The purpose of this article is to exemplify, or more to the point swank the predictive power of the GenIQ Model© – an alternative technique for modeling a binary or continuous target variable. The GenIQ Model, which is based on the assumption-free, nonparametric genetic paradigm inspired by Darwin's Principle of Survival of the Fittest, offers theoretical and ease-of-use advantages over the standard logistic and ordinary least-squares regression models. It automatically and simultaneously "evolves" the model structure, and the variable selection among candidate predictor variables. The open-worked GenIQ Model and its wordbook are both generally regarded as not demanding on newcomers of genetic modeling. A real case study using human age and fatness, let's call it the "Phat Example," is illustrated to encourage the use of the new method.
I use the machine learning GenIQ Model to build a classification model, which predicts the rank-order likelihood of being a male, to illustrate the advantages, and to highlight the singular weakness of the machine learning paradigm. Specifically, the GenIQ Model shows the superiority of the machine learning paradigm over the statistical paradigm, as it not only specifies the true model form (a computer program), but simultaneously performs variable selection (which in this example is trival because only two predictor variables are considered), data mining and build the model – it's like a Genetic Jackknife 3-in-1 Method. The difficulty in interpreting the computer program often accounts for the limited use of the machine learning paradigm.
The data come from a study investigating a new method of measuring body composition, and give the body fat percentage (PERCENT_FAT), AGE, and gender (if male then MALE=1, if female then MALE=0) for eighteen normal adults aged bewteen 23 and 61 years. How are AGE and PERCENT_FAT related, and is there any evidence that the relationship is different for males and females? Effectively, if a model that can distinguish between males and females can be build then the model is the evidence. The "Phat Example" data are in Table 1, below (from American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 40, 834-839).
I built the easy-to-interpret logistic regression model (LRM), and the not-so-easy-to-interpret GenIQ Model for the target variable MALE. This creates a counterpoint where the data analyst now can choose between a good interpretable model and a potentially better, unexplainable model.
The results of the Phat-LRM are in Table 2. LRM log_of_odds_of_MALE-Rank-order Prediction of MALE, below. There is not a perfect rank-order prediction of MALE for adult ID #7, as he is in the sixth rank, not the fourth rank, which would make the Phat-LRM results perfect.
The Phat-GenIQ Model Tree Display and its Form (Computer Program) are below.
GenIQ variable selection provides a rank-ordering of variable importance for a predictor variable with respect to other predictor variables considered jointly. This is in stark contrast to the well-known, always-used statistical correlation coefficient, which only provides a simple correlation between a predictor variable and the target variable - independent of the other predictor variables under consideration. Because this study only has two predictor variables the rank-ordering of variable importance is trival.
GenIQ data mining is directly apparent from the GenIQ tree itself. Because this study only has two predictor variables, there are no signature GenIQ branches (genetically data-mined structure, i.e., new variables - the "golden nuggets" desired from a data mining effort), only a sine tranformation of AGE, sin(AGE), denoted by sine_of_AGE, which actually is representative of data mining, albeit, the simplest form.
To appreciate the predictive power of the GenIQ Model it is enlightening to see the single relationships for each predictor variable with the target variable, in Tables 3, 4 and 5, which show the Rank-order Predictions of MALE based on AGE, on sine_of_AGE, and on PERCENT_FAT, respectively.. Then, image the brilliance of the built-in IQ of GenIQ, in how it uncovers and ties together the individual data-mined relationships into its final model output in Section IV (GenIQ Model Tree Display and Computer Program) above, and in the GenIQ Model Results in Table 6 below.
The results of the Phat-GenIQ Model are in Table 6. GenIQ Model GenIQvar Rank-order Prediction of MALE, below. There is a perfect rank-order prediction of MALE.
GenIQ modeling is like all other (non-physical science) modeling: there is no unique model, but there are comparable, if not exact, results from alternative methods or different versions of the modeling process. To that end, I built a Phat-GenIQ Model Version #2. The Phat-GenIQ Model Version #2 Tree Display and Computer Program (which includes Int, the Integer function that takes the integer part of the number at hand), and its corresponding Table 7. GenIQ Model Version #2 GenIQvar2 Rank-order Prediction of MALE, below. GenIQ Model Version #2 produces a perfect rank-order prediction of MALE.
However, I prefer the first Phat-GenIQ Model over the version #2 model because the first model is compact (a desirable property of any model), and more precise model scores (obviously a desirable property of any model) than the second model. The first model is compact, albeit at the expensive of the unexpected appearance of the sine function. Also, its model scores for the top two adult ID's #3 and #4 have precisely distinguishing GenIQvar score values, 0.25638, and -0.74362, respectively. The Phat-GenIQ Model Version #2 is definitely not easy on the eyes (not compact), although it uses the easy-to-understand Integer function. But, it is not as precise as the first model, as it assigns the same GenIQvar2 score value of 0.00000 for the top two adult ID's #3 and #1.
The less precise Phat-GenIQ Model Version #2 readies an inquiry of whether the model is also less precise or discriminating vis-a-vis the first Phat-GenIQ Model among the females (MALE=0). This can be addressed by the Coefficient of Variation (CV). (Recall, the CV is a dimensionless number that allows comparison of the variation of populations with different positive mean values. It is often reported as a percentage by multiplying the above calculation by 100. The smaller the CV number, the less variation among the population/sample values.) It is often reported as a percentage by multiplying the above calculation by 100.) I use the CV to see if the variation - as an indicator of spread or diversity of model scores - is less for the second model than it is for the first model. I disregard the negative sign of the model scores to have positive mean values. The CVs are 22.97 and 23.08 for the GenIQvar2 and GenIQvar scores, respectively. Thus, Phat-GenIQ Model Version #2 is not as precise as Phat-GenIQ Model to severalize the adult females.
It is unique, precise, and beautifully compact.
The machine learning paradigm (MLP) "let the data suggest the model" is a practical alternative to the statistical paradigm "fit the data to the equation," which has its roots when data were only "small." It was – and still is – reasonable to fit small data in a rigid parametric, assumption-filled model. However, the current information (big data) in, say, cyberspace requires a paradigm shift. MLP is a utile approach for database modeling when dealing with big data, as big data can be difficult to fit in a specified model. Thus, MLP can function alongside the regnant statistical approach when the data – big or small – simply do not "fit." As demonstrated with the "Phat Example" data, MLP works well within small data settings.


168 p., 18,5 x 25,5 cm.
The analysis of language and its implications was one of the main aspects of medieval philosophy, particularly in the 14th century. One of the main representatives of this was the French philosopher Buridan (around 1300–1360), whose ›Sophismata‹ are being published here in the first modern critical edition.


text:
Acorda adds to PD portfolio with Biotie takeout
...to treat other types of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Acorda also will gain Biotie's BTT-1023...
BioCentury | Apr 13, 2015
BTT-1023: Phase IIa started
...the open-label, U.K. Phase IIa BUTEO trial to evaluate 7 doses of 8 mg/kg IV BTT1023...
...16 mg/kg in some patients. Biotie Therapies Corp . (HSE:BTH1V), Turku, Finland Product: BTT-1023 , BTT1023...
BioCentury | Oct 7, 2013
Biotie neurology, hepatic news
...FDA (see BioCentury, June 10). Biotie also decided to conduct a Phase II trial with BTT-1023...
...liver. The company said it is in advanced discussions for non-dilutive co-funding for the trial. BTT-1023...
...Biotie mutually terminated an April 2003 deal granting Seikagaku exclusive rights to develop and commercialize BTT-1023...
Biotie, Seikagaku deal
...exclusive rights to develop and commercialize BTT-1023 in Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia. BTT-1023...
...start Phase II testing in 2H12 in yet to be determined inflammatory or fibrosis indication. BTT-1023...
Biotie, Synosia deal
...inhibitor, which is in Phase I testing to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); and BTT-1023...
BioCentury | Jan 3, 2011
Trickle-down effect
...phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE-4) inhibitor in Phase I testing to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), and BTT-1023...
Biotie autoimmune, pulmonary news
...its early-stage discovery efforts in order to focus on the clinical development of ronomilast and BTT-1023...
...inhibitor that is in Phase I testing to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) and BTT-1023...
BioCentury | Nov 1, 2010
Regulatory Milestones
...it discontinues early-stage discovery. The company will focus on the clinical development of ronomilast and BTT-1023...
...Ronomilast is in Phase I testing to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), and BTT-1023...
Biotie, Roche deal
...a sale or licensing deal. In April, Roche did not exercise its option to license BTT-1023...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Bloom & Wild keeps on growing
From renting a space by the hour in New Covent Garden flower market to becoming the UK's top-rated flower delivery company, Bloom & Wild has come a long way. We talk to CEO and Co-Founder Aron Gelbard about the inspiration behind the business – and how he's empowering customers to get creative with their blooms.
