Joint On-the-Fly Network Coding/Video Quality Adaptation for Real-Time Delivery

This paper introduces a redundancy adaptation algorithm for an on-the-fly erasure network coding scheme called Tetrys in the context of real-time video transmission. The algorithm exploits the relationship between the redundancy ratio used by Tetrys and the gain or loss in encoding bit rate from changing a video quality parameter called the Quantization Parameter (QP). Our evaluations show that with equal or less bandwidth occupation, the video protected by Tetrys with redundancy adaptation algorithm obtains a PSNR gain up to or more 4 dB compared to the video without Tetrys protection. We demonstrate that the Tetrys redundancy adaptation algorithm performs well with the variations of both loss pattern and delay induced by the networks. We also show that Tetrys with the redundancy adaptation algorithm outperforms FEC with and without redundancy adaptation

Online multipath convolutional coding for real-time transmission

Most of multipath multimedia streaming proposals use Forward Error Correction (FEC) approach to protect from packet losses. However, FEC does not sustain well burst of losses even when packets from a given FEC block are spread over multiple paths. In this article, we propose an online multipath convolutional coding for real-time multipath streaming based on an on-the-fly coding scheme called Tetrys. We evaluate the benefits brought out by this coding scheme inside an existing FEC multipath load splitting proposal known as Encoded Multipath Streaming (EMS). We demonstrate that Tetrys consistently outperforms FEC in both uniform and burst losses with EMS scheme. We also propose a modification of the standard EMS algorithm that greatly improves the performance in terms of packet recovery. Finally, we analyze different spreading policies of the Tetrys redundancy traffic between available paths and observe that the longer propagation delay path should be preferably used to carry repair packets.Comment: Online multipath convolutional coding for real-time transmission (2012

Determinants of deforestation in Vietnam, 2008 – 2015

2022 Summer.Includes bibliographical references.New methods including satellite data, geographic information systems (GIS), and remote sensing processing have discovered human expansion over forest areas referred as forest degradation. This study acknowledges these findings but insists on using official data to address some drawbacks of previous studies. These drawbacks include (1) the focusing on limited areas, Central Highlands areas, instead of a national scale, (2) exclusion of resources trade from the analysis, (3) lacking consideration of the spatial and longitudinal autocorrelation, which is overlooked in panel analysis; and (4) the inconsistency of the relation between poverty and deforestation. This research investigated the effects of land-use change from agricultural expansion and timber extraction, resources trade, and community poverty on province-level forest coverage in Vietnam from 2008 to 2015 using panel and spatial autoregressive modelling. After accounting for resources trade, effect of agricultural expansion as well as forest extraction disappear. In addition, panel analysis suggests no covariate along poverty rate affects forest coverage while the spatial analysis suggests literacy rate and agricultural land are also have significant effects

Unlocking Cross-border Philanthropy in Asia: An Assessment of Donor Interest and Infrastructure Readiness

When Give2Asia was founded 20 years ago, international philanthropy primarily flowed in one direction, as donors in the West supported nonprofits in other locales. Strong tax incentives for charitable giving fueled a steady increase in overseas philanthropy.Today, the landscape of potential donors is far more diverse. With increasing levels of wealth across the Asia-Pacific, there is great potential to address pressing humanitarian needs by increasing funding flows between countries in the Global South.Produced in cooperation with the Asia Philanthropy Circle, King Baudouin Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, this report provides a roadmap for establishing a cross-border giving network for Asia.The multi-year research effort included interviews with 150 high-net-worth donors/institutions and survey responses from 135 nonprofits. The study aims to answer two key questions:1) Is there an appetite and need for infrastructure that supports cross-border giving within Asia?2) If so, what institutions might participate in building it, and where

Programming Manikins: A Video Training Module for the Gaumard UNI Software

Nursing training has in the past relied on students’ assessment of each other, and procedural practice was at the expense of actual on-the-job training with real patients. However, with today’s technologies, exposure to realistic manikins that can replicate physiology is making it possible for better and safer training. Nursing simulation centers are now the hub for such education, training, and practice. But having competent staff to operate the manikins can come at a high cost for technical training. This Instructional Design project aims to support staff turnover and training with an online video-based instructional module that can serve as both a refresher and reference resource. The Dick and Carey model for instructional design was used to develop the module following the cognitive domain with Gagne’s 9 Events of Instruction. Specifically, video modules for the Gaumard Manikin UNI Software were created using the screen capturing tool, Camtasia, and hosted on Google Sites (https://sites.google.com/a/hawaii.edu/uni). The training focused on how to navigate the software to operate the manikin using pre-existing programmed scenarios, on-the-fly without a programmed scenario, and how to program one’s own scenario for use. Fifteen participants completed the online self-paced module that involved a demographics pre-survey, pre-test, three parts with embedded test questions, post-test, and a post-attitudinal survey. Results showed improvements across the board from pre- to post-test, suggesting that the module is effective as a review and resource for both old and new staff regardless of their experience with the manikin technology

Towards an incremental deployment of ERN protocols: a proposal for an E2E-ERN hybrid protocol

We propose an architecture based on a hybrid E2E-ERN approach to allow incremental deployment of ERN (Explicit Rate Notification) protocols in heterogeneous networks. The proposed IP-ERN architecture combines E2E (End-to-End)and ERN protocols and uses the minimum between both congestion windows to perform. Without introducing complex operation, the resulting E2E-ERN protocol provides inter and intra protocol fairness and benefits from all ERN protocol advantages when possible. We detail the principle of this novel IP-ERN architecture and show that this architecture is highly adaptive to the network dynamic and is compliant with IPv4, IPv6 as well as IP-in-IP tunneling solutions