Complex adaptation-based LDR image rendering for 3D image reconstruction

A low-dynamic tone-compression technique is developed for realistic image rendering that can make three-dimensional (3D) images similar to realistic scenes by overcoming brightness dimming in the 3D display mode. The 3D surround provides varying conditions for image quality, illuminant adaptation, contrast, gamma, color, sharpness, and so on. In general, gain/offset adjustment, gamma compensation, and histogram equalization have performed well in contrast compression; however, as a result of signal saturation and clipping effects, image details are removed and information is lost on bright and dark areas. Thus, an enhanced image mapping technique is proposed based on space-varying image compression. The performance of contrast compression is enhanced with complex adaptation in a 3D viewing surround combining global and local adaptation. Evaluating local image rendering in view of tone and color expression, noise reduction, and edge compensation confirms that the proposed 3D image-mapping model can compensate for the loss of image quality in the 3D mode.     

Multiple reservoir model of neurotransmitter release by a cochlear inner hair cell

A probabilistic model is described for transmitter release from hair cells, auditory neuron EPSP's, and discharge patterns. The present model assumes that several reservoirs of neurotransmitter exist, having individual probability-of-release functions centered at successively higher intensities. The model accurately mimics the adaptation of successive EPSP amplitudes of the afferent neuron of the goldfish sacculus and, for mammalian auditory-nerve fibers, the adaptation of neural discharge rate, the saturation of onset and steady-state neural rate versus intensity, and the change in neural rate in response to incremental stimuli. The model also produces realistic interval and period histograms. The data shown support the hypothesis that multiple populations of neurotransmitter are involved in the afferent hair-cell synapses.     

Simulation of auditory-neural transduction: further studies

A computational model of mechanical to neural transduction at the hair cell-auditory-nerve synapse is presented. It produces a stream of events (spikes) that are precisely located in time in response to an arbitrary stimulus and is intended for use as an input to automatic speech recognition systems as well as a contribution to the theory of the origin of auditory-nerve spike activity. The behavior of the model is compared to data from animal studies in the following tests: (a) rate-intensity functions for adapted and unadapted responding; (b) two-component short-term adaptation; (c) frequency-limited phase locking of events; (d) additivity of responding following stimulus-intensity increases and decreases; (e) recovery of spontaneous activity following stimulus offset; and (f) recovery of ability to respond to a second stimulus following offset of a first stimulus. The behavior of the model compares well with empirical data but discrepancies in tests (d) and (f) point to the need for further development. Additional functions that have been successfully simulated in previous tests include realistic interspike-interval histograms for silence and intense sinusoidal stimuli, realistic poststimulus period histograms at various intensities and nonmonotonic functions relating incremental and decremental responses to background stimulus intensity. The model is computationally convenient and well suited to use in automatic recognition devices that use models of the peripheral auditory system as input devices. It is particularly well suited to devices that require stimulus phase information to be preserved at low frequencies.     

Simulation of mechanical to neural transduction in the auditory receptor

A probabilistic model is described for transmitter release from hair cells, auditory neuron EPSP's, and discharge patterns. The model assumes that the release fraction of the transmitter is a function of stimulus intensity. It further assumes that some of this transmitter substance is taken back into the cell while some is irretrievably lost from the cleft. These assumptions differ from other recent models which propose multiple release sites, fixed release fractions, and no transmitter reuptake. The model produces realistic mammalian rate intensity functions, interval and period histograms, incremental responses, and adaptation effects. It mimics successfully the adaptation of successive EPSP amplitudes of the afferent neuron of the goldfish sacculus and offers a reinterpretation of the implications of these studies for hair cell synaptic mechanism.     

Potential games for energy-efficient resource allocation in multipoint-to-multipoint CDMA wireless data networks

The problem of noncooperative resource allocation in a multipoint-to-multipoint CDMA cellular network is considered in this paper. The considered scenario is general enough to represent several key instances of modern wireless networks such as a multicellular network, a peer-to-peer network (interference channel), and a wireless network equipped with femtocells. In particular, the problem of joint transmit waveforms adaptation, linear receiver design, and transmit power control is examined. Several utility functions to be maximized are considered, and, among them, we cite the received SINR, and the transmitter energy efficiency, which is measured in bit/J, and represents the number of successfully delivered bits for each energy unit used for transmission. Resorting to the theory of potential games, noncooperative games admitting Nash equilibria in multipoint-to-multipoint cellular networks regardless of the channel coefficient realizations are designed. Computer simulations confirm that the considered games are convergent, and show the huge benefits that resource allocation schemes can bring to the performance of wireless data networks.     

