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This article summarizes comprehensive information about the current status of organ donation and transplantation in Poland.Reported statistical data of solid organs and vascularized composite allograft donation and transplantation from both deceased and living donors in Poland in 2015-2020 (presented in tables according to selected variables) are based on the national transplant registries, gathering information on donation and transplantation activity in medical centers involved in donation and transplantation programs in Poland.In 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, 529 potential deceased donors were referred to the Polish Transplant Coordinating Centre Poltransplant; 1310 solid organs from 393 actual deceased donors (10.2 per million population) were procured, mostly kidneys (758), livers (285), and hearts (157). Eighty percent were multiorgan retrievals (314). In 2020, 1231 organs procured from deceased donors and 59 organs from living donors were transplanted to 1236 recipients.This overview indicates that donation and transplantation activity from deceased donors in Poland decreased about 20% in 2020 compared with 2019, which is comparable with worldwide rates. As the unprecedented pandemic situation affected donation and transplantation procedures, there are measures that must to be taken to return to prepandemic donation and transplantation rates in both deceased and living transplant programs and then continue to improve in the years to come.

One of the important tasks of a modern hospital, in addition to treatment, prevention, and education, is the activity in the field of donating organs from deceased and living donors. In July 2010, the Polish Transplantation Coordination Center Poltransplant (the national transplantation organization and the authority responsible for organ donation and transplantation), thanks to the funds of the Ministry of Health, under the National Program for the Development of Transplant Medicine, initiated the project of building a network of coordinators by employing hospital transplantation coordinators in selected hospitals, where it is possible to identify potential deceased donors, perform the brain death diagnostic procedure, and where the conditions are met and it is possible to collect organs (they have an intensive care unit and operating theater in their structures). In Poland, these conditions are met by 388 hospitals with a donation potential.The aim of the work is to present the functioning of the system of transplant coordinators in Poland.The work presents the system of employment and tasks of transplant coordinators at various levels: hospital coordinators for donating organs from deceased donors, living donation and transplant coordinators, coordinators of hematopoietic cell collection and transplantation, central coordinators of Poltransplant, and organ procurement and transplant coordinators associated with transplant centers.

Objectives The present study was a prospective, single-center, single-arm study to investigate the efficacy of transcatheter pulmonary artery denervation (TPADN) in patients with combined postcapillary and precapillary PH (Cpc-PH) associated with left heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HF-rEF). Background Pulmonary hypertension (PH) in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction has a negative impact on outcome. Methods The combination of pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PAPs) ≥60 mmHg, transpulmonary pressure gradient (TPG) ≥12 mmHg, nonreversible mean PAP, and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) ≥3.5 Wood Units was considered as too high risk for heart transplantation (HTx). The clinical efficacy endpoint was an improvement in 6-min walking test and the hemodynamic endpoints were changes in PAPs, PVR, and TPG between baseline and 6 months. Circumferential radiofrequency applications were delivered around distal main, left and right pulmonary arteries. At each ablation point temperature was 45°C and energy 10 W. Results TPADN was performed in 10 patients. At 6-month in 5 patients we observed reduction in PAP, PVR, TPG, and DPG and then 1 had successful HTx, 2 are on HTx waiting list, 2 received LVADs, 2 patients did not improve, and 3 patients died. Conclusions TPADN may be beneficial in selected patients with HF-rEF and Cpc-PH.

Many active principles belong to the second class of the Biopharmaceutics Classification System due to their low aqueous solubility. Elaboration of new solid oral forms by hot-melt extrusion and fused deposition modeling appears as a promising tool to increase the dissolution rate of these drugs. Indeed, hot-melt extrusion allows the amorphisation of drugs and forms with complex geometries are built by 3D printing. Therefore, the goal of this work is to enhance the dissolution rate of poorly soluble drugs using hot-melt extrusion coupled with fused deposition modeling. Four formulations containing Affinisol® 15LV, Kollidon® VA64 and a challenging amount of itraconazole (25 % (wt.)) were successfully printed into forms of 20, 50 and 80 % infill densities. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis has shown that itraconazole remained amorphous during 52 weeks. The drug release rate was highly improved compared to itraconazole in a crystalline form. The dissolution rate was influenced by the infill density and the polymer composition of printed forms which could modify respectively the surface to volume ratio and the distribution of the components in the printed forms. One formulation printed with 20 % infill density even had a solubility profile similar to that of Sporanox®, the commercialized drug product in Belgium.

