A pretreatment to improve the quality metrics performance for encoding H264/AVC

The study of the human visual system is very interesting to quantify the quality of an image or to predict perceived information. The contrast sensitivity function is one of the main ways to incorporate the human visual system properties in an imaging system. It characterizes its sensitivity to spatial frequencies. In this paper, we are interested in establishing a pretreatment for existing metrics with full reference (“peak signal‐to‐noise ratio”, “digital video quality”) for the H.264/MPEG‐4 (Motion Picture Expert Group) advanced video coding standard. We realize in our algorithm the FFT transformation to apply the contrast sensitivity function. Our method is applicable to any size of image and video sequence by increasing its size at powers of two. This increase is achieved by adding “mirror image.” We evaluate the performance of the proposed pretreatment by using subjective “LIVE” video databases. The performance metrics, that is, Pearson (PLCC), Spearman correlation coefficients (SROCC) and root mean square prediction error (RMSE) indicate that the proposed method gives a good performance in H264 codec distortions.     

Families and Networks of Internet Memes: The Relationship Between Cohesiveness,Uniqueness, and Quiddity Concreteness

This study employs a large‐scale quantitative analysis to reveal structural patterns of internet memes, focusing on 2 forces that bind them together: the quiddities of each meme family and the generic attributes of the broader memetic sphere. Using content and network analysis of 1013 meme instances (including videos, images, and text), we explore memes' prevalent quiddity types and generic features, and the ways in which they relate to each other. Our findings show that (a) higher cohesiveness of meme families is associated with a greater uniqueness of their generic attributes; and (b) the concreteness of meme quiddities is associated with cohesiveness and uniqueness. We discuss the implications of these findings to the understanding of internet memes and participatory culture.     

Development of “H‐Shaped” monopole antenna for IEEE 802.11a and HIPERLAN 2 applications in the laptop computer

A very low profile and ultra‐thin “H‐Shaped” antenna for IEEE 802.11a and HIPERLAN 2 wireless applications in the laptop computer is developed. The antenna is designed using only a pure copper strip of size 17.5(L) × 4(W) mm² with thickness of only 0.035 mm. The novelty of the proposed antenna is that the antenna is designed with only one rectangular radiating strip without using any additional reactive components, vias or three dimensional structure. Furthermore, the proposed antenna does not require any additional ground plane for installing in laptops. The proposed antenna is comprised of one radiating strip, one rectangular stub, and two resonating slots, namely, “X” and “Y” of length 7.5 mm and 7 mm, respectively. The proposed structure resonates at around 5.5 GHz can cover the (5.15‐5.35/5.725‐5.825) GHz IEEE 802.11a and (5.15‐5.35/5.470‐5.725/5.725‐5.925) GHz HIPERLAN 2 bands. The fabricated prototype antenna has measured impedance bandwidth (VSWR<2) of 15% (5.10‐5.92 GHz) across the operating bands. The measured radiation patterns are nearly omnidirectional along with stable gain of 5 dBi. Moreover, the proposed antenna exhibits excellent radiation efficiency of around 90% across the operating bands. The simulated and measured results of antenna are found to be in good agreement. The very low profile and ultra‐thin structure make it an excellent candidate for wireless operations in the ultra‐thin laptop computers.     

On the dynamics of judgment: does the butterfly effect take place in human working memory?

Why do people hesitate—to do something, or not to do something—even when the data available to them remain constant? The neural model of human working memory (WM) we present in this paper explains hesitation as an emergent property of a complex dynamic structure of stored/processed information. WM is considered as a geometric space inhabited by a “society” of memes, i.e., complex informational structures. A large population of identical memes can cause a feeling, judgment, or intention in an individual. The memes navigate all over WM and interact with one another in a way resembling genetic cross-over; hence, new memes are born at several places in WM. Since the birth of contradictory memes is possible, populations of memes contributing to contradictory feelings, judgments, and plans grow in WM and fight for domination. A computer simulation of the process showed that WM's state sometimes goes to a two-focal “strange” attractor. Hence, sudden mental shifts, as, say, from love to hate and back from hate to love, may be caused by minute fluctuations in the densities of meme streams entering WM. The complex system theory calls this phenomenon the “butterfly effect”. We argue that this effect takes place in the human mind and also can take place in an advanced robot.     

