Performance of a storage system for supporting different videotypes and qualities

Future video-on-demand (VoD) servers will need to support many existing and emerging video data types. These data types include 15-fps (frames per second) animation, 30-fps National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) quality video, and 60-fps high definition television (HDTV) video. The different display speeds and frame sizes of these various video types impose a major constraint on the design of VoD storage systems. This paper presents the results of an experimental study, conducted on a Silicon Graphics Inc. (SGI) Onyx computer system, that investigated the impact of these video types on the design of a VoD storage system. The key issues involved in supporting these different video types in a VoD environment are as follows: (1) the video allocation method and (2) the proper block size (a “block” is a basic unit of several contiguous video frames that will be accessed from several disks each time a request is made) to use for data striping and retrieval. Two allocation schemes, logical volume striping and application level striping, along with varying frame and block sizes for each of the three different video data types are examined. The focus of our study is to determine the maximum number of concurrent accesses that can be supported with a guaranteed quality-of-service (QoS). The degree of scalability (i.e., striping data over more disk arrays) of the experimental VoD system used is also studied. Based on our experimental results, application level striping demands smaller block sizes for all three video types, and more concurrent accesses can be distributed over the storage devices. The experimental results demonstrate that application level striping has excellent scalability for animation and NTSC videos     

Marchantinquinone, isolated from Reboulia hemisphaerica, as inhibitor of lipid peroxidation and as free radical scavenger

Recent years have witnessed a renewed interest in plants as pharmaceuticals in the Western world. This interest is channeled into the discovery of new biologically-active molecules by the pharmaceutical industry and into the adoption of crude extracts of plants for self-medication by the general public. In both of these areas some attention is being paid to the investigation and use of ethnopharmacology, the traditional use of plants for medicinal purposes by particular cultural groups. Ethnopharmacologic leads have resulted in the introduction of new single molecule drugs but have a greater role to play if crude extracts are accepted for clinical use in the West. The problems confronting such usage are discussed. Considerable benefits for developing countries are possible when the local medicinal plants are subjected to scientific methods of validation of traditional use and quality control. This approach has met with success in some parts of the world but is not always appreciated by national governments and international agencies. Related areas of concern such as conservation of ecology and culture must be integrated with any such program. Plants used in traditional medicine therefore have an important role to play in the maintenance of health in all parts of the world and in the introduction of new treatments.     

On algorithms for digital signal processing of sequences

In this work, we analyze the algebraic structure of fast algorithms for computing one- and two-dimensional convolutions of sequences defined over the fields of rational and complex rational numbers. The algorithms are based on factorization properties of polynomials and the direct sum property of modulo computation over such fields. Algorithms are described for cyclic as well as acyclic convolution. It is shown that under certain nonrestrictive conditions, all the previously defined algorithms over the fields of rational and complex rational numbers are also valid over the rings of finite integers. Examples are presented to illustrate the results.     

The effectiveness and safety of low dose pravastatin in elderly hypertensive hypercholesterolemic subjects on antihypertensive therapy

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of low dose (10 mg) pravastatin in hypercholesterolemic, hypertensive elderly subjects undergoing antihypertensive treatment, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled 6-month trial was conducted. The subjects had a total plasma cholesterol of at least 250 mg/dL and had been, for at least 3 months, consuming a standard lipid-lowering diet (American Heart Association Step 1 Diet). Sixty elderly hypertensive patients randomly received placebo (n = 30) or pravastatin (n = 30) treatment. The dosage consisted of 10 mg of pravastatin daily during the 6-month trial. Over that period, in the pravastatin group, plasma levels of total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol significantly (P < .01) dropped (-20% and -25%, respectively) compared to the placebo group. The plasma level of HDL-cholesterol increased (+5%) while triglycerides slightly decreased (-8%) (P < .05). No serious side effects occurred, and pravastatin was generally tolerated. Fasting hyperinsulinemia (11.0 +/- 0.8 v 9.3 +/- 0.7 microU/mL; P = .06) also improved, although not significantly, after 6 months of pravastatin therapy. Results from this study confirmed that a low dose (10 mg) of pravastatin daily is a safe and effective method of reducing plasma total and LDL-cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic, hypertensive elderly patients who are on concurrent antihypertensive drug therapy.     