In 2006 the National Transplants Registry administered by national transplant organization was introduced in Poland to monitor the results of organ transplantations. Statistical analysis is published yearly in the Poltransplant Bulletin, publicly available on the website and reported to European institutions. The transplant registry cooperates with other registers functioning online, based on the tool https://rejestrytx.gov.pl/. We present the formal analysis of data collected for the years 1996-2019.Analysis covered the total number of organ transplantations in every transplant center; outcomes are related to recipients living with a functioning graft 1, 5, and 10 years after transplantation; results presented are real, not extrapolated.The total number of deceased-donor kidney transplantations was 20,606, the 1-year survival rate of recipients with a functioning graft was 90% (data completeness of 97%), and the 10-year survival rate was 59% (data completeness of 99%). The total number of deceased-donor liver transplantations was 4790; the 1-year survival rate of recipients with a functioning graft was 59% (data completeness of 98%).The National Transplant Registry is an important tool for quality and safety systems in the transplantation field on the national level. The registry efficiently and effectively fulfills its tasks related to collecting records of all transplantations performed. Monitoring function for graft and recipient survival is also satisfied. The data provide an important and unique source of information to be used by transplant institutions and referred to in the literature.

In recent years, fused deposition modeling has become one of the most used three-dimensional printing technologies in the pharmaceutical field. The production of personalized dosage forms for individualized therapy and the modification of the drug release profile by the elaboration of complex geometries make fused deposition modeling a promising tool for small-scale production. However, fused deposition modeling has a considerable number of challenges to overcome. They are divided into three categories of parameters. Material-specific parameters encompass the physicochemical properties of the filament, like thermal, mechanical and rheological properties. They determine the feasibility of the printing process. Operation-specific parameters relate to the processing conditions of printing, such as printing temperature and infill density, which have an influence on the final quality and on the dissolution behavior of the objects. The printer equipment is defined by the machine-specific parameters. Some modifications of this equipment also enhance the performance of the printing process. The aim of this review is to highlight the major fused deposition modeling critical process parameters in the pharmaceutical field and possible solutions in order to speed up the development of objects in the pharmaceutical market.

The aim of the paper is to verify the linearizabilty conditions for the triple inverted pendulum driven by 2 inputs, and stabilize it in the upright position. Moreover, the zero dynamics is derived and illustrated graphically.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to find the main risk factors for development of cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV), especially factors identified before the surgical procedure and factors related to the recipient profile and the medical history of the donor. MATERIAL AND METHODS There were 147 patients who had heart transplantation (HT) included in this study: mean age was 45.8±15.3 years. All study patients had coronary angiography after HT. Analyzed risk factors were: non-immunologic recipient risk factors (age of transplantation, smoking, hypertension, lipids, diabetes, obesity and weight gain after HT), immunologic recipient risk factors (acute cellular rejection (ACR), acute humoral rejection (AMR), cytomegalovirus (CMV) episodes), and donor-related risk factors (age, sex, catecholamine usage, ischemic time, compatibility of sex and blood groups, cause of death, cardiac arrest). RESULTS CAV was recognized in 48 patients (CAV group); mean age 53.6±13.6 years. There were 99 patients without CAV (nonCAV group); mean age 48.3±15.5 years. A univariate Cox analysis of the development of coronary disease showed statistical significance (p

The article looks at the conflict taking place in Ukraine since 2014 and characterises its nature as hybrid warfare. The author examines documents of international and humanitarian law, as well as the reactions to described events from international perspective. Questions are raised concerning the adequacy of current legal solutions in the face of evolution of war itself. [The English version of this article is based on: K. Parulski, Wojna hybrydowa w świetle prawa międzynarodowego ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem międzynarodowego prawa humanitarnego. Konflikt zbrojny na Ukrainie jako główne studium przypadku, ‘Międzynarodowe Prawo Humanitarne’, vol. VII, Akademia Marynarki Wojennej, Gdynia 2016 (submitted for publication).]