Flowers in figures
£2.2bn a year: the value of the UK flower and plant market
£28: the average Brits spend on flowers per year
60%: the proportion of flowers and plants people in Britain buy for the home
120: the number of UK chrysanthemum growers in the 1970s. By 2013, competition from abroad reduced this figure to three
12%: the proportion of the UK market that comes from British cut flowers
"It should be a real joy to send and receive flowers, and – at that time – it wasn't," says Aron Gelbard.
The Co-Founder and CEO of online florist Bloom & Wild is looking back to a time before his company shook up the world of flower delivery with its innovative approach.
Barclays really understands the venture-backed start-up landscape and what it's like to be a company expanding at our pa
"It was expensive, you weren't sure whether you would get what you ordered and you worried about asking the recipient to wait in for them." Add in the fact that most delivered flowers didn't seem to last very long and Gelbard had all the inspiration he needed to set up his company.
The online florist, founded in 2013, specialises in 'letterbox flowers' – a bouquet sent through the post in a box designed to fit through customers' letterboxes. Many of the flowers are delivered in-bud, so they haven't yet bloomed, while bigger flowers are wrapped in protective netting to prevent damage en route. There's also a personal touch, with each box including tips and advice on how to best arrange and care for the blooms. "We don't just want our customers to transfer the bouquet into a vase, we want them to get involved in the creative process," says Gelbard.
We don't just want our customers to transfer the bouquet into a vase, we want them to get involved in the creative process
Bloom & Wild is now the UK's top-rated flower delivery company, something Gelbard proudly attributes to a few key factors: technology, supply and logistics, branding and floristry.
"In terms of technology, we try to make it super simple for people to order, especially on a mobile. You can order our flowers in literally seconds," he says. In terms of logistics, the 100% e-commerce florist has shortened the flower supply chain by sourcing flowers directly from growers rather than wholesalers.
Cutting out the middle-men – traders, wholesalers and even bricks and mortar florist shops – means Bloom & Wild can pass the savings on to customers.
It's a model that's working: the business has grown from its origins in Covent Garden flower market – where Gelbard and Co-Founder Ben Stanway rented a space by the hour – to a team of 60 which has had to move offices four times as the company expands. "We have seen really rapid growth in our revenue and the number of deliveries we make," he says. "It's been a really exciting growth trajectory."
Like any company experiencing similar growth, Gelbard values the importance of a bank he can rely on. "We've been with Barclays since the day we set up. They really understand the venture-backed start-up landscape and what it's like to be a company expanding at our pace."
Adam Crickmar, the Barclays Relationship Director who has supported Bloom & Wild's growth, expands on the partnership: "We do the day-to-day banking for them, but as with a lot of fast-growing businesses, we need to move quickly to be able to support them.
"Barclays is interested in customers like Bloom & Wild because they're exciting and innovative. We like to support fast-growing businesses and entrepreneurs wherever possible – we see them as the future of the UK economy."
Four generations of farming
Making plastics digestible
Banking on the right blend
+ More Stories


We just wanted to say a big thank you for your part in our wedding day at Leez Priory. We all had the most wonderful time and your singing outside in the grounds and then in the Coach House for the meal, really added to the atmosphere. It was a magical day and your performance was really memorable, one of the many highlights. Many of our guests commented on your performance and passed on their compliments, so wanted to also share that with you. We all loved it.
Just wanted to say a huge thank you to Max for making mum and dad's 50th wedding anniversary a memorable one. They were thrilled to bits with the surprise live singing and how warmly Max mingled with the guests. The music and the night could not have gone any better!
We would like to say a HUGE 'Thank You' for such a fantastic evening of perfect entertainment. I remember seeing you at another event a few years ago and had one of the best nights of my life and I knew then that you were the person I wanted to sing at my parents' Diamond Anniversary party. When I heard you sing again I felt emotional and privileged to have you at our special event. We had family and friends from the ages of 18 – 90 and they all loved you and all joined in. One guest had had a stroke a few months previously and wasn't sure if would be able to attend but he came and stayed the whole evening and asked his wife for a dance!! She was so happy as she never thought she would dance with her husband ever again. My parents just keep talking about their special night and said it was the best ever and nothing could have topped the day they had. I have never seen my mum so relaxed. You really made their day. I had so many 'Thank you' cards and phone calls for days after. Once again Max 'Thank You'. You are incredibly talented man.
I just wanted to say a BIG, MASSIVE, MAJOR, HUGE THANK YOU, GRAZIE, GRAZIE, GRAZIE!!!
Really, really appreciate you taking the time to perform at the Bollywood event on Thursday!! You made the night and got everyone up boogieing and set the mood just right .
Thank you is not enough, but we are hugely grateful for all the help you gave us on the night and for sweet talking the manager over there to allow us use of the equipment!!!
I wanted to pass on the thanks from the Woodford NSPCC commitee for helping to make our "Rat Pack" evening such a huge success. We all had a great time and our guests were very enthusiastic. Everyone said you were our best entertainer ever! The evening raised £3000 and means that we will be able to continue to use the facilities at The Wells for our NSPCC fundraising for many years to come!
You were amazing last night. So many compliments. You really made it special. Thank you for everything. Legend!
We all had a fantastic time at the ball and Max was brilliant. I have had some fantastic feedback and would like to repeat next year so maybe we can make this an annual event. It could not have gone better.
Thank you so much for performing at our wedding. Alot of our guests said how fantastic you were. You made our wedding reception so special. We willl never forget it. You are a very kind, hardworking and talented man. Thank you again. Hope to see you perform again soon.
Thank you for making our wedding party one we will never forget. You are a true talent!
I would like to thank you for a fantastic performance. Our client was so pleased with how it turned out. From what was supposed to be a quiet soiree turning into a full on party and dancing was completely down to how you judged the mood of the room and responded with exactly the right mix of songs and music – brilliant!
We wanted to say a big Thank You for coming to our party on Saturday, and making it go with a swing! Everyone said it was the best party we've had. They loved singing along with you and the music for dancing was excellent. Two hours of non-stop boogying !
Hi Max, Just to say a big big thank you for last night. We had a fantastic night. I wish we could have it all again. You were brilliant! I will certainly recommend you and I would definitely have you again.
Thank you so much for making it out to Italy. You really made our day even more special. You're the man! I can't say how grateful we are to you. You will be remembered for life by us and the 140 people that were there.
Thank you for your amazing performance at our wedding reception. you provided the perfect ambience. So many of our guests commented on how wonderful they thought you were and how much they enjoyed the music. So thank you so much for coming and entertaining our guests and most of all thank you for singing our first dance song - it was amazing and so incredibly romantic - every brides dream!
What can we say... you were absolutely fantastic, we loved your singing and all your entertainment!!! Thank you so much for being at our wedding, you were without a doubt one of the highlights of the evening and we were so happy you were a part of our special day. It was an absolute pleasure to have you.
I have had all good feedback about last night. This is how it goes: "Music excellent"..."Singer brilliant"..."What a good night"..."When are we doing it again but only if Max can do the music". Well I think you were a great hit and I knew with your support I could pull it off. Look after that prescious voice of yours and I hope to see you perform again soon.
We just wanted to say a big thank you for Saturday night. You were fantastic and you wouldn't believe the amount of people that came up to us to compliment you. I know that a lot of people are wanting you to sing at events for them. Remember us when you're famous!!!
Very classy act Max. Pleasure to hear your lovely voice, loads of people commented favourably on excellent performance! Well done and thank you.
Can I say a big thank you for your fantastic performance and entertainment last night. We have had so many great comments and compliments. Would recommend you to anybody. Thanks again and hope to see you soon at another function.
After seeing Max in a restaurant I enjoyed his performance so much I decided if I could get him to entertain at my upcoming "big bash" I would go ahead and have a party. From the start Max was professional, in his response to my request, keeping me updated and setting up on the night. Due in a big part to Max the party was a great success. Max was supportive to me and joined in from the start. He was able to gauge the mood of the guests and knew exactly the right time to get everybody up dancing. Max's voice was amazing and the style of songs and his whole performance was fantastic. My party was only a few days ago yet everybody Ive had contact with has said what a great performer and singer he was. His appeal went right across the board from my three teenage children to my more mature friends. I could not recommend Max highly enough it was like having all those fantastic singers, Buble, Sinatra and Robbie Williams in one room! Thanks Max!


Two weeks ago, I heard that one of our members, the young lady that stepped in to lead the Music Ministry at our church, had suffered a stroke. She is in her early forties. She is energetic on the organ, and her teenage accompanies her on the drums.
We believed that she would be out of church for a few weeks, needing rehabilitation to renew her strength on her left side. This meant someone else musical in the church stepping up to play the piano or organ. But, last Sunday, right in the middle of our Black History Month program, she came in, leaning on a friend and a son, walking with a cane!
I was stunned, as she went to the organ and started trying to play, holding herself up as best she could. But our pastor told her that while we appreciated her commitment to the church, he wanted her to just sit in the congregation. He scolded her for disobeying doctor's orders and coming to church two days after being discharged from the hospital.