Meme ranking to maximize posts virality in microblogging platforms

Microblogging is a modern communication paradigm in which users post bits of information, or “memes” as we call them, that are brief text updates or micromedia such as photos, video or audio clips. Once a user post a meme, it become visible to the user community. When a user finds a meme of another user interesting, she can eventually repost it, thus allowing memes to propagate virally trough the social network. In this paper we introduce the meme ranking problem, as the problem of selecting which k memes (among the ones posted by their contacts) to show to users when they log into the system. The objective is to maximize the overall activity of the network, that is, the total number of reposts that occur. We deeply characterize the problem showing that not only exact solutions are unfeasible, but also approximated solutions are prohibitive to be adopted in an on-line setting. Therefore we devise a set of heuristics and we compare them trough an extensive simulation based on the real-world Yahoo! Meme social graph, using parameters learnt from real logs of meme propagations. Our experimentation demonstrates the effectiveness and feasibility of these methods.     

EVOLUTION AND MEMES: THE HUMAN BRAIN AS A SELECTIVE IMITATION DEVICE

The meme is an evolutionary replicator, defined as information copied from person-to-person by imitation. I suggest that taking memes into account may provide a better understanding of human evolution in the following way. Memes appeared in human evolution when our ancestors became capable of imitation. From this time on, two replicators memes and genes coevolved. Successful memes changed the selective environment, favoring genes for the ability to copy them. I have called this process memetic drive. Meme-gene coevolution produced a big brain that is especially good at copying certain kinds of memes. This is an example of the more general process in which a replicator and its replication machinery evolve together. The human brain has been designed not just for the benefit of human genes, but for the replication of memes. It is a selective imitation device. Some problems of definition are discussed and suggestions made for future research.     

Will the Revolution be Tweeted or Facebooked? Using Digital Communication Tools in Immigrant Activism

Considering the debate over U.S. immigration reform and the way digital communication technologies increasingly are being used to spark protests, this qualitative study examines focus group discourse of immigration activists to explore how digital media are transforming the definitions of “activism” and “activist.” Analysis suggests technologies are perhaps pacifying would‐be activists, convincing them they are contributing more than they actually are. Thus, “slacktivism,” or “clicktivism” that takes just a mouse click is potentially diluting “real” activism.     

A novel CAD tool for the wideband modeling of 3D waveguide components

This paper describes a fast and flexible CAD tool for the wideband modeling of arbitrarily shaped three‐dimensional waveguide components. The algorithm is based on the evaluation of the poles and the residues of the Y‐parameters by the “boundary integral‐resonant mode expansion” (BI‐RME) method. Some examples demonstrate the efficiency and flexibility of the method. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE 10: 183–189, 2000.     

Emergence of autocatalytic reaction in a meme propagation model based on particle motion

Meme refers to a unit of human cultural transmission, analogous to biological evolution. Meme propagation has an autocatalytic property in the sense that it increases its reproductive rate by duplicating the source of propagation. The purpose of this study is to gain general knowledge about the dynamics of meme propagation. This paper presents a minimal model based on the physical movement of particles for investigating the relationship between the behavior of the hosts (velocity of particles) and the autocatalytic property of the meme. It is demonstrated that two extreme memes, the fastest and the slowest ones, have a strong tendency to survive by autocatalytic properties at individual and aggregate levels, respectively, although all memes seem neutral in terms of fitness in the model definition.     

Networked Press Freedom and Social Media: Tracing Historical and Contemporary Forces in Press‐Public Relations

This paper analyzes how mainstream, online news organizations understand press autonomy in their relationships to audiences. I situate the press in terms of neo‐institutional sociology, seeing its autonomy as a distributed, field‐level phenomenon involving “boundary work” among distributed actors. I then trace press‐audience relations through two historical examples (letters to the editor and ombudsmen), showing how the press has historically both separated itself from and relied upon audiences. Examining eight news organizations' social media policies, I analyze the “inside‐out” and “outside‐in” forces through which the press distinguishes itself from audiences, concluding with a discussion of how such guidelines structure the types of control that news organizations have, or might have, as they use social network sites in their news work.     