Oligonucleotide-based medicines that can modulate gene expression have numerous potential applications in targeted therapies. Most of the commercialized therapeutic oligonucleotides are chemically modified to increase their in vivo lifetime. In this work, we studied poly-deoxy(thymidylic) acids (dT) and modified phosphorothioate oligonucleotides (PS). Several analytical techniques, including ion-pair reverse phase liquid chromatography, are described in the literature to assess their quality but most of them present significant drawbacks. In the present study, dT and PS mixtures were analyzed by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) and capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) coupled to ultraviolet detection. In HILIC, the selectivities of three types of stationary phases (dihydroxypropane, phosphorylcholine and amide) were compared. Optimal conditions were determined and consisted of an amide stationary phase with a mobile phase made up of water, acetonitrile and 15 mM ammonium acetate (pH 5.5). In those conditions, high resolving power and good repeatability were achieved. In CZE, the effect of the background electrolyte (BGE), its pH and concentration were evaluated. A BGE made up of 300 mM ammonium acetate adjusted to pH 6.0 was selected. Finally, the two techniques were compared in terms of selectivity, repeatability and peak efficiency. In the second part of the study, HILIC and CZE were both coupled to a drift-tube ion-mobility quadrupole time-of-flight MS detector (DTIMS-QTOF) to assess the added value of this coupling for oligonucleotide characterization. Indeed, by using the measured collision cross section (CCS), the evaluation of the number of nucleotides was performed. Looking across the results, HILIC and CZE coupled to DTIMS-QTOF can be considered as promising tools for the quality control of oligonucleotides.

BACKGROUND Infections caused by tick-borne pathogens such as Bartonella spp., Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., Coxiella burnetii, and Rickettsia spp. are capable of causing serious lesions of the mitral and aortic valves, leading to a need for valve replacement. OBJECTIVES The aim of the study was to determine whether such cases are sporadic or frequent. An additional goal was to establish effective diagnostic methods to detect these infections. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study involved 148 patients undergoing valve replacement. Blood samples were drawn for serological testing. Samples of the removed mitral and aortic valves were tested with polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS Specific antibodies to Bartonella spp. were detected in 47 patients (31.7%) and in 1 of the healthy controls (1%) (p < 0.05). Antibodies to B. burgdorferi spirochetes were found in 18 of the patients (12.2%) and in 6 blood donors from the control group (5.8%) (p < 0.1). Antibodies to Rickettsia spp. were detected in 12 (8.1%) and to C. burnetii phase I and II antigens in the serum of 1 patient. All the participants in the control group were seronegative to C. burnetii and Rickettsia spp. antigens. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for detection of Bartonella spp., B. burgdorferi s.l., C. burnetii and Rickettsia spp. DNA in the valve samples were all negative. Inflammation foci with mononuclear lymphoid cells in the aortic and mitral valves were seen in sections stained with hematoxiline and eozine. In sections dyed using the indirect immunofluorescence method with hyperimmune sera, Bartonella spp. and Rickettsia spp. were found. CONCLUSIONS The results obtained indicate that laboratory diagnostics for patients with heart disorders should be expanded to include tests detecting tick-borne zoonoses such as bartonelloses, Lyme borreliosis, rickettsioses and Q fever.

The aim of this article is to present the preliminary results of work aimed at developing a system for analyzing and designing a gait of a walking bipedal robot, based on biological data. Authors want to create a stable periodic orbit for the 4-link robot, on the basis of human data. Biological data acquisition was made with a use of the Optitrack vision system and the Matlab environment. Generated trajectories form the reference data for creating sets of output functions, and consequently for the controller design, whose task will be to achieve a stable gait of a robot.

Purpose Thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) is a cardiovascular disease characterized by increased aortic diameter, treated with surgery and endovascular therapy in order to avoid aortic dissection or rupture. The mechanism of TAA formation has not been thoroughly studied and many factors have been proposed to drive its progression; however strong focus is attributed to modification of smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Latest research indicates, that microRNAs (miRNAs) may play a significant role in TAA development – these are multifunctional molecules consisting of 19–24 nucleotides involved in regulation of the gene expression level related to many biological processes, i.e. cardiovascular disease pathophysiology, immunity or inflammation. Materials and methods Primary SMCs were isolated from aortic scraps of TAA patients and age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Purity of isolated SMCs was determined by flow cytometry using specific markers: α-SMA, CALP, MHC and VIM. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was conducted for miRNA analysis. Results We established an isolation protocol and investigated the miRNA expression level in SMCs isolated from aneurysmal and non-aneurysmal aortic samples. We identified that let-7 g (0.71-fold, p = 0.01), miR-130a (0.40-fold, p = 0.04), and miR-221 (0.49-fold, p = 0.05) significantly differed between TAA patients and healthy controls. Conclusions Further studies are required to improve our understanding of the pathophysiology underlying TAA, which may aid the development of novel, targeted therapies. The pivotal role of miRNAs in the cardiovascular system provides a new perspective on the pathophysiology of thoracic aortic aneurysms.

