Suitability of VVC and HEVC for Video Telehealth Systems

Video compression in medical video streaming is one of the key technologies associated with mobile healthcare. Seamless delivery of medical video streams over a resource constrained network emphasizes the need of a video codec that requires minimum bitrates and maintains high perceptual quality. This paper presents a comparative study between High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) and its potential successor Versatile Video Coding (VVC) in the context of healthcare. A large-scale subjective experiment comprising of twenty-four non-expert participants is presented for eight different test conditions in Full High Definition (FHD) videos. The presented analysis highlights the impact of compression artefacts on the perceptual quality of HEVC and VVC processed videos. Our results and findings show that VVC clearly outperforms HEVC in terms of achieving higher compression, while maintaining high quality in FHD videos. VVC requires upto 40% less bitrate for encoding an FHD video at excellent perceptual quality. We have provided rate-quality curves for both encoders and a degree of overlap across both codecs in terms of perceptual quality. Overall, there is a 71% degree of overlap in terms of quality between VVC and HEVC compressed videos for eight different test conditions.     

Root-Of-Trust for Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment Pipeline in Cloud Computing

Cloud computing has gained significant use over the last decade due to its several benefits, including cost savings associated with setup, deployments, delivery, physical resource sharing across virtual machines, and availability of on-demand cloud services. However, in addition to usual threats in almost every computing environment, cloud computing has also introduced a set of new threats as consumers share physical resources due to the physical co-location paradigm. Furthermore, since there are a growing number of attacks directed at cloud environments (including dictionary attacks, replay code attacks, denial of service attacks, rootkit attacks, code injection attacks, etc.), customers require additional assurances before adopting cloud services. Moreover, the continuous integration and continuous deployment of the code fragments have made cloud services more prone to security breaches. In this study, the model based on the root of trust for continuous integration and continuous deployment is proposed, instead of only relying on a single sign-on authentication method that typically uses only id and password. The underlying study opted hardware security module by utilizing the Trusted Platform Module (TPM), which is commonly available as a cryptoprocessor on the motherboards of the personal computers and data center servers. The preliminary proof of concept demonstrated that the TPM features can be utilized through RESTful services to establish the root of trust for continuous integration and continuous deployment pipeline and can additionally be integrated as a secure microservice feature in the cloud computing environment.     

Generating Z‐number based on OWA weights using maximum entropy

In the application of Z‐number, how to generate Z‐number is a significant and open issue. In this paper, we proposed a method of generating Z‐number based on the OWA weights using maximum entropy considering the attitude (preference) of the decision maker. Some numerical examples are used to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Results show that the attitude (preference) of the decision maker can give an optimal possibility distribution of the reliability for Z‐number using maximum entropy.     

The space–time CESE scheme for shallow water equations incorporating variable bottom topography and horizontal temperature gradients

The effects of bottom topography and horizontal temperature gradients on the shallow water flows are theoretically investigated. The considered systems of partial differential equations (PDEs) are non-strictly hyperbolic and non-conservative due to the presence of non-conservative differential terms on the right hand side. The solutions of these model equations are very challenging for a numerical scheme. Thus, our primary goal is to introduce an improved numerical scheme which can handle the non-conservative differential terms efficiently and accurately. In this paper, the space–time conservation element and solution element (CESE) method is extended to approximate these model equations. The proposed scheme has capability to overcome all difficulties posed by this nonlinear system of PDEs. The performance of the scheme is analyzed by considering several case studies of practical interest and the results of suggested scheme are compared with those of central NT scheme. The accuracy of the scheme is verified qualitatively and quantitatively.     

Condition Assessment of Buried Pipes Using Hierarchical Evidential Reasoning Model

Effective inspection and monitoring practices for the condition assessment of pipes ensure better decision(s) for repair or replacement before they fail. Pipe deterioration is a physical manifestation of the aging process in which many factors can contribute to structural failure. Various technologies/ techniques have been developed during the last few years to inspect/monitor piping systems, but how to intelligently interpret the collected data remains a challenge. In this paper, a new approach based on hierarchical evidential reasoning is proposed. This approach uses Dempster–Shafer (D-S) theory to make inferences for condition assessment of buried pipes. A hierarchical evidential reasoning model can help combine different distress indicators (bodies of evidence) at different hierarchical levels using D-S rule of combination. The proposed hierarchical evidential reasoning method is demonstrated with an example of condition assessment for a large diameter pipe. Information from multiple sources is fused to obtain a more reliable assessment of pipe deterioration.     

