Abstract: A method and apparatus for reconstructing a high-resolution image based on multiple low-resolution images are disclosed. The method and apparatus incorporating an embodiment according to the present invention reconstructs the high-resolution image based on a kernel regression method using a modified kernel function. The kernel function takes into consideration of registration reliability of regression residue and rotational motion within the multiple low-resolution images. The registration reliability adjusts weighting on the regression residues according to local gradient estimated between neighboring values. Furthermore, multi-scale regression residue is used to alleviate impact of noise.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for intra prediction mode coding and decoding are disclosed. In one embodiment, the encoding and decoding process assigns individual indices and codewords to DC mode and Planar mode respectively. The flag is set if the current intra prediction mode is equal to any of one or more neighboring intra prediction modes. Variable length codes are designed for a remaining mode set. If the flag is not set, the currently intra prediction mode is encoded using the variable length codes. In another embodiment, multiple most probable modes are used. If the current intra prediction mode is not equal to any of the multiple most probable modes, the current intra prediction mode is encoded using variable length codes designed for the corresponding remaining modes according the ranking order of the remaining modes.

Abstract: A method for inspecting an edible oil includes obtaining a first Raman spectrum from an edible oil sample, discovering an unhealthy, unsanitary, unsafe, or adulterated content in the edible oil sample in part by the intensity level of the fluorescence background in the first Raman spectrum, introducing the edible oil sample to nano-scale surface structures to allow molecules of the edible oil sample to be adsorbed to the nano-scale surface structures, illuminating the edible oil sample and the nano-scale surface structures by a laser beam, obtaining a second Raman spectrum from light scattered by molecules of the edible oil sample adsorbed to the nano-scale surface structures, and identifying the unhealthy, unsanitary, or unsafe content in the edible oil sample using one or more first spectral signatures in the second Raman spectrum.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for intra prediction for a current block using directional intra prediction based on neighboring pixels around the current block are disclosed. Embodiment according to the present invention derives the gradient for the current pixel from the neighboring reconstructed pixels along a prediction direction of directional intra prediction. The gradient derived is used to form the final intra prediction. In another embodiment of the present invention, the intra prediction for slant vertical and horizontal directions is derived based on the neighboring reconstructed pixels in a neighboring row adjacent to the top side of the current block and the neighboring reconstructed pixels in a neighboring column adjacent to the left side of the current block.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for chroma intra prediction for a current chroma block with reduced line memory requirement are disclosed. The chroma intra predictor is derived from reconstructed luma pixels of a current luma block using a model with parameters. In various embodiments according to the present invention, the derivation of the parameters relies on a reconstructed luma pixel set corresponding to neighboring reconstructed luma pixels from causal luma neighboring areas of the current luma block, wherein said causal luma neighboring areas include a first area corresponding to reconstructed luma pixels above a horizontal luma block boundary on a top side of the current luma block, and wherein the reconstructed luma pixels from the first area that are included in the reconstructed luma pixel set are from a luma pixel line immediately above the horizontal luma block boundary.

Abstract: A method for performing parallel coding with ordered entropy slices includes: providing a plurality of entropy slices within a picture to a plurality of processing elements, wherein each entropy slice comprises a plurality of blocks; and respectively starting each of the processing elements to perform a Context-based Adaptive Binary Arithmetic Coding (CABAC) processing of a coding procedure for a corresponding entropy slice; wherein CABAC states of the current entropy slice is initialized as the CABAC states of a previous entropy slice after processing DB blocks of the previous entropy slice, DB is a positive integer, and the CABAC processing for the current entropy slice and the CABAC processing for the previous entropy slices are performed in parallel during at least a portion of processing time.