Background The long-term survival of 209 consecutive patients (mean age, 46 ± 15 years) from a single center with ≥1 diagnostic myocardial biopsy after heart transplantation was analyzed. Methods Patients were considered as C4d positive if a capillary staining (immunohistochemistry in paraffin samples) was observed in ≥1 myocardial biopsy. Data were analyzed according to pathologic consensus of antibody mediated rejection definition of C4d+ positivity: 2004 definition in group A and the 2013 definition in group B and compared with their respective controls, composed of patients who do not meet those criteria. Age, follow-up time, and number of biopsies were comparable between patients with C4d+ and controls in both groups. Follow-up was 100% complete with mean of observation time 2143 days. Results During the follow-up period, 62 patients died (group A: C4d+ 32% vs controls 29%; group B: C4d+ 36% vs controls 29% [ P = NS]). There were no differences in survival between patients with positive staining and without C4d+ staining when Kaplan-Meier survival curves were compared. Conclusions The presence of C4d positive staining in myocardial capillaries of heart biopsies of patients after heart transplantation, as an isolated finding, was not related to worse long-term survival.

Color digital cameras are used by a growing number of consumers and professional photographers. These cameras use one or more charge-coupled-device or CMOS image sensors to capture color records of the scene, and they digitally process the color records to produce color image files. The professional cameras store unrendered image data, which later will be processed using proprietary software running on a separate host computer to complete the camera image processing. The capabilities and performance of a digital camera depend on both the camera’s hardware architecture and its image processing algorithms, often provided by firmware. Depending on the camera design, the camera image processing may be performed almost entirely in the camera application-specific integrated circuit or, alternatively, by a microprocessor incorporating a digital signal processor designed to provide rapid image processing. The tone scale/color reproduction process also must account for the fact that the dynamic range of a rendered image usually is substantially less than that of an original scene.

This paper presents a solution for universal multidrive control system, which can be used as a base for the rapid prototyping of various kinematic structures, particularly in robotics, for multiple-axis synchronization tasks, or as a test bed for verification of modern control algorithms for electric drives. The example of the practical application of the proposed system was also given: It was used during prototyping process of a quadruped walking robot, powered by multiple electric motors. The abilities and performance of the system were verified with the attempt to realize the dynamic gait of the robot.

Introduction In 2010, the system of donor hospital transplant coordinators was implemented in 200 hospitals in Poland on the basis of contracts with Poltransplant. Methods This study evaluated whether the system (nationwide, maintained and funded by national organization) is sufficient, improved donation after brain death rates, and hospital activities. Results Donation indicators over a 21-month period of coordinators' work were compared with the 21-month period before their employment. The number of hospitals with a positive effect and with no effect was analyzed overall and in groups of hospitals with specific profiles. The implemented system resulted in increasing the number of potential donors by 27% (effectively, 24%); increasing utilized organs by 20% and multiorgan retrievals from 54% to 56%; decreasing the rate of utilized organs/actual donors from 2.65 to 2.57; and increasing family refusals from 8.5% to 9.3%. A positive effect was achieved in 102 hospitals (51%). Better results were achieved in regions where donation were initially low, namely, 59% in university hospitals, 63% in hospitals in large cities, 77% in hospitals with 2 coordinators, 67% in hospitals for adults, and 52% in hospitals where the coordinator was a doctor and not a nurse. This system resulted globally in increasing donation rates, but was effective only in one half of hospitals. Conclusions Additional activities should be introduced to improve these results (quality systems, trainings, techniques for monitoring potential of donation, changes in profile of a coordinator). A formal analysis of coordinators' activities gives also the national organization a rational basis for their employment policy, taking into account the characteristics of hospitals and coordination teams.

Craniofacial surgery is an integrated approach to correct anomalies that include a range of deformities in the growth of the cranium and facial bones. The goal of surgery is to achieve a maximum result with the best possible functional and aesthetic results with minimal scarring in the least amount of time.

In seconds, a digital camera performs full-color rendering that includes color filter array interpolation, color calibration, anti-aliasing, infrared rejection, and white-point correction. This article describes the design decisions that make this processing possible.

