Wavelet domain-based video noise reduction using temporal discrete cosine transform and hierarchically adapted thresholding

A novel spatio-temporal filter for video denoising, which operates entirely in the wavelet domain, is proposed. For effective noise reduction, the spatial and temporal redundancies that exist in the wavelet domain representation of a video signal are exploited. First, a 2D discrete wavelet transform is applied to the input noisy frames. This is followed by a discrete cosine transform (DCT), which is applied to the temporal subband coefficients to minimise the redundancy among the consecutive frames. The DCT transformed, noise-free coefficients in the different wavelet domain subbands for the original image sequence are modelled using a prior having a generalised Gaussian distribution. On the basis of this prior, filtering of the noisy wavelet coefficients in each subband is carried out using a new, low-complexity wavelet shrinkage method, which utilises the correlation that exists between subsequent resolution levels. Experimental results show that the proposed scheme outperforms several state-of-the-art spatio-temporal filters in terms of both the peak signal-to-noise ratio and the visual quality     

Studies on the electrical conductivity and galvanomagnetic characteristics of short carbon fibre filled thermoplastic elastomers

The electrical resistivity of short carbon fibre filled thermoplastic elastomers based on natural rubber-high density polyethylene (NR-HDPE) blend and styrene-isoprene-styrene (S-I-S) block copolymer has been studied by varying the concentration of fibre from the 0 to 40 phr level. A sharp drop in resistivity is observed in both cases after a critical concentration of fibre is reached, with the S-I-S system showing lower values of critical concentration. At higher concentrations, experimental values of the electrical conductivity agreed reasonably well with the calculated values from a theory based on the probability of formation of a conductive network. The effect of temperature on the resistivity of the composites has also been investigated in a temperature range of 27–120 °C and 27–90 °C for the NR-HDPE system and S-I-S system, respectively. The type of carrier in both the composites is found to be n-type, i.e. electrons, and the activation energy of hopping of the electrons for both the systems has been calculated. A Hall effect study has also been carried out to determine the carrier concentration and drift mobility of both the composites.     

Traffic classification and scheduling in ATM networks

Virtual paths (VPs) are an integral part of the resource management and control hierarchy of ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) networks. To improve the utilization of network resources and facilitate management and control, source types are organized into traffic classes. Each traffic class is transported by its own virtual path subnetwork. In this paper, we consider issues related to the design of traffic classes. We consider an ATM switch node to which cells arrive from a diverse set of source types. Traffic classes are assumed to be served according to a weighted round robin policy, while cells belonging to a given traffic class are served in first-come-first-served order. We consider the problem of determining the optimal set of traffic classes. Under suitable simplifying assumptions, it is shown that the above problem can be modeled as a set-partitioning problem. The structure of the problem at hand is then exploited to develop an efficient heuristic. Several examples are given to illustrate the developed methodology.Supported partially through NSF Grant NCR-891447 and AT&T Grant 5-23690.     

Binary rewriting and call interception for efficient runtime protection against buffer overflows

Buffer overflow vulnerabilities are one of the most commonly and widely exploited security vulnerabilities in programs. Most existing solutions for avoiding buffer overflows are either inadequate, inefficient or incompatible with existing code. In this paper, we present a novel approach for transparent and efficient runtime protection against buffer overflows. The approach is implemented by two tools: Type Information Extractor and Depositor (TIED) and LibsafePlus. TIED is first used on a binary executable or shared library file to extract type information from the debugging information inserted in the file by the compiler and reinsert it in the file as a data structure available at runtime. LibsafePlus is a shared library that is preloaded when the program is run. LibsafePlus intercepts unsafe C library calls such as strcpy and uses the type information made available by TIED at runtime to determine whether it would be ‘safe’ to carry out the operation. With our simple design we are able to protect most applications with a performance overhead of less than 10%. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fatigue characteristics of pulsed MIG-welded Al-Zn-Mg alloy

Pulse-current MIG welding of Al-Zn-Mg alloy was carried out using an extruded section of base material and Al-Mg (5183) filler wire. During welding the pulse parameters such as the mean current and pulse frequency were varied and their effect on the geometry and porosity content of weld deposit as well as the fatigue life of the weldment was studied. The pulse parameters were found to affect significantly the geometry and porosity content of weld deposit and consequently the fatigue life of the weldment. For a comparative study, weldments were also prepared by using conventional continuous current MIG-welding process, where welding currents equivalent to the mean currents of pulsed process were used. The fatigue life of the weldment was correlated with the geometry and porosity content of weld deposit.     

Pulsed underwater corona discharges as a source of strong oxidants: *OH and H2O2.

