Saliency detection based on seed propagation in a multilayer graph

Multimedia Tools and Applications - This paper presents a saliency detection algorithm based on the seed propagation in graph representation of image. First, the image is divided into...     

Complexity Reduction Method for BSAC Decoder

This letter proposes a complexity reduction method to speed up the noiseless decoding of a bit-sliced arithmetic coding (BSAC) decoder. This scheme fully utilizes the group of consecutive arithmetic-coded symbols known as the decoding band and the significance tree structure sorted in order of significance at every decoding band. With the same audio quality, the proposed method reduces the number of calculations that are performed during the noiseless decoding in BSAC to about 22% of the amount of calculations with the conventional full-search method.     

Thin ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-chlorotrifluoro ethylene) films for thermal history independent non-volatile polymer memory

In this study, we investigated the molecular and microstructures of thin poly(vinylidene fluoride-chlorotrifluoro ethylene) (PVDF-CTFE) copolymer films with three different CTFE compositions of 10, 15, 20 wt% with respect to PVDF in relation with their ferroelectric properties. All PVDF-CTFE annealed at 130 °C showed consecutive TTTT trans conformation with β type crystals while films molten and re-crystallized from a temperature above their melting points exhibited α type crystals with characteristic TGTG conformation. Microstructures of the films treated with the two different thermal histories also supported the formation of β and α type crystals with hundreds of nanometer scale sphere caps and micron level spherulites, respectively. Interestingly, PVDF-CTFE films with both α and β type crystals gave rise to relatively high remnant polarization of approximately 4 μC/cm² in metal/ferroelectric/metal capacitors regardless of the composition of CTFE. The ferroelectric polarization of a PVDF-CTFE film independent of thermal processing history allowed a wide processing window and easy fabrication protocol, resulting in a non-volatile ferroelectric field effect transistor memory which exhibited saturated hysteresis loops with the current ON/OFF ratio of approximately 10³ at ±60 V sweep and reliable data retention.     

Evidence for anthropogenic 210Po in the urban atmosphere of Seoul, Korea

We have measured the concentrations of 210Po, 210Pb, SO4(2-), Na+, and 34S in precipitation samples from two metropolitan cities, Seoul and Busan, Korea. The delta34S values ranged from 0 to 10% in most Seoul and Busan precipitation samples, indicating major contributions from industrial sources to S levels. A high level of excess 210Po, which is not produced by 210Pb decay in the troposphere, was observed in both regions. The excess 210Po activities in some samples from Busan, a harbor city, were influenced strongly by sea salt (i.e., sea-surface microlayer) which could be traced using [Na+] and delta34S values. In Seoul precipitations, we observed a good correlation between non-sea-salt SO4(2-) and excess 210Po, suggesting that both species are controlled mainly by the same factor. This correlation and the delta34S values indicate that the major source for both species in this region is likely to be anthropogenic, rather than from traditionally suggested sources such as soil resuspension, stratospheric air intrusion, sea sprays, volcanic emissions, and biogenic emissions.     

A Fast Computation Method in Frequency Domain for Power Ground Plane Impedance Calculation Using the Mobius Transform

A new method to reduce the computation time in power/ground-plane analysis is proposed. The proposed method is based on an approximation of impedance in the frequency domain using Mobius transform. The power/ground plane impedance is transformed by Mobius transform and is more linear than the raw impedance, which ensures that a simple approximation is possible. After the approximation, an inverse Mobius transform is applied to predict the power/ground plane impedance. This method displays the high speed of computing with good accuracy. In the case of impedance calculation for a 17.78 cm times 10.16 cm printed circuit board (PCB) board, the proposed method has shown to be 12 times faster than conventional methods. This method can be applied to the analysis and design of power/ground-plane where complex computation is needed.     

Bioinspired Ultratough Hydrogel with Fast Recovery,Self‐Healing,Injectability and Cytocompatibility

Inspired by the mussel byssus adhesiveness, a highly hydrated polymeric structure is designed to combine, for the first time, a set of interesting features for load‐bearing purposes. These characteristics include: i) a compressive strength and stiffness in the MPa range, ii) toughness and the ability to recover it upon successive cyclic loading, iii) the ability to quickly self‐heal upon rupture, iv) the possibility of administration through minimally invasive techniques, such as by injection, v) the swelling ratio being adjusted to space‐filling applications, and vi) cytocompatibility. Owing to these characteristics and the mild conditions employed, the encapsulation of very unstable and sensitive cargoes is possible, highlighting their potential to researchers in the biomedical field for the repair of load‐bearing soft tissues, or to be used as an encapsulation platform for a variety of biological applications such as disease models for drug screening and therapies in a more realistic mechanical environment. Moreover, given the simplicity of this methodology and the enhanced mechanical performance, this strategy can be expanded to applications in other fields, such as agriculture and electronics. As such, it is anticipated that the proposed strategy will constitute a new, versatile, and cost‐effective tool to produce engineered polymeric structures for both science and technology.