Abstract: The present invention relates to method and apparatus for improving video quality. The present invention provides a unified loop filter including: a pixel determining unit which determines the type of a pixel based on boundary strength; a similarity transforming unit which transforms a nonlinear filter into a nonlinear similarity-ordered statistics filter; and an integrating unit which integrates the nonlinear similarity-ordered statistics filter with a linear image filtering portion. The unified loop filter is applicable to filter reconstructed frames when an encoder or a decoder is processing a video signal.

Abstract: The present invention provides an isolated and substantially purified recombinant human arginase having sufficiently high enzymatic activity and stability to maintain Adequate Arginine Depletion in a patient. The present invention also provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising the modified invention enzyme and method for treatment of diseases using the pharmaceutical composition.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods and compositions for improving the efficiency of nucleic acid amplification reactions. The invention encompasses hybrid polymerases that show increased processivity over wild type polymerases as well as decreased exonuclease activity. The invention also encompasses methods, compositions and kits for conducting nucleic acid synthesis and amplification reactions in which non-specific amplification of primers is reduced.

Abstract: The invention relates to adjusting the quantization parameter in digital video coding. A shift value (QP Shift) is used to adjust the quantization parameter. The shift value is determined in a determining step 101. The video nature is determined and compared with a threshold in a comparing step 102 to adjust the shift value adaptively according to the frame type in an adjusting step 103. The shift value shifts the quantization parameter in a shifting step 104.

Abstract: A digital video processing method implementable on an apparatus, comprising performing on a reconstructed digital video frame, by a processor, a transform 110, a quantization 121, a dequantization 122 and an inverse transform 123 to convert a digital video bitstream with hierarchical B frame structure into a digital video bitstream with a modified hierarchical B frame structure. Bidirectional frames are used as access points via synchronized independent frames to enable applications including single view access in multi-view coding videos and random accessing frames. Improved bitstream switching methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for color denoising are described. There is provided an image processing method. The method comprises the steps of retrieving chrominance level for a plurality of pixels in a predetermined configuration; computing a weight for each pixel; applying the weight to the chrominance level for each the pixel; summing the weighted chrominance level to output a chrominance level for a center pixel at the center of said predetermined configuration; and repeating the above steps for every pixel per image. The color noise can be reduced while preserving the edge without any edge detection.

Abstract: A shoulder rest (50) comprises an attachment piece (60), an abutment piece (62), and a padding piece (64) and is adapted for supporting a stringed instrument (80) such as violin or viola during playing, wherein the attachment piece (60) is adapted to clip onto an end button (82) of the stringed instrument (80) such that the contact surface between the stringed instrument (80) and the shoulder rest (50) is juxtaposing a bottom block of the stringed instrument (80).

Abstract: Method and apparatus for providing a fast and accurate video coding process are disclosed. After checking the coding history of certain coded video frame units of a video, the order of the inter prediction and the intra prediction is adaptively exchanged for each coding video frame unit of an inter frame. Furthermore, the computations for coding modes in the latter part of the computation order are selectively skipped so as to speed up the coding process without degrading the video quality.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of reusing data in memory for motion estimation. Only additional data is required to prepare reference block so as to reduce the data transfer to the memory. The additional data will be arranged with the existing data in the memory to provide the reference block. Then the data in the memory is read in a specific way to retrieve the reference block. Using this invention, the bandwidth requirement and internal memory can be greatly reduced without any additional logic operation.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for enabling the dynamic generation of user interface components. The dynamically-generated user interface components are based on templates and mappings that can be predefined through interaction with a user interface.

Abstract: The present application provides methods and compositions for determining accessibility of a DNA modifying agent in genomic DNA.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method and system for modeling film grain noise. The film grain noise as modeled is applied to a video signal. Both the signal-dependent aspect 430 and the correlation aspect 440 of the film grain noise are taken into consideration, resulting in a more realistic modeling of film grain noise. Furthermore, the efficiency and the flexibility for modeling film grain noise are improved by use of the method and system according to this invention.

Abstract: A digital photo frame printer includes a printer casing module, an image-capturing module, an image-processing module, an image-displaying module, and an image-printing module. The image-capturing module is disposed in the printer casing module for capturing images of external objects. The image-processing module is disposed in the printer casing module and electrically connected with the image-capturing module for processing the images that have been captured via the image-capturing module. The image-displaying module is disposed in the printer casing module and electrically connected with the image-processing module for displaying images that have been processed via the image-processing module. The image-printing module is disposed in the printer casing module and electrically connected with the image-processing module for printing images that have been processed via the image-processing module.

Abstract: The present invention provides an isolated and substantially purified recombinant human arginase having sufficiently high enzymatic activity and stability to maintain Adequate Arginine Depletion in a patient. The present invention also provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising the modified invention enzyme and method for treatment of diseases using the pharmaceutical composition.

Abstract: Methods are described for using an arginine depleting agent such as arginase and derivatives thereof, which reduce physiological arginine levels, as radioprotectants to protect normal mammalian cells from DNA damage caused by ionizing radiation. Treatment can result in the protection of normal tissues in cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy and in protection from the hazardous effects of exposure to radiological dispersal devices or occupational and environmental ionizing radiation.

Abstract: The invention discloses methods for treating hepatitis with human arginase I modified by polyethylene glycol and uses of it in manufacturing of a medicament.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for treating cancer in a human patient by reducing the physiological arginine levels to below 10 ?M in combination with administering an anti-neoplastic compound. The present invention also provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising an arginine reducing compound, such as pegylated human arginase I, and an anti-neoplastic compound, such as 5-fluorouracil, for the treatment of malignancies in a human patient.

Abstract: The present invention provides an isolated and substantially purified recombinant human arginase having sufficiently high enzymatic activity and stability to maintain Adequate Arginine Depletion in a patient. The present invention also provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising the modified invention enzyme and method for treatment of diseases using the pharmaceutical composition.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for color denoising are described. There is provided an image processing method. The method comprises the steps of retrieving chrominance level for a plurality of pixels in a predetermined configuration; computing a weight for each pixel; applying the weight to the chrominance level for each the pixel; summing the weighted chrominance level to output a chrominance level for a centre pixel at the center of said predetermined configuration; and repeating the above steps for every pixel per image. The color noise can be reduced while preserving the edge without any edge detection.

Abstract: The present invention provides an isolated and substantially purified recombinant human arginase having sufficiently high enzymatic activity and stability to maintain Adequate Arginine Depletion in a patient. The present invention also provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising the modified invention enzyme and method for treatment of diseases using the pharmaceutical composition.