Raft-forming agents: antireflux formulations

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is caused by excessive reflux of gastric content and duodenal bile into the esophagus, and impaired clearance of refluxate from the esophagus. In this perspective, raft-forming antireflux formulations offer better alternatives to the conventional therapies for treatment of uncomplicated GERD. In addition to the alginate-based systems, various natural polysaccharides have generated interest as raft-forming agents because of their bioadhesive/mucoprotective nature. Inclination of current therapy is towards natural products for healing of the disease, which also underlines the market potential of this class, demanding for thorough investigation and development of evaluation methods with better in vitro-in vivo correlation.     

Preparation and Characterization of a New Conducting Polymer from O‐aminoazotoluene Azo Dye

Anodic polymerization of o‐aminoazotoluene azo dye on platinum electrodes in 0.5 M HCl in 50% v/v ethanol/water and in MeCN was studied by cyclic voltammetry. The formed films, in both media, were electroactive in acidic solutions but electroinactive in neutral and alkaline solutions and aprotic MeCN. The pair of redox peaks due to the electroactivity is attributed to a 1:1 proton + electron elimination (on oxidation)/addition (on reduction) at the amino/imino linkages which connect the aromatic nuclei. Chronocoulometry showed that the kinetics of these processes were dominated by the transport of solvated protons and Cl⁻ ions through the polymer films. Reduction of the polymer films in acid solutions led to their gradual degradation due to the irreversible reduction of the azo groups in the polymer skeleton, while the reversible reduction of these groups in MeCN saved the polymer from degradation. The rate of electron transfer reactions of the redox couple [Fe(CN)₆]^3−/4− on polymer‐covered platinum electrodes decreased substantially with increasing the polymer film thickness.     

Emergy-based life cycle assessment (Em-LCA) for sustainability appraisal of infrastructure systems: a case study on paved roads

Civil infrastructure systems are critical assets that are subjected to damage, service-life deterioration, and increasing maintenance and rehabilitation cost. Effective infrastructure management and principles of sustainable development can help to find an optimal compromise between economic growth and environmental protection for all stakeholders. Colloquially, sustainability refers to meeting triple-bottom-line (TBL) performance objectives including environmental protection, economic prosperity, and social acceptability and equity as a result of short- and long-term policy decisions. In this paper, a comprehensive framework based on the integration of emergy synthesis and life cycle assessment (LCA) has been investigated for a public infrastructure system. The main purpose of the applied method, emergy-based LCA (Em-LCA), is to facilitate an informed decision making process for different asset management scenarios, by identifying and quantifying the attributes of TBL impacts over the life cycle of a civil infrastructure system. As a case study, Em-LCA framework has been applied to evaluate the sustainability of two different scenarios for a road construction project in interior British Columbia, Canada. The results indicate that Em-LCA offers a good understanding to address sustainability issues in infrastructure systems and provides quantitative and transparent results to facilitate informed decision making for asset management.     

Perceptual learning of spatial localization: specificity for orientation, position, and context

Discrimination of simple visual attributes can improve significantly with practice. We have trained human observers to perform peripherally presented tasks involving the localization of short line segments and examined the specificity of the learning for the visual location, orientation, and geometric arrangement of the trained stimulus. Several weeks of training resulted in dramatic threshold reductions. The learning was specific for the orientation and location of the trained stimulus, indicating the involvement of the earliest cortical stages in the visual pathway where the orientation and location of stimuli are mapped with highest resolution. Furthermore, improvement was also specific for both the configuration of the trained stimulus and the attribute of the stimulus that was under scrutiny during training. This degree of specificity suggests that the learning cannot be achieved by cortical recruitment alone, as proposed in current models, but is likely to involve a refinement of lateral interactions within the cortex and possibly a gating of lower level changes by attentional mechanisms.     

Stress in Air Force aviators facing the combat environment

BACKGROUND: This paper evaluates the effect of stress on four squadrons of United States Air Force aviators in tactical high performance aircraft deployed for combat operations compared with U.S. based aircrew using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) as the evaluating instrument. METHODS: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study consisting of 42 aviators in deployed squadrons stationed overseas and involved in a contingency mission, and 15 subjects stationed in the U.S. and not exposed to combat conditions. Each subject was administered the test instrument, which was completed in privacy and with complete anonymity. RESULTS: The hypotheses of interest were: a) the proportion of individuals in the population of fighter aircrew who would report excessive stress is 0; and b) no significant differences would exist in the proportion of individuals with excessive stress in the various squadrons. Using statistical methodology, these hypotheses were rejected. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that more studies in each given circumstance are necessary.