Adaptation in a revised inner-hair cell model

A revised computational model of the inner-hair cell (IHC) and auditory-nerve (AN) complex was recently presented [Sumner et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 111, 2178-2188 (2002)]. One key improvement is that the model reproduces the rate-intensity functions of low- (LSR), medium- (MSR), and high-spontaneous rate (HSR) fibers in the guinea-pig. Here we describe the adaptation characteristics of the model, and how they vary with model fiber type. Adaptation of the revised model for a HSR fiber is in line with an earlier version of the model [Meddis and Hewitt, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 90, 904-917 (1991)]. In guinea-pig, poststimulus time histograms (PSTH) have been found to show less adaptation in LSR fibers. Evidence from chinchilla suggests that this is due to chronic adaptation resulting from short interstimulus intervals, and that fully recovered LSR fibers actually show more adaptation. However, the model is able to account for both variations of PSTH shape when fully recovered from adaptation. Interstimulus interval can also affect recovery in the model. The model is further tested against data previously used to evaluate models of AN adaptation. The tests are (i) recovery from adaptation of spontaneous rate and (ii) the recovery of response to acoustic stimuli ("forward masking"), (iii) the response to stimulus increments and (iv) decrements, and (v) the conservation of transient components. A HSR model fiber performs similarly to the earlier version of the model. However, there is considerable variation in response to increments and decrements between different model fibers.     

Pitch shifts for complex tones with unresolved harmonics and the implications for models of pitch perception

Complex tone bursts were bandpass filtered, 22nd-30th harmonic, to produce waveforms with five regularly occurring envelope peaks ("pitch pulses") that evoked pitches associated with their repetition period. Two such tone bursts were presented sequentially and separated by an interpulse interval (IPI). When the IPI was varied, the pitch of the whole sequence was shifted by between +2% and -5%. When the IPI was greater than one period, little effect was seen. This is consistent with a pitch mechanism employing a long integration time for continuous stimuli that resets in response to temporal discontinuities of greater than about one period of the waveform. Similar pitch shifts were observed for fundamental frequencies from 100 to 250 Hz. The pitch shifts depended on the IPI duration relative to the period of the complex, not on the absolute IPI duration. The pitch shifts are inconsistent with the autocorrelation model of Meddis and O'Mard [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 102, 1811-1820 (1997)], although a modified version of the weighted mean-interval model of Carlyon et al. [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 112, 621-633 (2002)] was successful. The pitch shifts suggest that, when two pulses occur close together, one of the pulses is ignored on a probabilistic basis.     

磁共振成像谱仪梯度波形分析

梯度是磁共振成像（MRI）的关键环节.通过采集谱仪梯度波形信号并进行分析,提取出各通道波形的特征点,从而有助于快速准确地判断谱仪梯度硬件电路或脉冲序列编写是否存在问题.采用虚拟仪器LabVIEW软件控制高速采集卡DAQ-2005设计实现多路采集系统,对谱仪的梯度输出进行采集.通过对波形数据进行直方图统计、滤波、差分计算等分析,提取出波形的特征点,这些特征点包含时间与幅度信息.使用实验室自主研发的谱仪进行了多次实验,对该方法进行验证,证明了该方法的有效性,也为谱仪研制和脉冲序列开发提供了一种辅助测试方法.     

Vowel processing by a model of the auditory periphery: a comparison to eighth-nerve responses

A model of peripheral auditory processing that incorporates processing steps describing the conversion from the acoustic pressure-wave signal at the eardrum to the time course activity in auditory neurons has been developed. It can process arbitrary time domain waveforms and yield the probability of neural firing. The model consists of a concatenation of modules, one for each anatomical section of the periphery. All modules are based on published algorithms and current experimental data, except that the basilar membrane is assumed to be linear. The responses of this model to vowels alone and vowels in noise are compared to neural population responses, as determined by the temporal and average rate response measures of Sachs and Young [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 66, 470-479, (1979)] and Young and Sachs [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 66, 1381-1403, (1979)]. Despite the exclusion of nonlinear membrane mechanics, the model accurately predicts the vowel formant representations in the average localized synchronized rate (ALSR) responses and the saturating characteristics of the normalized average rate responses in quiet. When vowels are presented in background noise, the modeled ALSR responses are less robust than the neural data.     

基于Sigmoid函数局部视觉适应模型的真实影像再现

为解决图像采集与显示设备之间的动态范围差异,色调映射技术试图建立一种由高到低的动态范围映射关系,可用于一般图像的真实影像再现.在不同亮度适应水平下,人眼能产生不同的响应特性及对比度敏感性,从而同时响应不同明暗的光强.由此建立了一种局部视觉适应的再现算法,采用具有参数控制的Sigmoid函数来模拟视觉适应的S形非线性特点,得到不同局部亮度适应水平下的压缩曲线,因此能较好地协调图像整体对比度、亮度调整与局部增强之间的关系,在增强图像较暗区域的同时,极大程度地保持亮区细节.经主观评价与特征统计参数相结合的方法验证,该算法能有效地实现动态范围压缩,保持图像细节而避免伪像,具有一定的色彩恒定性,且复杂度低,具有很好的实用性.     