This paper describes a high-speed charge-coupled device (CCD) camera that has been developed for commercial, industrial, and scientific applications. It uses a 1024-line progressive scan imager with two video output channels. The dual-channel outputs provide a total data rate of 40 million pixels/see, using square pixel sampling. The camera incorporates electronic shuttering triggered by an external source, so that the exposure period and frame rate can be precisely controlled. The camera features high linearity, low noise, wide dynamic range, and low shading. An early prototype of this camera was used by Fox News, Inc., to digitize film news-reels for the Fox Movietone project.

An analysis of system requirements is presented that guides the design of a chip set that provides all the required functionality and control for single-sensor color imaging systems. The first device is a color filter array (CFA) processor that processes the single stream of sparse color information from an unconventional CFA pattern and produces a full-resolution color image in real time. The second chip is a red, green, and glue (RGB) processor that improves the image quality of the reconstructed RGB data by performing black-level adjustment, color matrixing, gamma correction, and edge enhancement, again in real time. The third device is a timing controller with an architecture specifically suited to imaging systems. The chips are algorithm specific, and the algorithms, architectures, and design methodology are detailed. The chip set is readily applicable to slide and negative film-to-video converters, electronic still cameras, and component or composite video cameras. It is capable of operation with NTSC, CCIR 601, and PAL/SECAM video standards. >

Atrial fibrillation is the most common tachyarrhythmia after coronary artery bypass grafting. The etiology of this arrhythmia and factors responsible for its genesis are unclear. The aim of this study was to compare the frequency of AF in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) with those undergoing CABG using standard CPB. The study population consisted of 325 patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting between June 2000 and December 2001 (mean age 60.02, range 38-83 years, 242 males). Each patient had continuous ECG monitoring since the operation to the third postoperative day. AF occurred in 100 of 325 patients (30.76%). Patients were divided into two groups according to the presence (group A-100 patients) or absence (group B-100 patients) of post-CABG AF. Patients in both groups were compared. Intraoperative variables were used to compare the two groups. Patients with AF were significantly older (66.04 +/- 7.88 vs. 60.49 +/- 9.74 p = 0.0001). There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of atrial fibrillation between the patients after coronary artery bypass grafting procedures, performed with or without cardiopulmonary bypass.

A case of a 70 year old female with permanent atrial fibrillation and a history of stroke is presented. Echocardiography showed the presence of an oval mass in the left atrium which suggested thrombus or atrial myxoma. The patient underwent urgent cardiac surgery during which a long thrombus, originating from the left atrial appendage, was successfully removed.

The authors describe signal processor (DSP) for CCD (charge-coupled-device) cameras using a specified color filter array pattern. A block diagram of the DSP chip is shown. The chip has been designed and fabricated in a 2- mu m single-poly double-metal CMOS process. Eight scan-test registers were used at selected points in the processing chain to enable the entire chip to be tested, including ROMs and line delays, with 16 k vectors. The chip is functional at a maximum clock rate of 14.3 MHz. An image processed by the device is shown. The data path is designed with simple ripple-carry adders and dynamic registers. The on-chip programmable delay lines and 14.3-MHz clock-rate allow the chip to accommodate sensors for up to 768 active pixels, making it suitable for NTSC, CCIR 601 and PAL video standards. >

A 132 K transistor device which performs black-level, gain, and defect corrections, line-rephasing, color matrixing, and curve-shaping functions on linear sensor data while interfacing to external memory and a data bus is described. The 2 mu m CMOS chip can be used with a wide range of sensor resolutions for various image-scanning applications. The chip performs the following functions: digital correlated double sampling, black-level correction and gain correction for each photosite, sensor defect concealment, color matrixing, and look-up table operations for space transformations. Additionally, three interface circuits are implemented to store and retrieve black-level and gain correction values, rephase red, green, and blue values to provide line coincidence, and function as a simple computer for loading coefficients and writing the processed image data. >

Electronic photography became popular when it focused on getting images into PCs, rather than onto TV screens. As desktop computers became image enabled, the sales of digital cameras to both professionals and consumers have grown rapidly. In the past, the primary emphasis was on increasing pixel count. Now that cameras costing less than US $1,000 provide more than 2 million pixels, users are learning that high pixel count is a necessary, but not sufficient condition for photographic quality images. As a result, the focus is shifting to designing optics, sensors, and digital processing to produce cameras having higher ISO speed, lower noise, wider dynamic range, improved tone and color reproduction, and fewer artifacts. Digital image processing can provide product differentiation by both enhancing image quality and providing new features. As pixel count increases, image compression becomes more important. While most digital photography systems today use the current DCT-based JPEG compression, the new wavelet-based JPEG2000 compression standard offers many valuable features for future systems. To support a range of digital photography systems, JPEG2000 will support a range of color interchange spaces and a flexible metadata mechanism.