Reinterpreting the demise of hierarchy: a case study in information technology, empowerment and incomplete contracts

This paper presents a case study of the implementation of a sophisticated internal performance monitoring system by the service division of a value-added reseller of Canon products in Denmark. This new control system could not only aid in controlling cost and productivity but could also monitor customer service and quality levels. Although the new system was implemented with exceptional technical success, it met a very defensive reception among the technicians. In response, management decided to initiate an empowerment programme. In order for this programme to have a significant impact, management needed to make the requisite shifts from a strictly hierarchical to a team-based organization form, as well as moving from a hierarchical to an interactive control process, it was only after the company completed this type of 'organizational realignment' that the real benefits of the system were harvested. This case study explores the implications of the dispersed and empowered organization and the consequent lack of direct process control, in order to fulfil this aim, the discussion is based on the Grossman, Hart and Moore theories of incomplete contracting and the role of 'information assets' and incentive misalignment of the newly 'empowered' and highly knowledge-based service organization. Although property fights theories have typically been applied in 'boundary of the firm' questions, the goal of this case study is to illustrate the potential of incomplete contract theory in explaining internal incentive structures and governance mechanisms in the emerging wave of organizations characterized by a rich knowledge base, geographical dispersion, or even 'loose' and virtual organization structures.     

The Associative Memory Deficit of Older Adults: Further Support Using Face-Name Associations.

Previous studies have established an associative deficit hypothesis (Naveh-Benjamin, 2000), which attributes part of older adults' deficient episodic memory performance to their difficulty in creating cohesive episodes. In this article, the authors further evaluate this hypothesis, using ecologically relevant materials. Young and old participants studied name-face pairs and were then tested on their recognition memory for the names, faces, and the name-face pairs. The results extend the conditions under which older adults exhibit an associative deficit. They also show that reduced attentional resources are not the sole mediator of this deficit. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Improvement of cutting simulation using the octree method

This paper develops an octree-based algorithm for machining simulation. Most commercial machining simulators are based on the Z-map model, which has several limitations in terms of achieving a high level of precision in five-axis machining simulation. Octree representation being a three-dimensional (3D) decomposition method, an octree-based algorithm is expected to be able to overcome such limitations. With the octree model, the storage requirement is reduced. Moreover, recursive subdivision is processed in the boundaries, which reduces useless computations. The supersampling method is the most common form of antialiasing and is typically used with polygon mesh rendering in computer graphics. The supersampling technique is being used to advance the efficiency of the octree algorithm.     

Time-spread echo method for digital audio watermarking

Conventional watermarking techniques based on echo hiding provide many benefits, but also have several disadvantages, for example, a lenient decoding process, weakness against multiple encoding attacks, etc. In this paper, to improve the weak points of conventional echo hiding, we propose a time-spread echo as an alternative to the single echo in conventional echo hiding. Spreading an echo in the time domain is achieved by using pseudonoise (PN) sequences. By spreading the echo, the amplitude of each echo can be reduced, i.e., the energy of each echo becomes small, so that the distortion induced by watermarking is imperceptible to humans while the decoding performance of the embedded watermarks is better maintained as compared with the case of conventional echo hiding, as shown by computer simulations, in which several parameters, such as the amplitude and length of PN sequences and analysis window length, were varied. Robustness against typical signal processing was also evaluated in these simulations and showed fair performance. Results of a listening test using some pieces of music showed good imperceptibility.     

A physical and scalable I-V model in BSIM3v3 for analog/digitalcircuit simulation

A new physical and continuous BSIM (Berkeley Short-Channel IGFET Model) I-V model in BSIM3v3 is presented for circuit simulation. Including the major physical effects in state-of-the art MOS devices, the model describes current characteristics from subthreshold to strong inversion as well as from the linear to the saturation operating regions with a single I-V expression, and guarantees the continuities of I_ds, conductances and their derivatives throughout all V_gs, V_ds, and T_bs, bias conditions. Compared with the previous BSIM models, the improved model continuity enhances the convergence property of the circuit simulators. Furthermore, the model accuracy has also been enhanced by including the dependencies of geometry and bias of parasitic series resistances, narrow width, bulk charge, and DIBL effects. The new model has the extensive built-in dependencies of important dimensional and processing parameters (e.g., channel length, width, gate oxide thickness, junction depth, substrate doping concentration, etc.). It allows users to accurately describe the MOSFET characteristics over a wide range of channel lengths and widths for various technologies, and is attractive for statistical modeling. The model has been implemented in the circuit simulators such as Spectre, Hspice, SmartSpice, Spice3e2, and so on