Because of undesirable side effects of chemical methods pulsed underwater corona discharges are emerging as a potential future advanced oxidation process (AOP) for water disinfection. In pulsed corona discharges a discharge channel is created, which contains a non-thermal plasma with a low degree of ionisation and low electron densities, but with electron energies of up to 10 eV. It has been demonstrated that electrons with this energy can dissociate water and oxygen molecules and produce various reactive radicals (*OH, H*, O*, HO2*), molecular species (H2O2, H2, O2), ultraviolet radiation and shock waves. It is supposed that the combination of all effects leads to a very efficient killing of microorganisms. To understand this in detail and to improve the efficiency of the overall system there is the need to develop suitable diagnostic methods for the quantitative determination of the various oxidants produced during the discharge. In this paper we present preliminary experimental results obtained with different chemical probes for *OH radicals, and H2O2 produced by pulsed corona discharges.     

Protective effect of Picroliv from Picrorhiza kurroa against Leishmania donovani infections in Mesocricetus auratus

The prevalent drugs for treatment of kala azar viz. sodium stibogluconate (SSG) and pentamidine cause severe toxic side effects and acute immunosuppression in the treated individuals. Picroliv, a standardized mixture of iridoid glycosides, prepared from the alcoholic extract of the root and rhizome of Picrorhiza kurroa has shown strong hepatoprotective activity against several models of hepatotoxicity. Therefore, the present study was undertaken with an objective to study the effects of Picroliv (12.5 mg/kg x 7 days oral) alone and in combination with SSG on parasitemia, lipid peroxidation and hepatic marker enzymes of golden hamsters during Leishmania donovani infection. The results indicated a marked hepatoprotective effect of Picroliv in terms of biochemical markers, and a significant antileishmanial activity implying that it can be utilized as an adjunct to chemotherapy or in combination therapy of kala azar along with sodium stibogluconate, thus enhancing the efficacy of antileishmanials.     

Regulation of interrenal secretion in the axolotl, Ambystoma mexicanum

The regulation of corticosteroid secretion of the adrenal cortex (interrenal tissue) of axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) was studied using in vitro preparations of kidney containing interrenal tissue. Normally, 0.3-0.65 ng/5 min corticosterone and 0.15-0.3 ng/5 min aldosterone were released from the tissue. Regulatory peptides were effective in the following range: ACTH = arginine vasotocin > urotensin II > angiotensin II. They stimulate an elevation of corticosterone (plus 0.2-1 ng/5 min) and of aldosterone (plus 0.05-0.15 ng/5 min). The three primary effector systems leading to second messengers, adenylate cyclase (forming cAMP), phospholipase C (forming InsP3 + DAG), and phospholipase A2 (liberating arachidonic acid) are involved in stimulation of biosynthesis. It can be suggested that the second messengers stimulate the biosynthesis at the level of the steps between pregnenolone and corticosterone ('3 beta-hydroxysteroid-dehydrogenase etc.), because the release of corticosterone is more stimulated than aldosterone. This is different than the regulation of anuran interrenal tissue. Ca++ ions are involved in corticosterone secretion. Verapamil inhibits immediately the secretion of corticosteroids and elevation of external Ca++ stimulates the release. It is suggested that Ca++ mediates the secretion process itself. Metamorphosis does not change the response of the interrenal gland compared with the neotenic animal.     

Increased incidence of spina bifida occulta in fluorosis prone areas

Spina bifida, a congenital deformity of the posterior wall of vertebrae of the spine, is a midline defect of skin, vertebral arches and neural tube, usually in the lumbosacral region. Its incidence is reported to be 0.2 to 0.4 per 1000 live births. Various hypotheses have been put forward as etiological factors for spina bifida including consumption of potato affected by blight and hardness of drinking water but these have not been proven. Two groups of 50 randomly chosen children were established. The study group consisted of children aged 5 to 12 years, weighing 15 to 30 kg, consuming fluoride rich drinking water (4.5 and 8.5 ppm fluoride; WHO permissible limit is 1.5 ppm fluoride), and manifesting either clinical, dental and/or skeletal fluorosis. The control group consisted of age and weight-matched children, consuming less than or equal to 1.5 ppm fluoride in drinking water and not showing any evidence of fluoride toxicity. These children were evaluated for antenatal history, general clinical examination (especially for dimples, tufts of hair, haemangioma on skin throughout the length of spine), other congenital abnormalities, evidence of fluoride toxicity, biochemical estimation for fluoride levels in blood and serum and by skiagrams of the spine to examine for the presence of spina bifida occulta. A total of 22 (44%) of the 50 children in group A, the study group, and 6 (12%) of the 50 children in group B, the control group, revealed spina bifida occulta in the lumbosacral region.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)