But, it was her response that touched my heart. She said that playing the music and being with her church members were the sources of her healing and strength. She had orchestrated the amazing program of poetry readings, songs, and a mime ministry that inspired me and reminded me that our God can speak to our hearts in my ways.
Her quest was to be there for the people she had invited who did not know anyone else at the church. Her faithfulness to the calling that she felt on her life was something to see. She was back on the organ today, looking a lot stronger but still having some obstacles to overcome. Staying away was not optional for her, and I believe that she was meant to be there today.
As I taught Sunday School this morning, I lamented the absence of a period for testimonies, a constant part of church services when I was a little girl. I never said anything to our pastor about the lesson, and so I was taken aback when he deviated from the order of service and asked if anyone wanted to testify to God's goodness in their lives.
The young organist spoke up, and she said that people have told her that she should not come to church in her state. But, she said, that she should have died from her stroke, as her blood pressure was in the fatal range when she arrived at the hospital. She was so thankful to still be alive, believing that God was with her.
She said, "If I die doing what God has called me to do, then just slide me over to the side, and keep on praising God. I will have given up this earthly body, and will be putting on my heavenly body." I know that some people will think that is a little extreme, but I see it as a portrait of faithfulness to one's calling.
Her young son last week was overcome at what had happened to his mother, and the fear that she almost died and he would have lost her overwhelmed him. But this week as the two of them played the music, he smiled and was joyful. I really believe that part of her determination to come has to do with putting her son's mind at rest, while answering her call.
Whether I believe that she should rest and take time for healing, and not stress over whether the music gets played, I also know that when we participate in the activities that bring us joy, healing begins. I also think that not being there at church would be more detrimental, causing her to worry about the rest of us. I know that her faithfulness influenced my decision to attend today.
I have been battling a strange sickness for over a month. I have appointments with three different kinds of doctors trying to determine what is happening. I have had a cough for nearly a month, headaches, and just feeling weak. When I woke this morning, I thought that I might stay home and let Douglas teach my Sunday School class.
Then, I remembered seeing that young woman determined to come to church, and I knew that I was not nearly as sick, so I got my behind up and went and honored my duties. I was so glad that I did. I ended up leading a congregational song, something I never do because I generally can't carry a tune in a bucket, but my spirit soared as the congregation song a uplifting song. I left church feeling that all will be well and that healing will come, all because of the wonderful and powerful portrait of faithfulness that a determined young woman demonstrated for us all.
Fandango prompt is Optional. Word of the Day Challenge is Quest.


The premier tournament in East Africa was the M.R.D'Souza Gold Cup, organised by the Kenya Goan Sports Association. The annual tournament, played during the Easter weekend, attracted the world's best teams.
The past winners are listed below.
Goan Institute Nairobi defeated Railway Goan Institute in the final.
Ground: Reggie Monteiro and Renato Monteiro.
Sitting L - R: Hari S Sewak , Manmohan S Shukla, Mohinder Singh, Harbhajan Singh.
Goan Institute Kampala played Sikh Union Nairobi in the final on April 21st. 1957 - result was a goalless tie after 2 extra time sessions.
Goal scorers: Rennie Rodrigues and Polly Pereira -both goals scored in second period of extra time.
Sitting (L to R): Amar Singh, Gursaran Singh (Capt), Harbans Singh (President), Hardial Singh (Coach), Surjeet Singh, Tejinder Singh (V. Capt).
Standing (L to R): Gurdev Singh, Pritam Singh, Bachittar Singh, Avtar Singh, Umarjit Singh, Kirpal Singh, Karamjit Singh.
Kenya Police Team: Goal Keeper: Rui Dourado; Full backs: Amrik Singh & Sang Singh; Half backs: Om Parkash Verma, Rosario Dalgado & Jagnandan Singh; Forwards: Mehar Singh, Hardev Singh (Capt), Satbachan Singh, Hilary Fernandes & Quyam Khan.
Goan Institute Nairobi defeated Kenya Police 1 - 0.
Standing (L to R): Bachittar, Hardev, Jagdish, Avtar, Amarjit, Kulwant, Surjit Juttla, Gurdev Singh Sandhu.
Sitting (L to R): Gursaran, Surjit Deol (Capt), Jaswant Singh (President), Avtar Bamrah (Sports Secretary), Surjit 'Sind' (Vice Capt), Amar.
Sitting Below (L to R):Hargobind Singh Grewal, K.Aggarwal.
Standing (L to R): Bachittar Singh Sehmi; Gurdev Singh Sandhu; Amarjeet Singh Dhak (Mega); Krishan Aggarwal; Jagdish Singh (Dishi); Kirpal Singh Bhardwaj; Tarlochan Singh Soor (Tocha).
Sitting (L to R): Gursaran Singh Sehmi (Chhani); Avtar Singh Sohal (Vice Captain); Mota Singh (President), Avtar Singh Bamrah (Comet) (Sports Secretary); Amar Singh Mangat (Captain); Harcharan Singh (Hari).
Police 0 - Sikh Union 0 after extra time.
Standing (L to R): Harvant Singh, Tarlochan Singh, Lakhbir Singh, Davinder Singh, Kirpal Singh, Bachitar Singh, Amrik Singh, Hilary Fernandes.
Played on 2 April 1972 at City Park Stadium Nairobi (Murrum pitch).
Goal scorers: Sikh Union Nairobi: Jagjit Singh Kular (32 min); Ravinder Singh Laly (38 min).
Sikh Union Nairobi: Amarjeet Singh Marwa (GK); Surjeet Singh Panesar; Avtar Singh Sohal; Harvinder Singh Marwa; Surjit Singh Rihal; Resham Singh Bains; Paramjit Singh Bains; Jagjit Singh Kular; Davinder Singh Deegan; Ravinder Singh Laly; Tarlochan Singh Channa.
Played on 14 April 1973 at City Park Stadium Nairobi (Murrum pitch).
Goal scorers: Sikh Union Nairobi: Surjeet Singh Panesar (10 min); Jagjit Singh Kular (14 min; 39 min); Davinder Singh Deegan (60 min).
Sikh Union Nairobi: Amarjeet Singh Marwa (GK); Surjeet Singh Panesar; Surinder Singh Rihal; Harvinder Singh Marwa; Surjit Singh Rihal; Resham Singh Bains; Paramjit Singh Bains; Jagjit Singh Kular (capt); Pritam Singh Sandhu ; Davinder Singh Deegan; Tarlochan Singh Channa. Sub used Ranjit Singh Sehmi (for Pritam Singh Sandhu).
Standing (L to R): Jagmel Singh Rooprai, Pritam Singh Sandhu, Surjit Singh Rihal, Surjeet Singh Panesar, Avtar Singh Sohal, Resham Singh Bains, Davinder Singh Deegan.
Sitting (L to R): Leo Fernandes, Surinder Singh Rihal, Malkit Singh Sondh, Amarjeet Singh Marwa, Satpal Singh Marwa, Ranjit Singh Sehmi, Inderjit Singh Gill.
Played on Easter Monday, 15 April 1974 at 1030am at City Park Stadium Nairobi (Murrum pitch).
Goal Scorers: Sikh Union Nairobi: Surjeet Singh Panesar 43 min & 45 min.
Sikh Union Nairobi: Amarjeet Singh Marwa (GK); Jagmel Singh Rooprai; Avtar Singh Sohal; Surjeet Singh Panesar (capt); Surjit Singh Rihal; Resham Singh Bains; Leo Fernandes; Malkit Singh Sondh; Pritam Singh Sandhu; Davinder Singh Deegan; Surinder Singh Rihal.
Sikh Union London: Parminder Singh Kalsi (GK); Jaswant Singh Bansal; Tarlochan Singh Panesar; Nirmal Singh Sehmi; Sutinder Singh Khehar; Amrik Singh Virdee; Balwant Singh Saini; Narinder Singh Juttla; Ravinder Singh Laly (capt); Davinder Singh Eari.
played at City Park Stadium, Nairobi on Sunday 6 April 1975 at 4.30pm.
Khalsa Sports Club: Surjeet Singh Chase; Jonny Yakub; Naran Dass; Nawazish Mughal; Barjinder Daved; Pradeep Singh Gidi; Amarjeet Singh Dhak (sub Anil Puri); Arif Chaudhry; Shabbir Bhatti; Kuljeet Singh Dhak; Sadiq Bhatti. Sub Anil Puri.


Ganymede Jupiter's moon is the largest one.
Please incorporate maps in the explanation part. Thank you sir!!
Hi Sir, one small question Saturn is having largest number(18) of satellites where as Jupiter is having 16 satellites. Could you please clarify if possible.
is it including both artificial and natural satellites?
satellites here means both artificial nd natural satellites.
but Jupiter and Saturn doesn't have artificial satellites yet!
52. Rings around planets are? (a) Path along which satellites move. (b) Belts of small debris. (c) Same as orbits around planets. d) Belits between iner planets and outer planets.
Solution: (a) Pole star points towards the North It does not change its position with the rotation of Earth. Hence, it is used to find out directions.