Abstract: A method for detecting crude oil or gas in a drilling sample includes introducing a drilling sample into a sample solution containing nano particles, illuminating the sample solution comprising the drilling sample and the nano particles by a laser beam, collecting light scattered by the drilling sample and the nano particles in the sample solution, obtaining a Raman spectrum from the light scattered by the drilling sample and the nano particles in the sample solution, identifying, in the Raman spectrum, a spectral signature associated with a substance around a predetermined Raman shift, and detecting targeted chemicals correlated with crude oil or gas existence underground from where the drilling sample, based on the spectral signature of the substance in the Raman spectrum.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for clipping a transform coefficient are disclosed. Embodiments according to the present invention avoid overflow of the quantized transform coefficient by clipping the quantization level adaptively after quantization. In one embodiment, the method comprises generating the quantization level for the transform coefficient of a transform unit by quantizing the transform coefficient according to a quantization matrix and quantization parameter. The clipping condition is determined and the quantization level is clipped according to the clipping condition to generate a clipping-processed quantization level. The clipping condition includes a null clipping condition. The quantization level is clipped to fixed-range represented in n bits for the null clipping condition, where n correspond to 8, 16, or 32. The quantization level may also be clipped within a range from ?m to m?1 for the null clipping condition, where m may correspond to 128, 32768, or 2147483648.

Abstract: A monitoring network system for inspecting and controlling harmful substances includes probe assemblies that each includes a sensor comprising nano structured surfaces or nano particles in a solution, configured to adsorb molecules of a sample material captured adjacent to the sensor, a laser that can emit a laser beam to illuminate the molecules adsorbed to the nano structured surfaces, a spectrometer that can produce spectral data from light scattered by the molecules adsorbed to the nano structured surfaces, and a ID reader that can retrieve identification information about the sample material. A central office can determine a spectral signature matching spectral signatures stored in a database and to identify a harmful substance in the sample material. An alert and response system can send out an alert signal about the sample material when the harmful substance is identified in the sample material.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for improved deblocking filter are disclosed. In one embodiment according to the present invention, determining the non-zero transform coefficients existence for a PU-only boundary is skipped and therefore the deblocking filter for PU-only boundary is eliminated if the condition of boundary strength equal to 1 is not fulfilled to avoid unnecessary deblocking. In another embodiment of the present invention, three gradients are determined for two pixel lines and filter ON/OFF decision is made based on the three gradient values of the two pixel lines. One aspect of the invention is related to filter strength selection between strong and weak filters. According to one embodiment, the filter strength selection is based on various gradient values of a pixel line across the block boundary. Another aspect of the invention is related to the weak filter.

Abstract: A video encoder that utilizes adaptive loop filtering for coding video data includes: a prediction unit, for performing prediction techniques according to original video data and reconstructed video data to generate predicted samples; a reconstruction unit, for reconstructing the predicted samples to form the reconstructed video data; a reference picture buffer, for storing the reconstructed video data; a filter parameter estimator, for estimating filter parameters according to the original video data and the reconstructed video data; and an adaptive filter, for utilizing the stored filter parameters to perform filtering on the reconstructed video data.

Abstract: An integrated chemical separation device includes a single device body, a chemical separation unit configured to separate a chemical from a fluid, a Raman sensor substrate comprising one or more surfaces configured to be adsorbed by molecules of the chemical from the fluid, and a Raman scattering spectrometer unit that can emit a laser beam to illuminate the Raman sensor substrate and to detect the chemical from the light scattered from the Raman sensor substrate. The chemical separation unit, the Raman sensor substrate, and the Raman scattering spectrometer unit are held in or mounted to the single device body.

Abstract: A video encoder includes a prediction unit for performing prediction techniques according to original video data and reconstructed video data to generate prediction samples, a reconstruction unit for reconstructing the prediction samples to form the reconstructed video data, and a reference picture buffer for storing the reconstructed video data as reference video data. The video encoder also includes a filter parameter estimator for estimating filter parameters according to the original video data of a current picture and the reconstructed video data of the current picture, and an adaptive loop filter for filtering the reconstructed video data of the current picture according to stored filter parameters of a prior picture in coding order. The filter parameter estimator and adaptive loop filter can operate in parallel.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for reconstructing a high-resolution image based on multiple low-resolution images are disclosed. The method and apparatus incorporating an embodiment according to the present invention reconstructs the high-resolution image based on a kernel regression method using a modified kernel function. The kernel function takes into consideration of registration reliability of regression residue and rotational motion within the multiple low-resolution images. The registration reliability adjusts weighting on the regression residues according to local gradient estimated between neighboring values. Furthermore, multi-scale regression residue is used to alleviate impact of noise.

