Dealing with Energy-QoE Trade-Offs in Mobile Video

Scalable video coding allows an efficient provision of video services at different quality levels with different energy demands. According to the specific type of service and network scenario, end users and/or operators may decide to choose among different energy versus quality combinations. In order to deal with the resulting trade-off, in this paper we analyze the number of video layers that are worth to be received taking into account the energy constraints. A single-objective optimization is proposed based on dynamically selecting the number of layers, which is able to minimize the energy consumption with the constraint of a minimal quality threshold to be reached. However, this approach cannot reflect the fact that the same increment of energy consumption may result in different increments of visual quality. Thus, a multiobjective optimization is proposed and a utility function is defined in order to weight the energy consumption and the visual quality criteria. Finally, since the optimization solving mechanism is computationally expensive to be implemented in mobile devices, a heuristic algorithm is proposed. This way, significant energy consumption reduction will be achieved while keeping reasonable quality levels.

Diário da Constituinte [gravação de video] : [programa n. 069]

A Comissão da Organização dos Poderes e Sistema de Governo discute duas questões de ordem. Na primeira o deputado Amaral Netto (PDS-RJ)propõe a substituição dos relatores que tiveram os anteprojetos rejeitados e na segunda o deputado José Genoíno (PT-SP) quer mudar a composição da Comissão de Sistematização. A Comissão da Organização Eleitoral, Partidária e Garantia das Instituições discutiu duas questões que passaram por mais de uma subcomissão, e tiveram propostas diferentes, como o mandato presidencial, por exemplo. a Subcomissão do Poder executidvo proôs cinco anos, mas a Subcomissão do Sistema Eleitora sugeriu quatro. O deputados Paulo Delgado (PT-SP) diz que esta é uma questão política, e deve ser debatida com serenidade. Quarenta dias de trabalho sem interrupção, várias seções e audiências públicas e três viagens a regiões com conflito agrário, este o balanço dos trabalhos da Subcomissão da Política Agrícola e Fundiária e da Reforma Agrária. No resultado final houveram muitas divergências. O parecer do relator Oswaldo Lima Filho (PMDB-PE) foi preterido por um substitutivo, do deputado Rosa Prata (PMDB-MG), o que foi considerado irregular pelo Regimento Interno. Oswaldo Lima Filho (PMDB-PE) diz que o substitutivo é uma fraude. Já o deputado Rosa Prata (PMDB-MG) diz que é uma proposta menos radical e ajustada a realidade do país. Outro tema a ser discutido é o tamanho da propriedade rural. Os deputados Amaury Muller (PDT-RS) e Fernando Sant'Anna (PCB-BA) são a favor da limitação da propriedade. Ivo Vanderlinde (PMDB-SC) acredita no entendimento, para fazer da Reforma Agrária, uma realidade.

Case study: Video learning for engineering apprentices

Case study on level 2 and 3 engineering apprentices at PETA training and consultancy services.

A video method for quantifying size distribution, density, and three-dimensional spatial structure of reef fish spawning aggregations

There is a clear need to develop fisheries independent methods to quantify individual sizes, density, and three dimensional characteristics of reef fish spawning aggregations for use in population assessments and to provide critical baseline data on reproductive life history of exploited populations. We designed, constructed, calibrated, and applied an underwater stereo-video system to estimate individual sizes and three dimensional (3D) positions of Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus) at a spawning aggregation site located on a reef promontory on the western edge of Little Cayman Island, Cayman Islands, BWI, on 23 January 2003. The system consists of two free-running camcorders mounted on a meter-long bar and supported by a SCUBA diver. Paired video “stills” were captured, and nose and tail of individual fish observed in the field of view of both cameras were digitized using image analysis software. Conversion of these two dimensional screen coordinates to 3D coordinates was achieved through a matrix inversion algorithm and calibration data. Our estimate of mean total length (58.5 cm, n = 29) was in close agreement with estimated lengths from a hydroacoustic survey and from direct measures of fish size using visual census techniques. We discovered a possible bias in length measures using the video method, most likely arising from some fish orientations that were not perpendicular with respect to the optical axis of the camera system. We observed 40 individuals occupying a volume of 33.3 m3, resulting in a concentration of 1.2 individuals m–3 with a mean (SD) nearest neighbor distance of 70.0 (29.7) cm. We promote the use of roving diver stereo-videography as a method to assess the size distribution, density, and 3D spatial structure of fish spawning aggregations.