22,160 research outputs found

    Dynamic nonlinear analyses for the 4-storey infilled R/C frame: study of a retrofitting solution

    No full text
    A research project on assessment and retrofitting of R/C frame structures is currently being developed under the research programme of the ICONS TMR-research network. This paper presents and discusses the preliminary experimental results from a 4-storey bare frame representative of the common practice of 40~50 years ago in most south European countries and devotes special attention to the study of a retrofitting solution based on bracing and rubber dissipaters, which intends to increase stiffness and damping reducing consequently the earthquake deformation demands.O estudo aqui apresentado concentra-se numa solução de reforço de um pórtico utilizando contraventamentos (k-bracing) com perfis de aço em conjunto com elementos elastoméricos de dissipação. Os resultados das análises não lineares da estrutura com e sem alvenaria e com reforço são apresentados e discutidos. Na segunda parte da comunicação apresentam-se os resultados experimentais já disponíveis e discute-se o problema da modelação recorrendo aos resultados experimentais e comparando os resultados obtidos com diferentes tipos de modelos

    Improved schemes for inter-frame coding in the H.264/AVC standard

    No full text
    An efficient algorithm for inter-frame coding in the H.264/AVC standard is extended to provide more significant speedup in computational performance for sequences containing high spatial correlation and motion. The proposed scheme features a more sophisticated search process and robust predictions to achieve better PSNR-rate performance for a large range of compression levels. Extensive simulation results demonstrate speedups of between 41% and 68%, with no noticeable deterioration in picture quality or compression ratio, even for the coding of complex video sequences

    Efficient intra- and inter-mode selection algorithms for H.264/AVC

    No full text
    H.264/AVC standard is one of the most popular video formats for the next generation video coding. It provides a better performance in compression capability and visual quality compared to any existing video coding standards. Intra-frame mode selection and inter-frame mode selection are new features introduced in the H.264/ AVC standard. Intra-frame mode selection dramatically reduces spatial redundancy in I-frames, while inter-frame mode selection significantly affects the output quality of P-/B-frames by selecting an optimal block size with motion vector(s) or a mode for each macroblock. Unfortunately, this feature requires a myriad amount of encoding time especially when a brute force full-search method is utilised. In this report, we propose fast mode-selection algorithms tailored for both intra-frames and inter-frames. The proposed fast intra-frame mode algorithm is achieved by reducing the computational complexity of the Lagrangian rate-distortion optimisation evaluation. Two proposed fast inter-frame mode algorithms incorporate several robust and reliable predictive factors, including intrinsic complexity of the macroblock, mode knowledge from the previous frame(s), temporal similarity detection and the detection of different moving features within a macroblock, to effectively reduce the number of search operations. Complete and extensive simulations are provided respectively in these two chapters to demonstrate the performances. Finally, we combine our contributions to form two novel fast mode algorithms for H.264/AVC video coding. The simulations on different classes of test sequences demonstrate a speed up in encoding time of up to 86% compared with the H.264/AVC benchmark. This is achieved without any significant degradation in picture quality and compression ratio

    Seismic analyses of a R/C building: study of a retrofitting solution

    No full text
    The preliminary experimental results from the tests on a 4-storey R/C frame structure are presented and discussed. The full-scale model is representative of the common practice of 40~50 years ago in most south European countries. Special attention is devoted to the study of a retrofitting solution based on bracing and rubber dissipaters, which intends to increase stiffness and damping reducing consequently the earthquake deformation demands

    Mode refinement algorithm for H.264 inter frame requantization

    No full text
    The latest video coding standard H.264 has been recently approved and has already been adopted for numerous applications including HD-DVD and satellite broadcast. To allow interconnectivity between different applications using H.264, transcoding will be a key factor. When requantizing a bitstream the incoming coding decisions are usually kept unchanged to reduce the complexity, but it can have a major impact on the coding efficiency. This paper proposes a novel algorithm for mode refinement of inter prediction in the case of requantization of H.264 bitstreams. The proposed approach gives a comparable quality to a full search for a fraction of its complexity by exploiting the statistical properties of the mode distribution and motion vector refinementThe latest video coding standard H.264 has been recently approved and has already been adopted for numerous applications including HD-DVD and satellite broadcast. To allow interconnectivity between different applications using H.264, transcoding will be a key factor. When requantizing a bitstream the incoming coding decisions are usually kept unchanged to reduce the complexity, but it can have a major impact on the coding efficiency. This paper proposes a novel algorithm for mode refinement of inter prediction in the case of requantization of H.264 bitstreams. The proposed approach gives a comparable quality to a full search for a fraction of its complexity by exploiting the statistical properties of the mode distribution and motion vector refinemen