Solution: (d) There are countries which have multiple time zones due to their vast geographical extent. E.g. USA- 11 time zones, Russia-11 time zones, U.K-9 time zones etc. 82% does not divide India into two equal halves rather it passes through the almost middle of the country.
Solution: (a) Days and nights are caused by the rotation of the Earth and change in seasons is caused by the revolution of the Earth.


text:
When Men Were Men
by Nikolaj Hajtov
(translated from Bulgarian by Michael Holman)
I was a right daredevil in my young days. Bold as brass and blood on the boil. Not big, just tough. A Martini-Henry barked from my shoulder, daggers in my belt - two and sometimes three — and a revolver here at my side. Everyone knew me, and when I took anything on, there was no messing about. If a bride needed stealing, it was me they called in. No time for cooings and wooings in those far-off days when men were men.
This neighbour of mine had took a fancy to a young lass in Nastan, and one day he called me round.
'What would be your price,' he asked, 'for getting her to the hodja?'
'A hundred levs each for me and my two mates, plus a couple of hundred extra for drink. Five hundred and she's yours.'
He agreed to it and a few days later off we went to Nastan. When us four strangers turned up in the village, the news soon got about. 'They're coming to get you,' the girl was warned. So she stayed inside. And her brother loaded his rifle. 'Just let them try!' he said. 'I'll blow their brains out!' A whole day we waited, then another, but still she didn't come out.
On the third day along came Shoukri, an old friend of mine from Nastan, and told us what's up. 'Look sharp!' he said. 'They've gone ploughing up at Blatnishte.' 'And the girl?' 'She's with them,' he said. All the better! Out there in the fields she wouldn't stand a chance. Her brother was a tough nut it's true, but there were four of us and only one of him.
We stocked up with wine and rakiya and crept off along the road to Blatnishte. When we got there we hid by a spring under some huge great pine trees and sat ourselves down to wait. Quite close the field was, so we could see them ploughing, the girl and her brother. 'How about a drop of rakiya?' I says to the others. 'She won't be taking them oxen of hers to the water till midday. We can grab her then.'
That's what I said anyway, but things turned out quite different. A young goatherd spotted us creeping around at the edge of the field, shinned up a pine tree and began yelling for help.
'He-e-e-ey ! Aga Sheba-a-a-an !' (Her brother was called Sheban just like me.j 'They're hiding in the hollow!' he yelled. 'They're after your sister! Watch ou-u-u-ut!'
'That's torn it,' I says to my mates. 'Come on, into the open!'
Her brother caught sight of us, shoved his sister behind him, grabbed his axe and stood there, waiting.
'Get you back where you came from!' he hollered. 'Or I'll have your guts for garters!' And he started pelting us with stones to keep us off. We kept moving forward though - it needed more than stones to stop us — and I hollered back at him:
'You haven't a chance! We'll wipe the floor with you! And if anybody's guts get used for garters, it'll be yours. Drop that axe,' I tells him, 'and scram! She won't come to no harm, your sister. She's coming to town with us.'
'Get back !' he yelled. 'Or I'll hammer your swedes!'
My mates went weak at the knees, but I kept going. One hand on my dagger, the other on my revolver.
'We'll see whose swedes get hammered,' I yelled back, and threw myself at him. Down came the axe - nearly took my head off, it did - but I jumped to one side, and it got me in the arm, just below me elbow. Clean through the sleeve it went, right to the bone. That was my left arm done for, so I grabbed him with my right. I got him round the neck and threw him on his back. Aye, I was tough in those days. There was no holding me! I pinned him down with my knee, grabbed hold of a lump of wood and clobbered him over the head. Split his head right open. Then I took off his sash and we tied him to a tree, so he couldn't move. Bandaged his head with the sash too, just like a turban. But when we got to looking for the girl we found she'd done a bunk. Scarpered. While we was dealing with her brother. What to do next?
I laid into the bridegroom. 'Got eyes in your head, haven't you?' I shouted. 'What do you think they're for, you miserable donkey!'
Anyhow we hunted around a bit and found her in a copse of hornbeam. Lying there quiet as a mouse, with her veil pulled over her head. We pounced on her, but she fought like fury. Four against one it was, yet she gave as good as she got. In the end we caught her by the plaits and she gave in. Then we took her back to her brother in the field. He'd had enough and wanted us to untie him.
'Please let me go!' he begged. 'Please don't leave me to die tied to this tree! '
So we let him go. Took pity on him. You should have seen him run! Like greased lightning. He forgot his plough and his sister, and in a flash he'd disappeared in the hollow.
'All right then,' I says to our bride, 'come along my little rabbit, we're going to marry you to this fine young fellow here.'
To that little slobberchops ? Never!' she said, and spat in his face. 'You'll never catch me marrying him!'
We threw ourselves onto her again and started dragging her up the hill. She had other ideas, though. She didn't want to come at all. So we got hold of her nice thin plaits and yanked half of them out by the roots. She still wasn't having any. In the end we caught her by the arms and legs and heaved her up in the air. And we carried her like that, all arms and legs, right the way to the Djindjov pond. I've stolen a fair number of brides in my time, but never a woman like her! Tough, I'll say she was, and stubborn as a mule. But a fine piece of woman, broad in the beam and firm in the waist. Well stacked up front too, drive you wild just to look at it all. I could hardly keep my hands off her.
Once into the wood we turned off towards Grohotno. We was expecting her brother back with extra helpers chasing after us, so rather than take the direct route to Dyovlen we cut through the forest. We got tired of carrying our bride, so we put her down and took to dragging her instead. Her trousers got ripped to shreds. At one point the bridegroom was all for jacking it in.
'Might be better to let her go,' he says. 'She's a wild beast, not a woman.'
'What! So she can tell everyone how she got the better of us? You must be going soft in the head!' So off we went again, downhill this time, all the way to the river near Grohotno. We was wanting to turn off by Hamam Springs for Dyovlen, so we needed to get over t'other side. It wouldn't be easy though, not with the river almost bursting its banks and the water seething and frothing something awful. The nearest bridge was in the village, so that wasn't a lot of good to us. Like it or not, we'd have to take a dip. My two mates, the ones as was helping, they didn't fancy the idea, so they turned back. Scared of the water! Can't say the bride was too keen on a swim, neither. So I said to the bridegroom: 'Toss her over your shoulder,' I says. All very well, but she was a big lass and he hardly came up to her chin. Not built for 'tossing', he wasn't. So I told him to kneel down. 'Kneel down,' I says, 'and get her on your back.' He knelt down, but still she wasn't having any. I tried to shove her onto him, but with my gammy arm, I couldn't budge her. She'd dug her heels in and wasn't moving. So out comes my dagger and up against her breast it went! 'Right,' I says, 'see if spilling a little blood won't help!' I presses the dagger and she bends back, I presses harder and she bends further, till she's lying right across the bridegroom's back. Then up he gets and into the river with her! Holding on tight now, she was - didn't have much choice.
'Keep going!' I yells, 'and don't turn round! I've got her feet!'
He took a couple of steps and then - oops! he tumbled into a hole and disappeared under the muddy water, bride and all. And I was left holding her stockings! 'Bloody hell!' I thinks, 'that's the end of our beautiful bride!' And I dives into the water after them. I wasn't a bad swimmer, so I wasn't afraid of water. But there wasn't only water in that river, there was rocks and bloody great lumps of wood as well! Terrible! One branch stabbed you in the belly, another cracked into your shoulder and a third nearly broke your back. If anybody's life needed saving, it was mine. With two hands I'd have been all right, but with only one. . . . Anyhow, I managed to get my teeth into the girl's leg, caught hold of a tree-root with my hand and heaved myself onto the bank. Two hours we lay there without a word, black and blue and numb with cold, with the moon looking down at us. ... Midday, it was, when we'd dealt with her brother, the whole afternoon we'd spent catching the girl and lugging her through the forest, and by the time we got to the last bit the moon was up. A good while we sat there.
Then I said to her, 'Come on,' I says, 'we'd best be getting along.'
But the girl still wasn't having any. 'I'm not moving from here!' she says. 'You can drown me in the river for all I care.'
So I tried being nice to her. 'Come along Emine, my little chicken. Don't make things difficult for us. We could get rough, you know. . . .'
Still it was 'No!' Then she started telling me about her brother being a robber over the border in Greece and how he'd shower me with gold if I let her go. Begged me to let her go, she did, because she'd never agree to marry that little wretch over there, so I might as well give up trying to make her.
The bridegroom, he'd properly got the wind up. Sitting and waiting, and looking to me for help.
'Up you get,' I says to her again. 'It's marriage for you, my girl! To this fine young man here.'
'Him? Never! Fine young man indeed! Let me go! You can kill me, but I'm not moving from here.'
Then I got out my revolver and pointed it straight at her.
'Eight's my score so far - you'll be number nine. On your feet, I say, or you'll be joining the rest!'