Design and development of driving waveforms for AC plasma display panels

This paper presents design and development of driving waveforms to improve efficacy, contrast, and resolution for ac plasma display panels (PDPs). In the paper, the conventional driving waveforms are first reviewed, and the proposed driving waveforms are then discussed. The driving of PDPs in each subframe is divided into three periods: the reset period, scan period, and sustain period. During the reset period, the proposed ramp-like reset waveforms can enhance the contrast and resolution, and can lower the scan voltage while still sustaining a reliable wall-charge control. Additionally, a square sustain waveform stacked with the ramp-like waveform can induce self-erasing discharges which will improve efficacy during the sustain period. Operation of a PDP and comparison among various driving waveforms are also presented. Experimental results measured from a 46-in PDP system have verified the feasibility of the proposed driving waveforms.     

The influence of different segments of the ongoing envelope on sensitivity to interaural time delays

The auditory system is sensitive to interaural timing disparities in the fine structure and the envelope of sounds, each contributing important cues for lateralization. In this study, psychophysical measurements were conducted with customized envelope waveforms in order to investigate the isolated effect of different segments of a periodic, ongoing envelope on lateralization. One envelope cycle was composed of the four segments attack flank, hold duration, decay flank, and pause duration, which were independently varied to customize the envelope waveform. The envelope waveforms were applied to a 4-kHz sinusoidal carrier, and just noticeable envelope interaural time differences were measured in six normal hearing subjects. The results indicate that attack durations and pause durations prior to the attack are the most important stimulus characteristics for processing envelope timing disparities. The results were compared to predictions of three binaural lateralization models based on the normalized cross correlation coefficient. Two of the models included an additional stage to mimic neural adaptation prior to binaural interaction, involving either a single short time constant (5 ms) or a combination of five time constants up to 500 ms. It was shown that the model with the single short time constant accounted best for the data.     

Lateralization produced by interaural temporal and intensitive disparities of high-frequency, raised-sine stimuli: data and modeling

An acoustic pointing task was used to measure extents of laterality produced by combinations of ongoing envelope-based interaural temporal disparities (ITDs) and interaural intensitive disparities (IIDs) of 4-kHz-centered raised-sine stimuli [Bernstein and Trahiotis, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 125, 3234-3242 (2009),] while varying, parametrically, their peakedness, depth of modulation, and frequency of modulation. The study was designed to assess whether IIDs act as "weights" within the putative "binaural display" at high spectral frequencies (where the envelopes convey ITD-information) as appears to be the case at low spectral frequencies (where the waveforms, i.e., fine-structure and envelopes, convey ITD-information). The data indicate that envelope-based IIDs do principally act as weights and that they appear to exert their influence on lateral position independently of the influence of ITDs. Quantitative analyses revealed that an augmented form of the cross-correlation-based "position-variable" model of Stern and Shear [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 100, 2278-2288 (1996)] accounted for 94% of the variance in the data. This success notwithstanding, for a small subset of the data, predictions could be improved by assuming that the listeners utilized information within auditory filters having center frequencies above 4 kHz.     

Paper II: The interpretation of measurement-time-dependent single-aliquot equivalent-dose estimates using predictions from a simple empirical model

Narrow spectrum (blue-green) laboratory partial bleaching of aliquots of natural sedimentary quartz has been shown to have a significant effect on equivalent dose (measured using a single aliquot procedure) calculated as a function of measurement time (D_e(t)). A simple model, based on empirical data, is presented in which the effects of partial bleaching on D_e(t) are predicted, taking into account the influences of pre- and post-burial doses. The model is applied to the case of heterogeneous populations of partially bleached single grains with various ranges of residual doses. Modelling shows that under realistic conditions, D_e histogram plots are unable to distinguish between samples having age overestimates and those with correct ages, whereas the proposed D_e–Z plot is able to make this distinction. Furthermore, modelling shows that D_e–Z plots can identify sub-populations of grains/aliquots that show most evidence of full bleaching, which can then be used to estimate a correct mean D_e value.     

An effective quantum parameter for strongly correlated metallic ferromagnets

The correlated motion of electrons in metallic ferromagnets is investigated in terms of a realistic interacting-electron model with N-fold orbital degeneracy and intra-orbital (U) and inter-orbital (J) Coulomb interactions. Correlation-induced self-energy and vertex corrections are incorporated systematically to provide a non-perturbative Goldstone-mode-preserving scheme. An effective quantum parameter [U2+(N-1)J2]/[U+(N-1)J]2 is obtained which determines, in analogy with 1/S for quantum spin systems and 1/N for the N-orbital Hubbard model, the strength of correlation-induced quantum corrections to magnetic excitations. The rapid suppression of this quantum parameter with Hund's coupling J, especially for large N, provides fundamental insight into the phenomenon of strong stabilization of metallic ferromagnetism by orbital degeneracy and Hund's coupling. Correlation effects are investigated for spin stiffness, magnon dispersion, electronic spectral function, density of states, and finite-temperature spin dynamics using realistic bandwidth, interaction, and lattice parameters for iron.     