    The stress distribution in the joints of vehicles chassis frames subject to torsion

    No full text
    The problem of warping inhibition in the joints, of commercial vehicle chassis frames is very important for the estimation. of stress distribution in the joints and the overall torsional stiffness of frames. The joints being the weakest parts in the entire frame require that the stress levels should be estimated when designing a frame for required torsional stiffness. Plate theory has been applied to-analyse stress distributions in the joints of a ladder frame-in torsion. The frame consists of channel section cross members-welded to the web: of the side members. The degree of cross member warping inhibition in the welded joints has also been estimated analytically by using the concept of the strip beam theory. - The analytical values of stresses have been compared with-photoelastic measurements on photoelastic models of isolated joints and a complete ladder frame

    INDIRECT SAMPLING in the CONTEXT of DUAL FRAME SURVEYS

    No full text
    Under-coverage is one of the most common problems of sampling frames. To reduce the impact of coverage error on survey estimates several frames can be combined in order to achieve a complete (or nearly complete) coverage of the target population. Multiple frame estimators have been developed to be used in the context of multiple frame surveys. Sampling frames may overlap which is the case when a single unit of the sampling frame is related with more than one element of the target population. Indirect sampling (Lavallée, 1995) is an alternative approach to classical sampling theory in dealing with the overlapping problem of sampling frames on survey estimates. Not infrequently a survey may need more than one sampling frame in order to improve coverage and simultaneously the sampling frame overlap. In this paper a new class of estimators is presented which is the result from merging multiple frames estimators (only the particular case of dual frames will be presented) with indirect sampling estimators in order to bring together in a single estimator the effect of several frames on survey estimates.Indirect Sampling, Generalized Weight Share Method, Dual Frame Surveys

    The role of Scene Type and Priming in the processing and selection of a spatial frame of reference

    No full text
    Johannsen K, de Ruiter J. The role of Scene Type and Priming in the processing and selection of a spatial frame of reference. Frontiers in Psychology. 2013;4:182.The selection and processing of a spatial frame of reference (FOR) in interpreting verbal scene descriptions is of great interest to psycholinguistics. In this study, we focus on the choice between the relative and the intrinsic FOR, addressing two questions: (a) does the presence or absence of a background in the scene influence the selection of a FOR, and (b) what is the effect of a previously selected FOR on the subsequent processing of a different FOR. Our results show that if a scene includes a realistic background, this will make the selection of the relative FOR more likely. We attribute this effect to the facilitation of mental simulation, which enhances the relation between the viewer and the objects. With respect to the response accuracy, we found both a higher (with the same FOR) and a lower accuracy (with a different FOR), while for the response latencies, we only found a delay effect with a different FOR

    REAL-TIME ENCODING FRAME RATE CONTROL FOR H.263+VIDEO OVER THE INTERNET

    No full text
    Most existing H.263 + rate control algorithms, e.g. the one adopted in the test model of the near-term (TMN8), focus on the macroblock layer rate control and low latency under the assumptions of a constant frame rate and through a constant bit rate (CBR) channel. These algorithms do not accommodate the transmission bandwidth fluctuation efficiently, and the resulting video quality can be degraded. In this work, we propose a new H.263+ rate control scheme which supports the variable bit rate (VBR) channel through the adjustment of the encoding frame rate and quantization parameter. A fast algorithm for the encoding frame rate control based on the inherent motion information within a sliding window in the underlying video is developed to efficiently pursue a good tradeoff between spatial and temporal quality. The proposed rate control algorithm also takes the time-varying bandwidth characteristic of the Internet into account and is able to accommodate the change accordingly.Experimental results are provided to demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed scheme. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.X1123sciescopu

    Bicycle-Frame

    No full text
    Patent for a bicycle frame that can be used on bicycles in general, but is particularly suited for spring frame bicycles including illustrations
    corecore