A high speed CCD camera system has been developed for commercial, industrial, and scientific applications. The system incorporates two video channels, each capable of running at rates up to 20 million pixels/second. The output of each channel is digitized to provide true 8-bit output signals. The camera offers high linearity, low noise, wide dynamic range, and low shading. The camera can be used in a range of applications, including medical, industrial inspection, microscopy, and surveillance.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Typical one-chip color cameras use analog video processing circuits. An improved digital camera architecture has been developed using a dual-slope A/D conversion technique, and two full custom CMOS digital video processing ICs, the 'CFA processor' and the 'RGB post- processor.' The system uses a 768 X 484 active element interline transfer CCD with a new 'field-staggered 3G' color filter pattern and a 'lenslet' overlay, which doubles the sensitivity of the camera. The digital camera design offers improved image quality, reliability, and manufacturability, while meeting aggressive size, power, and cost constraints. The CFA processor digital VLSI chip includes color filter interpolation processing, an optical black clamp, defect correction, white balance, and gain control. The RGB post-processor digital IC includes a color correction matrix, gamma correction, two-dimensional edge-enhancement, and circuits to control the black balance, lens aperture, and focus.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Typical one-chip color cameras use analog video processing circuits. An improved digital camera architecture has been developed using a dual-slope AID conversion technique and two full-custom CMOS digital video processing integrated circuits, the color filter array (CFA) processor and the ROB postprocessor. The system uses a 768 x 484 active element interline transfer CCD with a new field-staggered 3G color filter pattern and a lenslet overlay, which doubles the sensitivity of the camera. The industrial-quality digital camera design offers improved image quality, reliability, and manufacturability, while meeting aggressive size, power, and cost constraints. The CFA processor digital VLSI chip includes color filter interpolation processing, an optical black clamp, defect correction, white balance, and gain control. The RGB postprocessor digital integrated circuit includes a color correction matrix, gamma correction, two-dimensional edge enhancement, and circuits to control the black balance, lens aperture, and focus.

The authors describe a prototype digital imaging system that can be configured as a single-sensor video camera or a film-to-video converter. The system includes a CCD (charge-coupled device) image sensor with a 3G color filter pattern, two full-custom CMOS digital video signal processing chips, and a custom electronically programmable sequencer chip. The CMOS VLSI digital circuits offer real-time operation while meeting the size, power, and cost constraints of one-chip cameras and fill-to-video converters. System timing and design methodology are discussed. >

Color images can be obtained from a single solid-state sensor by covering the photosites with a repetitive pattern of color filters. This paper reviews the major issues in selecting appropriate filter patterns and compares different one-chip camera approaches. The processing used to decode the color signals and form acomposite television signal is discussed. The tradeoffs between using primary or complementary filters are considered. Checkerboard geometries are shown to be superior to stripe geometries, and the advantages of horizontally staggered sampling are explained. The constraints imposed by the sensor architecture and by the need for interlaced readout are examined.

A description is given of a digital-video-signal postprocessing chip (DSPP) developed for use with one-chip color video image sensors. The chip improves the image quality of reconstructed RGB data by performing black-level adjustment, color correction matrixing, gamma correction, and edge enhancement. It contains 115000 transistors in a 11.5 mmt11.2 mm die area and was designed using a silicon compiler in a 2-mm die area and was designed using a silicon compiler in a 2-mm CMOS process. It can be used in NTSC, CCIR 601, and PAL/SECAM video systems

Electronic still camera systems are now in the consumer market place. The hard copy image quality of these systems is poor in comparison with the ever improving photographic film systems. However, the rate at which solid state image sensor technology, signal processing technology, mass storage technology, and non-photographic hard copy technology are advancing indicates that these electronic still camera imaging systems will someday find a place alongside traditional photographic systems. The current and future status of these critical technologies is the subject of this paper.