Abstract: A method for inspecting an edible oil includes obtaining a first Raman spectrum from an edible oil sample, discovering an unhealthy, unsanitary, unsafe, or adulterated content in the edible oil sample in part by the intensity level of the fluorescence background in the first Raman spectrum, introducing the edible oil sample to nano-scale surface structures to allow molecules of the edible oil sample to be adsorbed to the nano-scale surface structures, illuminating the edible oil sample and the nano-scale surface structures by a laser beam, obtaining a second Raman spectrum from light scattered by molecules of the edible oil sample adsorbed to the nano-scale surface structures, and identifying the unhealthy, unsanitary, or unsafe content in the edible oil sample using one or more first spectral signatures in the second Raman spectrum.

Abstract: The invention provides a motion prediction method First, a coding unit (CU) of a current picture is processed, wherein the CU comprises at least a first prediction unit (PU) and a second PU. A second candidate set comprising a plurality of motion parameter candidates for the second PU is then determined, wherein at least a motion parameter candidate in the second candidate set is derive from a motion parameter predictor for a previously coded PU of the current picture, and the second candidate set is different from a first candidate set comprising a plurality of motion parameter candidates for the first PU. A motion parameter candidate is then selected from the second candidate set as a motion parameter predictor for the second PU. Finally, predicted samples are then generated from the motion parameter predictor of the second PU partition.

Abstract: An integrated chemical separation device includes a chemical separation unit configured to separate a plurality of substances in a sample solution, a mixing chamber configured to receive the plurality of substances in the sample solution at different times, a chemical separation and detection controller, and a multi-channel valve configured to direct the plurality of substances in the sample solution to the mixing chamber under the control of the chemical separation and detection controller. The chemical separation and detection controller can introduce nano particles in the mixing chambers to allow each of the plurality of substances to be adsorbed on the nano particles. A Raman scattering spectrometer unit emits a laser beam to illuminate molecules adsorbed on the surfaces of the nano particles and obtains Raman spectra from the plurality of substances.

Abstract: Wyner-Ziv and wavelet video coding is described. In one aspect, Wyner-Ziv frames from multiple frames of source video content are zero-tree entropy encoded to generate encoded Wyner-Ziv content. The zero-tree entropy encoding operations are based on high-order statistical correlations among wavelet transforms from the Wyner-Ziv frames. The encoded Wyner-Ziv content is communicated to a decoder for decoding to generate reconstructed Wyner-Ziv frames for presentation to a user.

Abstract: Methods, encoders, and decoders with localized weighted prediction are disclosed. A decoding method includes decoding data for a current segment to generate decoded data including residuals and a weighted prediction parameter for the current segment. A weighted prediction for the current segment is generated based on the weighted prediction parameter. A predictor for the current segment is generated by intra/inter prediction. The weighted prediction and the predictor are combined to obtain a modified predictor, and the current segment is reconstructed according to the modified predictor and the residuals.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for improved intra prediction mode coding are disclosed. Intra prediction exploits the spatial correlation within a picture or within a picture region. In practice, a picture is divided into blocks and the intra mode prediction is performed on a block basis. In newer coding systems, multiple intra prediction modes such as Vertical mode, Horizontal mode, DC mode and Diagonal mode, have been used to improve the coding efficiency of intra coding. However, the mode selection information for intra prediction has to be conveyed to the decoder for proper operation. In High-Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), a coding scheme for the intra luma prediction mode is being considered, where the intra prediction mode of a current block is compared with the minimum of two intra luma prediction modes corresponding to two neighboring blocks.