Study on general stability and stabilizability of linear discrete‐time stochastic systems

With the aid of spectrum technique, a new concept called “ ??(0, α)‐stabilizability” (0<α≤1) is introduced, for which a necessary and sufficient condition is also proposed via a linear matrix inequality (LMI)‐based approach. Especially, ??(0, α)‐stabilizability is identical with asymptotic mean square stabilizability when α=1. A more general regional stability called “ ??_R‐stability” is discussed extensively and some concrete examples are given. As applications, the relationship among ??(0, α;β)‐stability, the decay rate of the system state response and the second‐order moment Lyapunov exponent is revealed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society     

On‐Site Example‐Based Material Appearance Acquisition

We present a novel example‐based material appearance modeling method suitable for rapid digital content creation. Our method only requires a single HDR photograph of a homogeneous isotropic dielectric exemplar object under known natural illumination. While conventional methods for appearance modeling require prior knowledge on the object shape, our method does not, nor does it recover the shape explicitly, greatly simplifying on‐site appearance acquisition to a lightweight photography process suited for non‐expert users. As our central contribution, we propose a shape‐agnostic BRDF estimation procedure based on binary RGB profile matching. We also model the appearance of materials exhibiting a regular or stationary texture‐like appearance, by synthesizing appropriate mesostructure from the same input HDR photograph and a mesostructure exemplar with (roughly) similar features. We believe our lightweight method for on‐site shape‐agnostic appearance acquisition presents a suitable alternative for a variety of applications that require plausible “rapid‐appearance‐modeling”.     

Classification of adaptive memetic algorithms: a comparative study.

Adaptation of parameters and operators represents one of the recent most important and promising areas of research in evolutionary computations; it is a form of designing self-configuring algorithms that acclimatize to suit the problem in hand. Here, our interests are on a recent breed of hybrid evolutionary algorithms typically known as adaptive memetic algorithms (MAs). One unique feature of adaptive MAs is the choice of local search methods or memes and recent studies have shown that this choice significantly affects the performances of problem searches. In this paper, we present a classification of memes adaptation in adaptive MAs on the basis of the mechanism used and the level of historical knowledge on the memes employed. Then the asymptotic convergence properties of the adaptive MAs considered are analyzed according to the classification. Subsequently, empirical studies on representatives of adaptive MAs for different type-level meme adaptations using continuous benchmark problems indicate that global-level adaptive MAs exhibit better search performances. Finally we conclude with some promising research directions in the area.     

Complementary meander‐line‐inspired dielectric resonator multiple‐input‐multiple‐output antenna for dual‐band applications

The communication presents a simple dielectric resonator (DR) multiple‐input‐multiple‐output (MIMO) dual‐band antenna. It utilizes two “I”‐shaped DR elements to construct an “I”‐shaped DR array antenna (IDRAA) for MIMO applications. The ground plane of the antenna is defected by two spiral complementary meander lines and two circular ground slots. In the configuration, two “I”‐shaped DR elements are placed with a separation of 0.098λ. The antenna covers dual‐band frequency spectra from 3.46 to 5.37 GHz (43.26%) and from 5.89 to 6.49 GHz (9.7%). It ensures the C‐band downlink (3.7‐4.2 GHz), uplink (5.925‐6.425 GHz), and WiMAX (5.15‐5.35 GHz) frequency bands. Each DR element is excited with a 50‐Ω microstrip line feed with aperture‐coupling mechanism. The antenna offers very high port isolation of around 18.5 and 20 dB in the lower band and upper band, respectively. The proposed structure is suitable to operate in the MIMO system because of its very nominal envelope correlation coefficient (<0.015) and high diversity gain (>9.8). The MIMO antenna provides very good mean effective gain value (±0.35 dB) and low channel capacity loss (<0.35 bit/s/Hz) throughout the entire operating bands. Simulated and measured results are in good agreement and they approve the suitability of the proposed IDRAA for C‐band uplink and downlink applications and WiMAX band applications.     

