A robust video-bitrate adaptive scheme at client-aspect plays a significant role in keeping a good quality of video streaming technology experience. Video quality affects the amount of time the video has turned off playing due to the unfilled buffer state. Therefore to maintain a video streaming continuously with smooth bandwidth fluctuation, a video buffer structure based on adapting the video bitrate is considered in this work. Initially, the video buffer structure is formulated as an optimal control-theoretic problem that combines both video bitrate and video buffer feedback signals. While protecting the video buffer occupancy from exceeding the limited operating level can provide continuous video streaming, it may also cause a video bitrate oscillation. So the video buffer structure is adjusted by adding two thresholds as operating points for overflow and underflow states to filter the impact of throughput fluctuation on video buffer occupancy level. Then a bandwidth prediction algorithm is proposed for enhancing the performance of video bitrate adaptation. This algorithm's work depends on the current video buffer level, video bitrate of the previous segment, and iterative throughput measurements to predict the best video bitrate for the next segment. Simulation results show that reserving a bandwidth margin is better in adapting the video bitrate under bandwidth variation and then reducing the risk of video playback freezing. Simulation results proved that the playback freezing happens two times: firstly, when there is no bandwidth margin used and secondly, when the bandwidth margin is high while smooth video bitrate is obtained with moderate value. The proposed scheme is compared with other two schemes such as smoothed throughput rate (STR) and Buffer Based Rate (BBR) in terms of prediction error, QoE preferences, buffer size, and startup delay time, then the proposed scheme outperforms these schemes in attaining smooth video bitrates and continuous video playback.
The research seeks to examine the ability of fifth preparatory students in solving a mathematical problem in relation to system thinking. To this end, the researcher chose (140) fifth preparatory students from four-different secondary schools in Kirkuk city for the academic year (2016-2017). Two tests were adopted to collect study data: a test of (5) items about skills in solving math problem designed by (Al-raihan, 2006); and a test of system thinking skills designed by the researcher himself consisted of (14) items. It was divided into four skills (analyzing the main system to subsystems, eliminating all inner gaps of system, identifying the inner connection of system, and reorganizing the system). The findings indicated a good ability
... Show MoreThe bacterial contamination of lipsticks and face cream may become a great important matter in the medical laboratories. The present study was designed to determine the types of bacterial contamination in the face cream and lipsticks of undergraduate students. Also, the study aimed to determine the sensitivity of the isolated bacteria against many antibacterial agents. The study included 190 swabs samples from 190 face cream and lipsticks samples of the females’ students from five departments in the Medical Technology Institute, Almansour, Middle Technical University were collected in February 2018. The swab samples were collected with sterile condition and cultured on enriched Blood agar and MacConkey agar. Serial dilutions were made up
... Show MoreThe culture of theatre performance has a vital role in the process of reading the linguistic and visual signs of the performance. And the process of transforming a theatre performance from its original context into a new hosting cultural context starts from the actual reading of the text. Directors derives their new signs out of his personal culture, depending on the society where they lives and the culture that forms the social conventions, traditions and beliefs. The text is usually written within its own historical and temporal culture. The process of its production usually takes it away from its original culture, when it interprets the codes of the original writer and their visual and linguistic signs and instils new alternative sign
... Show MoreAn experimental study was carried out for an evaporative cooling system in order to investigate the effect of using an aluminum pad coated with fabric polyester. In the present work, it was considered to use a new different type of cooling medium and test its performance during the change in the wet-bulb temperature and dry-bulb temperature of the supply air outside of the pad, the relative humidity of the supply air, the amount of air supplied (300-600) CFM and also the change of the amount of circulated water (1.75, 2.5, 4.5) liter per minute. A decrease in the WBT of the air was obtained, whereas the WBT of the air entering the pad was 26.5 . In contrast, the WBT of the outside air had reached 23 even though eva
... Show MoreBackground: Melanin pigmentation of the gingiva appears in all ethnicities. Excessive pigmentation is an esthetic concern that has increased awareness about depigmentation procedures. This epidemiological study aims to find the correlation between skin color and gingival pigmentation in Sulaimani Governorate, Kurdistan/Iraq.
Subjects and Methods: A total of 820 apparently healthy and non-smokers, including 338 males and 482 females with healthy gingiva, aged between (18-40 years old) were enrolled in this study. Clinical examination on the participants’ gingivae was performed to assess color, and the distribution of pigmentations. Afterward the of participants skin color were
... Show MoreThe paper deals with the study of the sciences of the Qur’an according to the interpreter, Ayatollah Sayyid Mahmoud al-Talaqani, a religious jihadist figure from Iran. He is the author of the exegesis (Ishraq from Al-Quran), which consists of six parts, which he wrote inside the prisons of the Shah and in exile. Mr. Al-Talaqani agreed with some of the commentators in his positions on the sciences of the Qur’an, and some of them disagreed with others.
We report on using a CO2 (10.6 µm) laser to debond the lithium disilicate veneers. Sixty-four sound human premolar teeth and 64 veneer specimens were used in the study. The zigzag movement via CO2 laser handpiece along with an air-cooled jet to prevent temperature elevation above the necrosis temperature limit (5.5 C°) was applied. The optimal deboning irradiation time was super-fast, at about 5 seconds at 3 Watt CO2 laser power. It is 20 times less than any previously published work for veneers debonding. The enamel beneath the debonded veneers has been assessed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and shear stress technique as criteria for the easiness of debonding. The
... Show MoreBackground: Assessment of function of the right side of the heart in cases of left ventricular dysfunction has been widely studied but the sensitive and specific echocardiographic parameter to be tested is still a matter of controversy. Right ventricular function is related to left ventricular function by ventricular independence so function of both should be assessed carefully. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of left ventricular systolic dysfunction on right ventricular systolic and diastolic functions and pulmonary pressure using conventional and tissue Doppler echocardiography. Patients and Methods: Sixty patients (39 males and 21 females) with heart failure due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction
... Show More