have been introduced into S-SPECK, our coder is quite competitive with SPECK on compression performance (peak signal-to-noise ratio) and computational complexity (encoding and decoding times) at various bit rates for standard test images. A novel quality layer formatting method is implemented in S-SPECK, which is much simpler and faster than PCRD used in JPEG2000. Extensive experiments have verified all our claims for S-SPECK.Gui Xie, Hong She

The Peculiar Behavior of Halo Coronal Mass Ejections in Solar Cycle 24

We report on a remarkable finding that the halo coronal mass ejections (CMEs) in cycle 24 are more abundant than in cycle 23, although the sunspot number in cycle 24 has dropped by about 40%. We also find that the distribution of halo-CME source locations is different in cycle 24: the longitude distribution of halos is much flatter with the number of halos originating at central meridian distance >/=60 degrees twice as large as that in cycle 23. On the other hand, the average speed and the associated soft X-ray flare size are the same in the two cycles, suggesting that the ambient medium into which the CMEs are ejected is significantly different. We suggest that both the higher abundance and larger central meridian longitudes of halo CMEs can be explained as a consequence of the diminished total pressure in the heliosphere in cycle 24 (Gopalswamy et al. 2014). The reduced total pressure allows CMEs expand more than usual making them appear as halos.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, April 7, 201

The First Ground Level Enhancement Event of Solar Cycle 24: Direct Observation of Shock Formation and Particle Release Heights

We report on the 2012 May 17 Ground Level Enhancement (GLE) event, which is the first of its kind in Solar Cycle 24. This is the first GLE event to be fully observed close to the surface by the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) mission. We determine the coronal mass ejection (CME) height at the start of the associated metric type II radio burst (i.e., shock formation height) as 1.38 Rs (from the Sun center). The CME height at the time of GLE particle release was directly measured from a STEREO image as 2.32 Rs, which agrees well with the estimation from CME kinematics. These heights are consistent with those obtained for cycle-23 GLEs using back-extrapolation. By contrasting the 2012 May 17 GLE with six other non-GLE eruptions from well-connected regions with similar or larger flare size and CME speed, we find that the latitudinal distance from the ecliptic is rather large for the non-GLE events due to a combination of non-radial CME motion and unfavorable solar B0 angle, making the connectivity to Earth poorer. We also find that the coronal environment may play a role in deciding the shock strength.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl

Bogoliubov Hamiltonian as Derivative of Dirac Hamiltonian via Braid Relation

In this paper we discuss a new type of 4-dimensional representation of the braid group. The matrices of braid operations are constructed by q-deformation of Hamiltonians. One is the Dirac Hamiltonian for free electron with mass m, the other, which we find, is related to the Bogoliubov Hamiltonian for quasiparticles in $^3$He-B with the same free energy and mass being m/2. In the process, we choose the free q-deformation parameter as a special value in order to be consistent with the anyon description for fractional quantum Hall effect with $\nu = 1/2$.Comment: 3 pages, 5 figure

Surface-wave interferometry on single subwavelength slit-groove structures fabricated on gold films

We apply the technique of far-field interferometry to measure the properties of surface waves generated by two-dimensional (2D) single subwavelength slit-groove structures on gold films. The effective surface index of refraction measured for the surface wave propagating over a distance of more than 12 microns is determined to be 1.016 with a measurement uncertainty of 0.004, to within experimental uncertainty of the expected bound surface plasmon-polariton (SPP) value for a Au/Air interface of 1.018. We compare these measurements to finite-difference-time-domain (FDTD) numerical simulations of the optical field transmission through these devices. We find excellent agreement between the measurements and the simulations for the surface index of refraction. The measurements also show that the surface wave propagation parameter exhibits transient behavior close to the slit, evolving smoothly from greater values asymptotically toward the value expected for the SPP over the first 2-3 microns of slit-groove distance. This behavior is confirmed by the FDTD simulations

Integration of crosswind forces into train dynamic modelling

In this paper a new method is used to calculate unsteady wind loadings acting on a railway vehicle. The method takes input data from wind tunnel testing or from computational fluid dynamics simulations (one example of each is presented in this article), for aerodynamic force and moment coefficients and combines these with fluctuating wind velocity time histories and train speed to produce wind force time histories on the train. This method is fast and efficient and this has allowed the wind forces to be applied to a vehicle dynamics simulation for a long length of track. Two typical vehicles (one passenger, one freight) have been modelled using the vehicle dynamics simulation package ‘VAMPIRE®’, which allows detailed modelling of the vehicle suspension and wheel—rail contact. The aerodynamic coefficients of the passenger train have been obtained from wind tunnel tests while those of the freight train have been obtained through fluid dynamic computations using large-eddy simulation. Wind loadings were calculated for the same vehicles for a range of average wind speeds and applied to the vehicle models using a user routine within the VAMPIRE package. Track irregularities measured by a track recording coach for a 40 km section of the main line route from London to King's Lynn were used as input to the vehicle simulations. The simulated vehicle behaviour was assessed against two key indicators for derailment; the Y/Q ratio, which is an indicator of wheel climb derailment, and the Δ Q/Q value, which indicates wheel unloading and therefore potential roll over. The results show that vehicle derailment by either indicator is not predicted for either vehicle for any mean wind speed up to 20 m/s (with consequent gusts up to around 30 m/s). At a higher mean wind speed of 25 m/s derailment is predicted for the passenger vehicle and the unladen freight vehicle (but not for the laden freight vehicle)