(Russian) Writer‐Bloggers: Digital Perfection and the Aesthetics of Imperfection

This article explores readings of (micro)blogging services as outlets for playful, “imperfect” language. Adopting a transcultural approach, it examines a blog category that has attracted scarce academic attention to date: the creative worker's blog. Through a qualitative analysis of metalinguistic statements by 14 Russian writer‐bloggers, the author tests 2 interdependent hypotheses: (H1) through metalinguistic statements and pragmatic strategies, writers present language play and “imperfect” language as prototypical for new media; and (H2) If H1 is correct, the writer‐blogger's preference for “imperfect” language caters into a broader cultural‐philosophical anxiety – one of foregrounding imperfection as an aesthetic counterresponse to digital perfection.     

Beyond ‘mobility’: A new understanding of moving with technology

We report a surprising experience with mobile technology: the lead author found herself seeing and acting differently while running over part of her usual running track with the exercise‐tracking application ‘Strava’ on her phone, even without focal attention to the app. We apply the method of problematization to a detailed empirical account of this experience, in conjunction with a literature analysis of taken‐for‐granted assumptions underpinning research on ‘mobile technology use’. This reveals that, while the relationship of attention, perception, movement and technology was a key element of the surprise, these themes are not well accounted for in current IS literature. In response, we employ William Gibson's ecological theory of visual perception to reinterpret the empirical account and thereby build a new understanding of the human plus mobile technology that we term moving‐with‐technology. We introduce to IS: moving‐with‐technology as a new analytical perspective; the new phenomena of digital sub‐species, digital‐niches and asynchronous co‐location; and stimulus for new ecologically oriented ‘mobile methods’. Moving‐with‐technology also has practical implications for urban planners who are using data from digital trace‐making tools such as Strava in their decision‐making, thereby generating what we call ecological feedback loops.     

Effects of the News‐Finds‐Me Perception in Communication: Social Media Use Implications for News Seeking and Learning About Politics

With social media at the forefront of today's media context, citizens may perceive they don't need to actively seek news because they will be exposed to news and remain well‐informed through their peers and social networks. We label this the “news‐finds‐me perception,” and test its implications for news seeking and political knowledge: “news‐finds‐me effects.” U.S. panel‐survey data show that individuals who perceive news will find them are less likely to use traditional news sources and are less knowledgeable about politics over time. Although the news‐finds‐me perception is positively associated with news exposure on social media, this behavior doesn't facilitate political learning. These results suggest news continues to enhance political knowledge best when actively sought.     

Latest developments for “system‐on‐glass” displays using low‐temperature poly‐Si TFTs

Abstract— A 2.3‐in.‐diagonal QVGA‐formatted “System‐On‐Glass” display has been developed by using low‐temperature poly‐Si TFT‐LCD technology. This display fully integrates 6‐bit RGB digital interface drivers as well as all the power supply circuitry to drive the LCD, which requires neither external driver ICs nor power‐supply ICs. This paper discusses the newly developed TFT circuit technologies used in this LCD. The development trend of the “System‐On‐Glass” display is also reviewed.     

Developing an expert law tutor

This paper outlines the development considerations which led to the construction of a prototype “expert law tutor”. This is a system which models the competencies of the trained law teacher and is intended primarily for use as an interactive student‐directed multidimensional learning tool. The aim is to computerize those activities which might be encountered in a real‐life tutorial exercise—research, reasoning, problem solving and advising, testing, diagnosis and feedback. The paper takes a liberal view of what constitutes an expert system. The terminology expert system is retained but is defined broadly, perhaps contrary to convention, to encompass not only an advisory component or a diagnostic tool but other tutorial functions. To highlight this difference reference is made to an “expert law tutor”. It is the “expertise” of the human law tutor which is called upon. For this reason the system includes a hypertext library or information component and an multiple choice assessment component as well as a legal adviser. Providing “expert” tutor feedback is a key element in the dialogue between system and student. The prototype system was developed using (inter alia) a rule‐based expert system shell and an object‐oriented hypertext tool, and the paper comments on the features of these development tools.