That scared her, and she got up. On and on we walked, and soon it started getting light. I could see we'd already passed Hamam Springs and were going down Crooked Hill towards Dyovlen. All night we'd been walking, up hill and down dale, through bushes and bracken till we was properly tousled and tangled. It was all right for us men to walk about in rags - or in nothing at all for that matter - but the girl couldn't be seen in town looking like that.
So I had a word with the bridegroom.
'You get along and bring her some clothes,' I says. 'We can't go taking her into Dyovlen all dog-eared and torn.'
But he took me to one side and started whispering in my ear:
'Fine,' he says, 'but how about leaving us on our own for a moment. So I can try a bit of the old charm like, to soften her up.'
'Why not,' I says, and a bit further on I loosened me belt and called over to him. 'You keep going,' I says. 'Got something I must see to - call of nature.'
They went on, and I stayed back. I kept an eye on them though. A bit further up the road they stopped. It looked like the bridegroom said something to her and then he trips her up, throws himself on top of her and tries to get her legs apart. But she isn't having no nonsense. She bends her knees and gives an almighty kick. Arse over head goes the bridegroom — one, two, three somersaults in the air, I can't rightly remember how many it was. You stupid young twerp, I thought to meself. Shouldn't go messing around if you don't know how. Anyhow, I caught them up and off we went once more. I sent the bridegroom to fetch the clothes, and me and Emine, we sat ourselves down just above Dyovlen to wait for him to come back. She was glaring at me, real wild.
'What's the big idea, letting that little driveller come slobbering over me?' she says. 'I won't have him! Kill me, if you want, but I'm not going to Dyovlen!'
'Oh yes you are,' I tells her, 'I'll make damn sure of it! Getting paid good money for it, I am.'
'You'll get your money, all right,' she says. 'My brother will give you all the gold you need. You just let me go, that's all I ask."
'No,' I says, 'I've promised, and promises are something money won't buy. You're going with me to Dyovlen!'
'With you,' she says, 'I'd go anywhere. But I'm not going nowhere with him!'
'Good God!' I thought, 'that's quite a change of tune!' Got a wife at home, I had, but this little piece was something special. White as milk and eyes like two daggers searing your flesh! And those breasts! Two great mountains of fire sizzling through her blouse!
'Do you want to?' she asked. 'Take me then!' It was a sin, but it was sweet, my friend! I up-ended her on one side of the meadow, and we was right over yon side by the time we was through. Not a blade of grass left standing. 'So far, so good,' I says to meself. 'But where do we go from here? If you keep her for yourself, you'll bring shame upon your trade. If you give her the push, it'll be like a knife in her heart.'
She could see I was having second thoughts. 'Well, am I going with you?' she asks, with those eyes boring into me. Got me on the hook, she had, bloody woman' It's times like that two hearts come in handy -one for honour and the other for love. But however much you hack it and slash it, the damned thing will never split'
In the end I plumped for honour and I told her ;
'You're not coming with me,' I says. 'You're going with him! . . . And that's that!'
'Not with him, I'm not!' she says. 'Oh yes you are!' I tells her.
'Never!' And she made a run for it. She was looking into my eyes one minute, and the next she'd scarpered. I threw myself flat and grabbed hold of her foot. And before I could get up or turn round, she was off, curving and twisting like a regular whirlwind, dragging me after her, over the stones and through thorns and prickles. She threshed the whole field with me, poor lass, but I'd hooked on to that ankle and I wasn't letting go. In the end she tripped and fell, all foaming at the mouth. I'd taken quite a bashing too, but there was nothing I could do about it. So we sat ourselves down and had a little rest. Then I said to her:
'Well, now are you going?' I says. 'Ouf! Do what you like with me !' she says. A bit later the bridegroom turned up again. We got the girl dressed and set off for Dyovlen. Over the bridge, and we'd be home and dry, as they say. Another good job done, I thinks to myself, that's the life for me! Bring out the flags!
No, not flags, not yet awhile, my friend. . . .! Just coining up to the bridge, we were, when some character with his jacket pulled over his head jumped out and started screaming at us.
'Stop! One step further and I'll blow your brains out!' There was a dirty great gun staring me in the face not ten paces away. And a bandaged head as well. Aha! I thought, her brother again. He must have known we'd be coming over the bridge into Dyovlen, so he'd been waiting for us by the river. My neighbour the bridegroom was walking along behind and when he saw what was up, in a flash he was over the hedge. That left me standing there in the middle of the road. One arm in a sling and my revolver right round the back where I couldn't reach it. He'd blast me to kingdom come, that devil would, before I'd be able to get anywhere near it.
'Stay where you are!' he shouted, pointing his gun straight at me, and moving forward to grab his sister. And then, believe this if you will, that young sister of his, who we'd spent all night hauling through the bushes and tearing to shreds, went and jumped in between us! All on her own, with no help from me.
With my good hand I grabbed her round the waist and called out to her brother:
'One step further and we'll be in the river, me and your sister!'
Down below that old river was boiling away something terrible! He froze in his tracks. Backwards we went, step by step, me and his sister, across the bridge to the other side. I'd got her real tight - I wasn't letting her go this time! And all he could do was stand there and gawp. No chase, no shooting, no nothing. . . .! It was the first time in my life I'd seen a real live mummy. White as a sheet, all the blood gone out of his face, standing there like a lump of stone. Then he threw down his gun, put his hand over his eyes and began to blubber. I'd never seen a man blubber. That was the first time. ... I felt like giving his sister back to him and moving out, but that wouldn't have done no good- After all, what you want to do and what you can do is two different things - not the same at all, they aren't. . . .
So in the end we got her to Dyovlen. We took her straight to the hodja to get her wed.
'Woman,' he says, 'will you take this man to be your husband?'
'Him? Never!'
Then the hodja too began cursing her. 'Good God ! You are a stubborn wench! You get yourself torn to shreds, and still you won't say yes. Sheban, take her back to the forest and leave her there for a while. Maybe that will knock some sense into her head.'
That scared her, and she gave in. They were wedded on the spot. . . .
Two months and a bit they stayed together, that's all. One day round came Emine to see my old woman. 'Why don't you take me to the fields with you?' she says. 'So you can teach me to sow maize.' Her husband had let her out. (It was the first time - he hadn't let her out before.) So off she went with my old woman to learn how to sow maize. My old woman came back alone, without the lass from Nastan. She'd got across the river and cleared off back to her village.
A short while later word came that she wanted to speak to me. I went to see her, and this is what she said:
'Help me to get shot of that driveller, and I'll give you whatever you want,' she says. 'What will you give me?' I asks. 'Two gold coins,' she answers, 'material enough for three pairs of leggings, and some leather for tsuruoulis. . .. That's what she said she'd give me.
'If that's your offer,' I says, 'the job's as good as done!'
Then I went back to Dyovlen and had a word with my neighbour. 'Why not throw her over and be done with it?' I says to him. 'Whatever you do, she'll never come back of her own free will. If you want her back, we'll have to go stealing her again, like we did last time.' 'Not on your life!' he says. 'I'm not going through all that again, even if I stay a bachelor the rest of my days.' 'If that's how you feel,' I says to him, 'give her up as a bad job. We'll see if we can't steal you another - meek and mild - one you can get along with, like.'
'And what will be your price this time?'
'A hundred each for me and my two mates, and a couple of hundred for drink. Five hundred in all.'
'Very well!' he says. 'And you can go and tell that wild beast in Nastan that I'm through with her.'
'That you'll have to do yourself,' I tells him. 'Come along to Nastan with me and get the hodja to divorce you. Then you can do what you please.'
So we went back to Nastan, got him divorced, and later we fetched him another one. Money for jam, it was, not like the first time: a tug at her plaits and she was meek as a mouse. . . .
And the first one, she gave me the two gold coins and the other things she said. ... A fair number of women I've stolen in my time, my friend, but that little vixen left the rest standing. Really got under my skin, she did. A whole lot of woman whichever way you grabbed her!
. . . Still I remember and regret the day I lost her. But as I said once before, what you want to do and what you can do is two different things - not the same at all, they aren't. . .


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text:
United States Patent Application 20180084292
Kind Code A1
JIANG; Jun March 22, 2018
WEB-BASED LIVE BROADCAST
The invention discloses a web-based live broadcasting method, which comprises the steps of real-time intercepting video information captured from a camera so as to obtain camera pictures; storing each frame of the camera picture as a texture object; rendering the texture object, and screening out a reference color of the pixels in the texture object; bonding the rendered texture object to a pre-set virtual background to obtain a bonded scene image information; and encoding the bonded scene image information to generate a video stream for live broadcasting. This invention further discloses a client terminal of web-based live broadcasting and a web-based live broadcasting system. The present invention can meet a requirement of a real-time processing on a picture during live broadcasting and can run smoothly on the mobile phone, with less consumption of resources.
Inventors: JIANG; Jun; (Shanghai, CN)
Shanghai Hode Information Technology Co.,Ltd.
