Poisson image fusion based on Markov random field fusion model

In this paper, we present a gradient domain image fusion framework based on the Markov Random Field (MRF) fusion model. In this framework, the salient structures of the input images are fused in the gradient domain, then the final fused image is reconstructed by solving a Poisson equation which forces the gradients of the fused image to be close to the fused gradients. To fuse the structures in the gradient domain, an effective MRF-based fusion model is designed based on both the per-pixel fusion rule defined by the local saliency and also the smoothness constraints over the fusion weights, which is optimized by graph cut algorithm. This MRF-based fusion model enables the accurate estimation of region-based fusion weights for the salient objects or structures. We apply this method to the applications of multi-sensor image fusion, including infrared and visible image fusion, multi-focus image fusion and medical image fusion. Extensive experiments and comparisons show that the proposed fusion model is able to better fuse the multi-sensor images and produces high-quality fusion results compared with the other state-of-the-art methods.     

A new image fusion performance metric based on visual information fidelity

Because subjective evaluation is not adequate for assessing work in an automatic system, using an objective image fusion performance metric is a common approach to evaluate the quality of different fusion schemes. In this paper, a multi-resolution image fusion metric using visual information fidelity (VIF) is presented to assess fusion performance objectively. This method has four stages: (1) Source and fused images are filtered and divided into blocks. (2) Visual information is evaluated with and without distortion information in each block. (3) The visual information fidelity for fusion (VIFF) of each sub-band is calculated. (4) The overall quality measure is determined by weighting the VIFF of each sub-band. In our experiment, the proposed fusion assessment method is compared with several existing fusion metrics using the subjective test dataset provided by Petrovic. We found that VIFF performs better in terms of both human perception matching and computational complexity.     

Multiconsensus of second order multiagent systems with directed topologies

A novel multiconsensus problem is introduced in multiagent systems. The states of multiple agents in each subnetwork asymptotically converge to a consistent value with information exchanges among subnetworks. The multiconsensus problem of second order multiagent systems with directed topologies is studied. Three linear protocols are proposed to solve the multiconsensus problem. Necessary and sufficient conditions are derived based on matrix theory. Simulations are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results.     

Statistically uniform intra-block refresh algorithm for very low delay video communication

This paper focuses on the mechanism underlying the overall delay of a real-time video communication system from the time of capture at the encoder to the time of display at the decoder. A detailed analysis is presented to illustrate the delay problem. We then describe a statistically uniform intra-block refresh scheme for very low delay video communication. By scattering intra-blocks uniformly into continuous frames, the overall delay is significantly decreased, and object changes in the scene could be presented to the end user instantly. For comparison, the overall delay and the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) performance are tested. The experiment results show that an average of approximately 0.1 dB PSNR gain on average is obtained relative to random intra-macroblock refresh algorithm in H.264 JM, and the end-to-end delay performance is significantly improved.     

缩短BCH编码应用于无线传感网络的能效分析

基于能效分析了具有不同纠错能力的缩短BCH码在典型的无线传感器网络模型中的优劣.仿真结果表明,在典型应用中,缩短汉明码可以取得整体上最优的效果,并可通过对信息码长的调节取得最大能效,在对网络可靠性要求非常严格的情况下,可考虑使用纠错能力为2位或3位的缩短BCH码.     

计算机应用现状及发展趋势

人类步入信息时代以后,计算机和人类的关系也显得日益密切.人们的生活、生产以及科学研究都离不开计算机.在这个计算机飞速发展的年代,我们应该了解计算机应用的现状以及它的发展趋势.     

Collapse-free thermal bonding technique for large area microchambers in plastic lab-on-a-chip applications

Bonding is an essential step to form microchannels or microchambers in lab-on-a-chip applications. In this paper, we present a novel plastic thermal bonding technique to seal and form large area microchambers (planar characteristic width and length on the order of 1 mm and characteristic thickness on the order of 10–100 μm) without collapse by introducing a holed pressure equalizing plate (HPEP) that includes holes of the same size and shape as the microchambers. To demonstrate the proposed technique, two types of large area microchambers [(1) 20 × 10 mm and 40 μm thick and (2) 12 × 2.5 mm and 120 μm thick] with microchannels were designed and replicated on plastic substrates by means of hot embossing and injection molding processes with prepared two nickel mold inserts. The replicated large area microchambers as well as the microchannels in the plastic lab-on-a-chip were successfully sealed (i.e., no leakage) and formed without any collapse by the proposed thermal bonding technique with the help of the HPEP.     

基于FPGA实现DSP与RapidIO网络互联

本文首先简单的介绍了总线的发展,从而引出一种新型的串行点对点交换结构RapidIO.DSP在高性能处理系统中的重要性毋庸置疑,但是目前的很多DSP并没有RapidlO接口.本文提出了利用FPGA,将DSP的总线桥接到一个RapidIO IP上,从而实现了DSP与RapidIO网络的互联.     

A data collection protocol for real-time sensor applications

The nature of many sensor applications as well as continuously changing sensor data often imposes real-time requirements on wireless sensor network protocols. Due to numerous design constraints, such as limited bandwidth, memory and energy of sensor platforms, and packet collisions that can potentially lead to an unbounded number of retransmissions, timeliness techniques designed for real-time systems and real-time databases cannot be applied directly to wireless sensor networks. Our objective is to design a protocol for sensor applications that require periodic collection of raw data reports from the entire network in a timely manner. We formulate the problem as a graph coloring problem. We then present TIGRA (Timely Sensor Data Collection using Distributed Graph Coloring) — a distributed heuristic for graph coloring that takes into account application semantics and special characteristics of sensor networks. TIGRA ensures that no interference occurs and spatial channel reuse is maximized by assigning a specific time slot for each node. Although the end-to-end delay incurred by sensor data collection largely depends on a specific topology, platform, and application, TIGRA provides a transmission schedule that guarantees a deterministic delay on sensor data collection.     

Cytotoxicity of aggregated fullerene C60 particles on CHO and MDCK cells

The cytotoxicity of fullerene C60 particles on two mammalian cell lines, i.e. the Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and the Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells, has been investigated. Although innate fullerene particles have a very low solubility in deionized (DI) water, these particles can be dissolved in the tetrahydrofuran (THF) solvent at a great value. Further, the dissolved fullerene particles in the THF solvent could be extracted into a DI water solution at a significantly increased solubility. The formation of fullerene particle aggregates is believed to be the cause of the increased solubility. Results presented here show that once the concentration of the fullerene aggregates reaches a certain level, the cells start to die. The lethal dosage LD50, which is defined as the lowest fullerene concentration that results in a 50% cell death within 24 h, has been determined. Furthermore, the percentage of cell mortality increased with increasing fullerene concentration and incubation time yielding a negative effect on cell viability. These results, illustrated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and other microscopic techniques, will help to better understand the side effects of fullerene particles in mammalian cells.