High-resolution images from low-resolution compressed video

Surveys the field of super resolution (SR) processing for compressed video. The introduction of motion vectors, compression noise, and additional redundancies within the image sequence makes this problem fertile ground for novel processing methods. In conducting this survey, though, we develop and present all techniques within the Bayesian framework. This adds consistency to the presentation and facilitates comparison between the different methods. The article is organized as follows. We define the acquisition system utilized by the surveyed procedures. Then we formulate the HR problem within the Bayesian framework and survey models for the acquisition and compression systems. This requires consideration of both the motion vectors and transform coefficients within the compressed bit stream. We survey models for the original HR image intensities and displacement values. We discuss solutions for the SR problem and provide examples of several approaches.     

Identification of the DRB1*1313 allele in a sibling pair

Amines such as dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine were analysed in the brain regions of O.mossambicus exposed to quinalphos, phenthoate and their combination for 96 hr. The three types of treatments significantly (P < 0.05) altered the amines level at various intervals in the brain regions.     

A superconducting X-ray spectrometer with a tantalum absorber andlateral trapping

We report the development of Nb-Ta-Al-Al₂O₃-Al superconducting tunnel junction structures for high energy resolution and high efficiency X-ray detection. These devices utilize a Ta X-ray absorber with superconductor “bandgap engineered” quasiparticle trapping to improve charge collection. Experimental results at 0.3 K are presented, showing energy resolution of 102 eV full-width-half-maximum for 6 keV X-rays. Collected charge is in excess of 5×10⁶ electrons. The absorption efficiency is better than 35%. Devices thermally cycle with no change in characteristics     

On the Analysis of the Bluetooth Time Division Duplex Mechanism

Efficient communication in Bluetooth networks requires design of intra and inter-piconet scheduling algorithms, and therefore, numerous algorithms have been proposed. However, due to complexities of the Bluetooth MAC, the performance of these algorithms has been analyzed mostly via simulation. We present analytic results regarding the exhaustive, gated, and limited (pure round robin) scheduling algorithms in piconets with bidirectional and unidirectional traffic. We show that a piconet operated according to the limited scheduling algorithm is equivalent to a 1-limited polling system and present exact results regarding symmetric piconets with bidirectional traffic. Then, the difficulties in analyzing the performance of the exhaustive and gated algorithms in a piconet with bidirectional traffic are demonstrated. In addition, we present exact analytic results for piconets with unidirectional traffic. We show that, surprisingly, in symmetrical piconets with only uplink traffic, the mean waiting time is the same for the exhaustive and limited algorithms. This observation results from the differences between piconets and traditional polling systems and can be extended for time-division-duplex systems with arbitrary packet lengths. Furthermore, we show that the mean waiting time in a piconet with only uplink traffic is significantly higher than its corresponding value in a piconet with only downlink traffic. Finally, we numerically compare the exact results to approximate results, presented in the past.     

Core-shell structured latex particles. I. Copolymerization of styrene/benzyl methacrylate as a choice for shell material and characterization of poly(n-butyl acrylate) core latex particles

Composition, molecular weight, and microstructure of the “shell” polymer in core-shell structured latex particles, designed for toughening polycarbonate matrix, should be controlled for enhanced miscibility between the shell polymer and the matrix. Various “shell polymer” systems based on styrene (St) and benzyl methacrylate (BM) were synthesized. Reactivity ratios were determined for (St) and (BM). Chain transfer efficiency studies revealed the susceptibility of styrene to transfer to a chain transfer agent. Benzyl methacrylate was found to have steric and stability factors hindering its tendency to chain transfer with various chain transfer agent. Miscibility tests between P(St/BM) and polycarbonate (PC) indicated different degrees of miscibility, depending upon polymerization conditions. Factors other than molecular weight, such as branching and crosslinking, were found to play a role in the miscibility. Monodisperse poly(n-butyl acrylate) (PBA) seed latex particles of variable degree of crosslinking and particle size were successfully synthesized by batch emulsion polymerization. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Core—shell structured latex particles. II. Synthesis and characterization of poly(n-butyl acrylate)/poly(benzyl methacrylate—styrene) structured latex particles

The synthesis of structured latex particles involved the preparation of a slightly crosslinked poly(n-butyl acrylate) (PBA) seed and a poly(benzyl methacrylate-styrene) [P(BM-St)] shell. It was found that structured core-shell latex particles prepared by semicontinuous monomer addition yielded better coverage of the seed particles than those polymerized by batch and that poly(benzyl methacrylate) yielded better coverage than polystyrene (PS). Polymerizations in the presence and absence of a chain transfer agent indicated that the presence of isooctyl mercaptopropionate (IOMP) causes the second-stage monomer to polymerize as an isolated, single patch of shell material. In the absence of IOMP, smaller patches of shell material are spread throughout the PBA seed surface. The different morphologies obtained under different polymerization conditions were attributed to thermodynamic and kinetic factors such as polymer-polymer interfacial tensions and viscosity effects. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Molecular or pharmacologic perturbation of the link between glucose and lipid metabolism is without effect on glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. A re-evaluation of the long-chain acyl-CoA hypothesis

The mechanism by which glucose stimulates insulin secretion from the pancreatic islets of Langerhans is incompletely understood. It has been suggested that malonyl-CoA plays a regulatory role by inhibiting fatty acid oxidation and promoting accumulation of cytosolic long-chain acyl-CoA (LC-CoA). In the current study, we have re-evaluated this "long-chain acyl-CoA hypothesis" by using molecular and pharmacologic methods to perturb lipid metabolism in INS-1 insulinoma cells or rat islets during glucose stimulation. First, we constructed a recombinant adenovirus containing the cDNA encoding malonyl-CoA decarboxylase (AdCMV-MCD), an enzyme that decarboxylates malonyl-CoA to acetyl-CoA. INS-1 cells treated with AdCMV-MCD had dramatically lowered intracellular malonyl CoA levels compared with AdCMV-betaGal-treated cells at both 3 and 20 mM glucose. Further, at 20 mM glucose, AdCMV-MCD-treated cells were less effective at suppressing [1-14C]palmitate oxidation and incorporated 43% less labeled palmitate and 50% less labeled glucose into cellular lipids than either AdCMV-betaGAL-treated or untreated INS-1 cells. Despite the large metabolic changes caused by expression of MCD, insulin secretion in response to glucose was unaltered relative to controls. The alternative, pharmacologic approach for perturbing lipid metabolism was to use triacsin C to inhibit long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase. This agent caused potent attenuation of palmitate oxidation and glucose or palmitate incorporation into cellular lipids and also caused a 47% decrease in total LC-CoA. Despite this, the drug had no effect on glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in islets or INS-1 cells. We conclude that significant disruption of the link between glucose and lipid metabolism does not impair glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in pancreatic islets or INS-1 cells.     

Of robot ants and elephants: A computational comparison

In the robotics community, there exist implicit assumptions concerning the computational capabilities of robots. Two computational classes of robots emerge as focal points of recent research: robot ants and robot elephants. Ants have poor memory and communication capabilities, but are able to communicate using pheromones, in effect, turning their work area into a shared memory. By comparison, elephants are computationally stronger, have large memory, and are equipped with strong sensing and communication capabilities. Unfortunately, not much is known about the relation between the capabilities of these models in terms of the tasks they can address. In this paper, we present formal models of both ants and elephants, and investigate if one dominates the other. We present two algorithms: AntEater, which allows elephant robots to execute ant algorithms and ElephantGun, which converts elephant algorithms-specified as Turing machines-into ant algorithms. By exploring the computational capabilities of these algorithms, we reach interesting conclusions regarding the computational power of both models.