Appl. No.: 15/706434
Filed: September 15, 2017
Current CPC Class: H04N 21/234345 20130101; H04N 9/8722 20130101; H04N 21/2187 20130101
International Class: H04N 21/2343 20060101 H04N021/2343; H04N 21/2187 20060101 H04N021/2187; H04N 9/87 20060101 H04N009/87
Foreign Application Data
Sep 18, 2016 CN 201610828135.6
1. A mobile computing device for a live web-based broadcast, comprising; a camera configured to capture real-time graphics data; a processor; and a memory communicatively coupled to the processor and storing instructions that upon execution by the processor cause the mobile computing device to: intercept at least one frame of real-time graphics data from the real-time graphics data captured by the camera; store at least one texture object based on the at least one frame of real-time graphics data, the at least one texture object comprising a plurality of pixels; filter out a reference color from the plurality of pixels in the at least one texture object; create scene image data by integrating the at least one texture object into a pre-determined virtual background; generate a bit stream for a live web-based broadcast by encoding the scene image data; and transmit over a network to a server computer the bit stream for the live broadcast.
2. The mobile computing device of claim 1, the memory further storing instructions that upon execution by the processor cause the mobile computing device to: in response to a determination that the at least one frame of real-time graphics data has a RGB format, convert the RGB format into a YUV format prior to storing the at least one texture object.
3. The mobile computing device of claim 1, the memory further storing instructions that upon execution by the processor cause the mobile computing device to: in response to a determination that the at least one frame of real-time graphics data has a YUV format, directly store the at least one texture object based on the at least one frame of real-time graphics data.
4. The mobile computing system of claim 1, the memory further storing instructions that upon execution by the processor cause the mobile computing system to: enable a user to select one of a plurality of colors as the reference color.
5. The mobile computing system of claim 1, the memory further storing instructions that upon execution by the processor cause the mobile computing system to: assign one of a plurality of colors as the reference color; determine a differential value between a color of one of the plurality of pixels and the reference color; and normalize the differential value.
6. The mobile computing system of claim 5, the memory further storing instructions that upon execution by the processor cause the mobile computing system to: determine an alpha channel value of the one of the plurality of pixels using a normalized differential value of the one of the plurality of pixels.
7. The mobile computing system of claim 1, wherein the reference color is green.
8. A method for a live web-based broadcast, comprising: intercepting at least one frame of real-time graphics data from real-time graphics data captured by a camera; storing at least one texture object based on the at least one frame of real-time graphics data, the at least one texture object comprising a plurality of pixels; filtering out a reference color from the plurality of pixels in the at least one texture object; creating scene image data by integrating the at least one texture object into a pre-determined virtual background; generating a bit stream for a live web-based broadcast from encoding the scene image data; and transmitting over a network to a server computer the bit stream for the live broadcast.
9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: in response to a determination that at least one frame of real-time graphics data has a RGB format, converting the RGB format into a YUV format prior to storing the at least one texture object.
10. The method of claim 8, further comprising: in response to a determination that the at least one frame of real-time graphics data has a YUV format, directly storing the at least one texture object based on the at least one frame of real-time graphics data.
11. The method of claim 8, further comprising: enabling a user to select one of a plurality of colors as the reference color.
12. The method of claim 8, further comprising: assigning one of a plurality of colors as the reference color; determining a differential value between a color of one of the plurality of pixels and the reference color; and normalizing the differential value.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: determining an alpha channel value of the one of the plurality of pixels using a normalized differential value of the one of the plurality of pixels.
14. The method of claim 10, wherein the reference color is green.
15. The method of claim 14, further comprising: receiving, by the server computer, a request for watching the live broadcast.
16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium bearing computer-readable instructions that upon execution on a computing device cause the computing device at least to: intercept at least one frame of real-time graphics data from real-time graphics data captured by a camera; store at least one texture object based on the at least one frame of real-time graphics data, the at least one texture object comprising a plurality of pixels; filter out a reference color from the plurality of pixels in the at least one texture object; create scene image data by integrating the at least one texture object into a pre-determined virtual background; generate a bit stream for a live web-based broadcast from encoding the scene image data; and transmit over a network to a server computer the bit stream for the live broadcast.
17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising computer-readable instructions that upon execution on the computing device cause the computing device at least to: in response to a determination that the at least one frame of real-time graphics data has a RGB format, convert the RGB format into a YUV format prior to storing the at least one texture object.
18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising computer-readable instructions that upon execution on the computing device cause the computing device at least to: enable a user to select one of a plurality of colors as the reference color.
19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising computer-readable instructions that upon execution on the computing device cause the computing device at least to: assign one of a plurality of colors as the reference color; determine a differential value between a color of one of the plurality of pixels and the reference color; and normalize the differential value.
20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, further comprising computer-readable instructions that upon execution on the computing device cause the computing device at least to: determine an alpha channel value of the one of the plurality of pixels using a normalized differential value of the one of the plurality of pixels.
[0001] The present application is based on and claims priority of Chinese patent application No. 201610828135.6, filed on Sep. 18, 2016. The entire disclosure of the above-identified application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification.
[0002] The present invention relates to a field of communication, and more particularly to a client terminal of web-based live broadcasting, as well as a system and a method thereof.
[0003] As a result that a limitation of a live broadcasting continues to be decreased, more and more users are beginning to try to be anchors. The conventional camera is now unable to meet users' personalized demands, so putting themselves in a virtual scene to do a live broadcasting has become a way to show their own personality.
[0004] A user may choose a color that is almost not shown in one's face as a background color, such as green. So one may prepare a green cloth as a background put behind characters to get an effect that only a green background is shown in the camera viewing window in addition to the characters. The green part is further changed into a transparent part by means of a software processing, and then mixed with a pre-selected virtual scene. Thereby, an effect of allocating in a virtual scene is obtained.
[0005] In comparing with photo processing, video processing is a higher challenge to the performance of computer. For 30 frames each having a 1280.times.960 resolution, the total pixels to be handled per minute approximate 37 million. As to frames each having a 1920.times.1080 resolution, more pixels will need to be handled. For those computers or mobile phones that simultaneously handle a live broadcasting, they will further bear a pressure from encoding video signals. This would be a big challenge to the performance of these kinds of equipment.
[0006] It is an object of the present invention to provide a client terminal of web-based live broadcasting as well as a system and a method thereof, which can meet in real time a request to handle the pictures in a live broadcasting, and can get, with a little resource consumption, a smooth operation even in a mobile phone.
[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is achieved by the following technical scheme and thus disclose a client terminal of web-based live broadcasting being characterized by comprising a camera, used to capture video information; a picture acquisition module connected to the camera for intercepting pictures from the camera in real time; a storage module connected to the picture acquisition module for storing each frame of the camera picture intercepted by the picture acquisition module as a texture object; a rendering module connected to the storage module for rendering the texture object stored in the storage module, and for screening out a reference color of the pixels in the texture object; a scene bonding module connected with the rendering module for bonding the rendered texture object to a pre-set virtual background to obtain a bonded scene information; an encoder connected to the scene bonding module for encoding the bonded scene information to generate a video stream for live broadcasting; and a data transmission module connected to the encoder to transmit the video stream for live broadcasting.
[0008] The picture acquisition module includes a screenshot unit, a data format judgment unit and a data format conversion unit connected in turn. The screenshot unit is connected with the camera for intercepting the video information to obtain the camera picture. The format judgment unit is connected with the storage module to determine the data format of the camera picture that is intercepted by the screenshot unit. If it is a YUV format, the intercepted camera picture is directly stored in the storage module, and if it is a RGB format, the RGB format camera picture will need to be converted into the YUV format by the format conversion unit and then be stored into the storage module.
[0009] The rendering module comprises a color filter unit as well as a transparency parameter setting unit and a reference color assignment unit, respectively connected thereto. The color filter unit is connected with the storage module and the scene bonding module, respectively. The reference color assignment unit is used to set the assigned key color as a reference color. The transparency parameter setting unit is used to set transparency parameters of the pixels. The color filter unit is used to filter out the reference color in pixels of a texture object stored in the storage module, and to set the transparency parameters of the pixels in the texture object.
[0010] A web-based live broadcasting system is also disclosed which is characterized by comprising a client terminal of web-based live broadcasting and a server thereof. The client terminal of web-based live broadcasting is used to generate a video stream for live broadcasting. The server receives the video stream pushed by the client terminal of web-based live broadcasting. Users send a request of watching a live broadcasting to the server so as to watch the video stream.
[0011] The client terminal of web-based live broadcasting comprise: a camera, used to capture video information; a picture acquisition module connected to the camera for intercepting pictures from the camera in real time; a storage module connected to the picture acquisition module for storing each frame of the camera picture intercepted by the picture acquisition module as a texture object;
[0012] a rendering module connected to the storage module for rendering the texture object stored in the storage module, and for screening out a reference color of the pixels in the texture object, a scene bonding module connected with the rendering module for bonding the rendered texture object to a pre-set virtual background to obtain a bonded scene information; an encoder connected to the scene bonding module for encoding the bonded scene information to generate a video stream for live broadcasting; a data transmission module connected to the encoder to transmit the video stream for live broadcasting to a server.