Glottal characteristics of male speakers: acoustic correlates and comparison with female data.

Acoustic measurements believed to reflect glottal characteristics were made on recordings collected from 21 male speakers. The waveforms and spectra of three nonhigh vowels (/ae, lambda, epsilon/) were analyzed to obtain acoustic parameters related to first-formant bandwidth, open quotient, spectral tilt, and aspiration noise. Comparisons were made with previous results obtained for 22 female speakers [H. M. Hanson, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 101, 466-481 (1997)]. While there is considerable overlap across gender, the male data show lower average values and less interspeaker variation for all measures. In particular, the amplitude of the first harmonic relative to that of the third formant is 9.6 dB lower for the male speakers than for the female speakers, suggesting that spectral tilt is an especially significant parameter for differentiating male and female speech. These findings are consistent with fiberscopic studies which have shown that males tend to have a more complete glottal closure, leading to less energy loss at the glottis and less spectral tilt. Observations of the speech waveforms and spectra suggest the presence of a second glottal excitation within a glottal period for some of the male speakers. Possible causes and acoustic consequences of these second excitations are discussed.     

The Cuts Selection Method Based on Histogram Segmentation and Impact on Discretization Algorithms

The preprocessing of data is an important task in rough set theory as well as in Entropy. The discretization of data as part of the preprocessing of data is a very influential process. Is there a connection between the segmentation of the data histogram and data discretization? The authors propose a novel data segmentation technique based on a histogram with regard to the quality of a data discretization. The significance of a cut’s position has been researched on several groups of histograms. A data set reduct was observed with respect to the histogram type. Connections between the data histograms and cuts, reduct and the classification rules have been researched. The result is that the reduct attributes have a more irregular histogram than attributes out of the reduct. The following discretization algorithms were used: the entropy algorithm and the Maximal Discernibility algorithm developed in rough set theory. This article presents the Cuts Selection Method based on histogram segmentation, reduct of data and MD algorithm of discretization. An application on the selected database shows that the benefits of a selection of cuts relies on histogram segmentation. The results of the classification were compared with the results of the Naïve Bayes algorithm.     

A flow waveform-matched low-dimensional glottal model based on physical knowledge

The purpose of this study is to explore the possibility for physically based mathematical models of the voice source to accurately reproduce inverse filtered glottal volume-velocity waveforms. A low-dimensional, self-oscillating model of the glottal source with waveform-matching properties is proposed. The model relies on a lumped mechano-aerodynamic scheme loosely inspired by the one- and multimass lumped models. The vocal folds are represented by a single mechanical resonator and a propagation line which takes into account the vertical phase differences. The vocal-fold displacement is coupled to the glottal flow by means of an aerodynamic driving block which includes a general parametric nonlinear component. The principal characteristics of the flow-induced oscillations are retained, and the overall model is able to match inverse-filtered glottal flow signals. The method offers in principle the possibility of performing transformations of the glottal flow by acting on the physiologically based parameters of the model. This is a desirable property, e.g., for speech synthesis applications. The model was tested on a data set which included inverse-filtered glottal flow waveforms of different characteristics. The results demonstrate the possibility of reproducing natural speech waveforms with high accuracy, and of controlling important characteristics of the synthesis such as pitch.     

Global and local hard X‐ray tomography of a centimeter‐size tumor vessel tree

The visualization of the vascular network in tumors down to the smallest vessels requires high spatial resolution and reasonable contrast. Stained corrosion casts of the microvasculature network guarantee superior X‐ray absorption contrast and highest reproduction fidelity. Tomography of a centimeter‐size tumor, however, is unfeasible at the spatial resolution needed to reveal the smallest vessels. Therefore, local tomography has been performed to visualize the smallest capillaries within the region of interest. These three‐dimensional data show the detailed morphology, but the reconstructed absorption coefficients obtained in local tomography differ substantially from the absorption coefficients retrieved from the less detailed global tomography data. This paper deals with the adaptation of local tomography data using the global data and considers two‐parameter histogram matching of the radiographs, sinogram extension, and multi‐parameter cupping correction. It is demonstrated that two‐parameter histogram matching of the radiographs already provides reasonable agreement. The change of the lens in front of the detector's camera, however, significantly affects the obtained local X‐ray absorption coefficients in the tomograms predominantly owing to the dissimilar point‐spread functions of the two configurations used, and much less to the fact that one of the data sets was acquired in a local geometry.