[0013] The picture acquisition module includes a screenshot unit, a data format judgment unit and a data format conversion unit connected in turn. The screenshot unit is connected with the camera for intercepting the video information to obtain a camera picture. The format judgment unit is connected with the storage module to determine the data format of the camera picture that is intercepted by the screenshot unit. If it is a YUV format, the intercepted camera picture is directly stored in the storage module, and if it is a RGB format, the RGB format camera picture is converted into the YUV format by the format conversion unit and then be stored into the storage module.
[0014] The rendering module comprises a color filter unit as well as a transparency parameter setting unit and a reference color assignment unit, respectively connected thereto. The color filter unit is connected with the storage module and the scene bonding module, respectively. The reference color assignment unit is used to set the assigned key color as a reference color. The transparency parameter setting unit is used to set a transparency parameter of the pixels. The color filter unit is used to filter out the reference color in pixels of a texture object stored in the storage module, and to set the transparency parameters of the pixels in the texture object.
[0015] A web-based live broadcasting method is also disclosed which is characterized by comprising: real-time intercepting video information captured from a camera so as to obtain camera pictures; storing each frame of the camera picture as a texture object; rendering the texture object, and screening out a reference color of the pixels in the texture object; bonding the rendered texture object to a pre-set virtual background to obtain a bonded scene image information; encoding the bonded scene image information to generate a video stream for live broadcasting.
[0016] In the step of intercepting, it comprises a step of directly storing intercepted camera pictures if they are in a YUC format, and a step of converting intercepted camera pictures before storing them if they are RGB format.
[0017] A web-based live broadcasting method comprises: assigning a key color as the reference color; finding differential values between the colors of the pixels to be rendered and the reference color, and normalizing the differential values; utilizing a normalized differential values as a factor to multiple alpha channel values in the colors of the pixels to be rendered, so as to get alpha channel values of the colors of the pixels to be outputted, and to finish a screening of the reference color.
[0018] The reference color is green.
[0019] The present invention discloses a client terminal of a web-based live broadcasting, as well as a web-based live broadcasting system and a method thereof, and has advantages, in comparison to current technology, such as being possible to meet the requirement of real-time processing of the pictures in real time and being possible to run smoothly on the mobile phone, with less consumption of resources.
[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the disclosure, the accompanying drawings for illustrating the technical solutions and the technical solutions of the disclosure are briefly described as below.
[0021] FIG. 1 is a structural block diagram of a web-based live broadcasting system disclosed in one embodiment of the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a web-based live broadcasting method disclosed in one embodiment of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example computing system that may be used in one embodiment of the present invention.
[0024] The invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which a preferred embodiment is set forth in detail.
[0025] As shown in FIG. 1, a web-based live broadcasting system comprises a client terminal of web-based live broadcasting 100 and a server thereof 200. The client terminal of web-based live broadcasting 100 is used for generating a live video stream or a video stream for live broadcasting. The server 200 is used for receiving the video stream sent by the client terminal of web-based live broadcasting 100. User can send a watching request to the server 200 to review the video stream. The client terminal of web-based live broadcasting 100 includes a camera 101, used to capture video information; a picture acquisition module 102 connected to the camera 101 for intercepting pictures from the camera in real time; a storage module 103 connected to the picture acquisition module 102 for storing each frame of the camera picture intercepted by the picture acquisition module 102 as a texture object; a rendering module 104 connected to the storage module 103 for rendering the texture object stored in the storage module 103 and for screening out a reference color of the pixels in the texture object; a scene bonding module 105 connected with the rendering module 104 for bonding the rendered texture object to a pre-set virtual background to obtain a bonded scene information; an encoder 106 connected to the scene bonding module 105 for encoding the bonded scene information to generate a video stream for live broadcasting; and a data transmission module 107 connected to the encoder 106 to transmit the video stream for live broadcasting to the server 200.
[0026] In this embodiment, the picture acquisition module 102 includes a screenshot unit 1021, a data format judgment unit 1022, and a data format conversion unit 1023 connected in turn. The screenshot unit 1021 is connected with the camera 101 for intercepting the video information to obtain the camera picture. The format judgment unit 1022 is connected with the storage module 103 to determine the data format of the camera picture that is intercepted by the screenshot unit 1021. If it is a YUV format, the intercepted camera picture is directly stored in the storage module 103, and if it is a RGB format, the RGB format camera picture will need to be converted into the YUV format by the format conversion unit 1023 and then be stored into the storage module 103.
[0027] In this embodiment, the rendering module 104 comprises a color filter unit 1041 as well as a transparency parameter setting unit 1042 and a reference color assignment unit 1043, respectively connected thereto. The color filter unit 1041 is connected with the storage module 103 and the scene bonding module 105, respectively. The reference color assignment unit 1043 is used to set the assigned key color as a reference color. The transparency parameter setting unit 1042 is used to set transparency parameters of the pixels. The color filter unit 1041 is used to filter out the reference color in pixels of a texture object stored in the storage module 103, and to set the transparency parameters of the pixels in the texture object.
[0028] By incorporating with a web-based live broadcasting system mentioned above, the present invention also discloses a web-based live broadcasting method which comprises a first step of:
[0029] S1, real-time intercepting video information captured from a camera so as to obtain camera pictures.
[0030] Under a computer system of Windows, an application program called DirectShow or Video for Windows can be used to capture the camera pictures. Under an operation system of Android or Apple, a function provided in SDK can be directly used to capture the camera pictures.
[0031] Moreover, if the intercepted pictures are in a YUV format, they can be directly stored. If the intercepted pictures are in RGB format, they need to be converted into YUV format before being stored.
[0032] The method according to one embodiment of the present invention further comprise steps of:
[0033] S2, storing each frame of the camera picture as a texture object (one picture);
[0034] S3, rendering the texture object, and screening out a reference color of the pixels in the texture object.
[0035] The step of S3 further comprises steps of assigning a key color as the reference color, such as green; finding differential values between the colors of the pixels to be rendered and the reference color and normalizing the differential values; and utilizing a normalized differential values as a factor to multiple alpha channel values in the colors of the pixels to be rendered, so as to get alpha channel values of the colors of the pixels to be outputted, and to complete the screen of the reference color.
[0036] The rendering of the texture object is the key point of the embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment of the present invention, the transparency of each pixel is adjusted using the Pixel Shader in accordance with certain rules, or parameters specified by the user.
[0037] The user needs to assign a key color as the reference color. In the pixel shader, differential values between the colors of the pixels to be rendered and the reference color assigned by the user are calculated and normalized. After that, a normalized differential value is utilized as a factor to multiple alpha channel values in the colors of the pixels to be rendered, so as to get alpha channel values of the colors of the pixels to be outputted finally.
[0038] During the rendering of the processed texture object into the scene, a color more close to the reference color assigned by user has an alpha channel value more close to 0, so as to get the purpose of screen out the reference color assigned by user. Finally, an effect of transparency appears for the background. And, only front scene is left. That is, the green color was removed, leaving the characters in the front scene.
[0039] Current graphics cards in market all support the function of "programmable rendering pipeline." Thus, during the rendering process, a self-defined program can be input to control the rendering steps. When the process is proceeded under Windows, for example rendering through Direct3D, a rendering logic can be defined in the Pixel Shader, so as to make a green screen behind the characters becoming transparent. When it is proceeded in a phone under Apple or Android system, the Fragment Shader in OpenGL ES can be used so as to make the green screen in background becoming transparent.
[0040] Specifically, the programmable rendering pipeline means that the graphic card allow a programmer to program the shader in a display operation unit during the process of rendering the scene, so as to control and manage the rendering effect achieved by the graphic card. There are two types of shaders, one is vertex shader and the other is pixel shader. The vertex shader is used for performing coordinate transformation and lighting calculation. Since the rendering of the camera picture does not involve a 3D transformation, so a vertex that is input to the shader is directly output without any processing. However, the pixel shader is working with a raster and thus can do a fine tune for pixels in each rendering picture. The graphic card can do such a calculation so as to remove green color.
[0041] The data that can be used for the calculation by the pixel shader can be set by the application program before rendering a frame. Before the pixel shader starts working, the application program has already saved a camera picture with a special "texture" for the reference of the pixel shader, and also store a color need to be filtered out, such as green color here, in the attributes thereof. In the meanwhile, the vertex shader sends some parameters to indicate which pixel is now rendered. In doing so, the pixel shader can get a pixel to be rendered from the "texture" which is combined with the camera picture.
[0042] If the data captured by the camera is a RGB format, it is converted into a YUV format by multiplying it with a conversion matrix by means of the powerful vector calculation capability of the graphic card. Then, a distance between a vector representing the color of the pixel and a vector representing the color needs to be filtered as a reference color is calculated. The closer the distance is, the more transparent the pixel is. The farther the distance is, the less opaque the pixel is. This is implemented by modifying the alpha channel component of the pixel.
[0043] After the above steps, two steps of S4 and S5 are followed. In S4, the rendered texture object is bonded to a pre-set virtual background to obtain a bonded scene image information.
[0044] In step of S5, the bonded scene image information is encoded to generate a video stream for live broadcasting.
[0045] Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the subject matter described herein may be practiced on or in conjunction with other computer system configurations beyond those described herein, including multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, handheld computers, personal digital assistants, e-readers, cellular telephone devices, special-purposed hardware devices, network appliances, and the like. The embodiments described herein may also be practiced in distributed computing environments, where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.
[0046] A network set up by an entity, such as a company or a public sector organization, to provide one or more services (such as various types of cloud-based computing or storage) accessible via the Internet and/or other networks to a distributed set of clients may be termed a provider network. Such a provider network may include numerous data centers hosting various resource pools, such as collections of physical and/or virtualized computer servers, storage devices, networking equipment, and the like, needed to implement and distribute the infrastructure and services offered by the provider network. The resources may in some embodiments be offered to clients in units called instances, such as virtual or physical computing instances or storage instances. A virtual computing instance may, for example, comprise one or more servers with a specified computational capacity (which may be specified by indicating the type and number of CPUs, the main memory size, and so on) and a specified software stack (e.g., a particular version of an operating system, which may in turn run on top of a hypervisor).
[0047] A number of different types of computing devices may be used singly or in combination to implement the resources of the provider network in different embodiments, including general-purpose or special-purpose computer servers, storage devices, network devices, and the like. In some embodiments a client or user may be provided direct access to a resource instance, e.g., by giving a user an administrator login and password. In other embodiments, the provider network operator may allow clients to specify execution requirements for specified client applications and schedule execution of the applications on behalf of the client on execution platforms (such as application server instances, Java.TM. virtual machines (JVMs), general-purpose or special-purpose operating systems, platforms that support various interpreted or compiled programming languages--such as Ruby, Perl, Python, C, C++, and the like--or high-performance computing platforms) suitable for the applications. This may be done without, for example, requiring the client to access an instance or an execution platform directly. A given execution platform may utilize one or more resource instances in some implementations; in other implementations, multiple execution platforms may be mapped to a single resource instance.
[0048] In at least some embodiments, a server or computing device that implements a portion or all of one or more of the technologies described herein, including the techniques to implement the functionality of the server 200, the client terminal 100, may include a general-purpose computer system that includes or is configured to access one or more computer-accessible media. FIG. 3 illustrates such a general-purpose computing device 600. In the illustrated embodiment, computing device 600 includes one or more processors 610 (which may be referred herein singularly as "a processor 610" or in the plural as "the processors 610") are coupled through a bus 620 to a system memory 630. Computing device 600 further includes a permanent storage 640, an input/output (I/O) interface 650, and a network interface 660.
[0049] In various embodiments, the computing device 600 may be a uniprocessor system including one processor 610 or a multiprocessor system including several processors 610 (e.g., two, four, eight, or another suitable number). Processors 610 may be any suitable processors capable of executing instructions. For example, in various embodiments, processors 610 may be general-purpose or embedded processors implementing any of a variety of instruction set architectures (ISAs), such as the x86, PowerPC, SPARC, or MIPS ISAs, or any other suitable ISA. In multiprocessor systems, each of processors 610 may commonly, but not necessarily, implement the same ISA.
[0050] System memory 630 may be configured to store instructions and data accessible by processor(s) 610. In various embodiments, system memory 630 may be implemented using any suitable memory technology, such as static random access memory (SRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), nonvolatile/Flash-type memory, or any other type of memory.
[0051] In one embodiment, I/O interface 650 may be configured to coordinate I/O traffic between processor 610, system memory 630, and any peripheral devices in the device, including network interface 660 or other peripheral interfaces. In some embodiments, I/O interface 650 may perform any necessary protocol, timing, or other data transformations to convert data signals from one component (e.g., system memory 630) into a format suitable for use by another component (e.g., processor 610). In some embodiments, I/O interface 650 may include support for devices attached through various types of peripheral buses, such as a variant of the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus standard or the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standard, for example. In some embodiments, the function of I/O interface 650 may be split into two or more separate components, such as a north bridge and a south bridge, for example. Also, in some embodiments some or all of the functionality of I/O interface 650, such as an interface to system memory 630, may be incorporated directly into processor 610.
[0052] Network interface 660 may be configured to allow data to be exchanged between computing device 600 and other device or devices attached to a network or network(s). In various embodiments, network interface 660 may support communication via any suitable wired or wireless general data networks, such as types of Ethernet networks, for example. Additionally, network interface 660 may support communication via telecommunications/telephony networks such as analog voice networks or digital fiber communications networks, via storage area networks such as Fibre Channel SANs or via any other suitable type of network and/or protocol.
[0053] In some embodiments, system memory 630 may be one embodiment of a computer-accessible medium configured to store program instructions and data as described above for implementing embodiments of the corresponding methods and apparatus. However, in other embodiments, program instructions and/or data may be received, sent or stored upon different types of computer-accessible media. Generally speaking, a computer-accessible medium may include non-transitory storage media or memory media, such as magnetic or optical media, e.g., disk or DVD/CD coupled to computing device 600 via I/O interface 650. A non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium may also include any volatile or non-volatile media, such as RAM (e.g. SDRAM, DDR SDRAM, RDRAM, SRAM, etc.), ROM, etc., that may be included in some embodiments of computing device 600 as system memory 630 or another type of memory.
[0054] Further, a computer-accessible medium may include transmission media or signals such as electrical, electromagnetic or digital signals, conveyed via a communication medium such as a network and/or a wireless link, such as may be implemented via network interface 660. Portions or all of multiple computing devices may be used to implement the described functionality in various embodiments; for example, software components running on a variety of different devices and servers may collaborate to provide the functionality. In some embodiments, portions of the described functionality may be implemented using storage devices, network devices, or special-purpose computer systems, in addition to or instead of being implemented using general-purpose computer systems. The term "computing device," as used herein, refers to at least all these types of devices and is not limited to these types of devices.
[0055] Each of the processes, methods, and algorithms described in the preceding sections may be embodied in, and fully or partially automated by, code modules executed by one or more computers or computer processors. The code modules may be stored on any type of non-transitory computer-readable medium or computer storage device, such as hard drives, solid state memory, optical disc, and/or the like. The processes and algorithms may be implemented partially or wholly in application-specific circuitry. The results of the disclosed processes and process steps may be stored, persistently or otherwise, in any type of non-transitory computer storage such as, e.g., volatile or non-volatile storage.
[0056] The various features and processes described above may be used independently of one another, or may be combined in various ways. All possible combinations and sub-combinations are intended to fall within the scope of this disclosure. In addition, certain method or process blocks may be omitted in some implementations. The methods and processes described herein are also not limited to any particular sequence, and the blocks or states relating thereto can be performed in other sequences that are appropriate. For example, described blocks or states may be performed in an order other than that specifically disclosed, or multiple blocks or states may be combined in a single block or state. The example blocks or states may be performed in serial, in parallel or in some other manner. Blocks or states may be added to or removed from the disclosed example embodiments. The example systems and components described herein may be configured differently than described. For example, elements may be added to, removed from, or rearranged compared to the disclosed example embodiments.
[0057] It will also be appreciated that some or all of the systems and/or modules may be implemented or provided in other ways, such as at least partially in firmware and/or hardware, including, but not limited to, one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), standard integrated circuits, controllers (e.g., by executing appropriate instructions, and including microcontrollers and/or embedded controllers), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), etc. Some or all of the modules, systems and data structures may also be stored (e.g., as software instructions or structured data) on a computer-readable medium, such as a hard disk, a memory, a network, or a portable media article to be read by an appropriate drive or via an appropriate connection. The systems, modules, and data structures may also be transmitted as generated data signals (e.g., as part of a carrier wave or other analog or digital propagated signal) on a variety of computer-readable transmission media, including wireless-based and wired/cable-based media, and may take a variety of forms (e.g., as part of a single or multiplexed analog signal, or as multiple discrete digital packets or frames). Such computer program products may also take other forms in other embodiments. Accordingly, the present invention may be practiced with other computer system configurations.
[0058] Conditional language used herein, such as, among others, "can," "could," "might," "may," "e.g.," and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without author input or prompting, whether these features, elements, and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and the like are synonymous and are used inclusively, in an open-ended fashion, and do not exclude additional elements, features, acts, operations, and so forth. Also, the term "or" is used in its inclusive sense (and not in its exclusive sense) so that when used, for example, to connect a list of elements, the term "or" means one, some, or all of the elements in the list.
[0059] While certain example embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions disclosed herein. Thus, nothing in the foregoing description is intended to imply that any particular feature, characteristic, step, module, or block is necessary or indispensable. Indeed, the novel methods and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the methods and systems described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions disclosed herein. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of certain of the inventions disclosed herein.
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