A survey of face recognition techniques under occlusion

The limited capacity to recognize faces under occlusions is a long-standing problem that presents a unique challenge for face recognition systems and even for humans. The problem regarding occlusion is less covered by research when compared to other challenges such as pose variation, different expressions, etc. Nevertheless, occluded face recognition is imperative to exploit the full potential of face recognition for real-world applications. In this paper, we restrict the scope to occluded face recognition. First, we explore what the occlusion problem is and what inherent difficulties can arise. As a part of this review, we introduce face detection under occlusion, a preliminary step in face recognition. Second, we present how existing face recognition methods cope with the occlusion problem and classify them into three categories, which are 1) occlusion robust feature extraction approaches, 2) occlusion aware face recognition approaches, and 3) occlusion recovery based face recognition approaches. Furthermore, we analyze the motivations, innovations, pros and cons, and the performance of representative approaches for comparison. Finally, future challenges and method trends of occluded face recognition are thoroughly discussed

The search process: Integrating the investigation and identification of missing and unidentified persons

The effective search for the missing and identification of persons, alive or dead, are core components in the prevention and in resolving the issue of Missing Persons. Despite the growing literature on this topic, there is still a lack of publications describing the Search as a process that includes different phases inherently composed of forensic investigative and identification principles for both living and deceased missing persons. This paper is the result of discussions between the Forensic Unit of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and members of its external Forensic Advisory Board. It aims to present the Search process as an overarching concept that includes the investigation and identification phases of the missing in any state (dead or alive), in any scenario (with or without bodies), with an integrated, multidisciplinary, and multiagency approach for implementation by all actors involved in the investigation and identification phases of missing persons. [Abstract copyright: © 2021 The Authors.

Computer Science and Technology Series : XV Argentine Congress of Computer Science. Selected papers

CACIC'09 was the fifteenth Congress in the CACIC series. It was organized by the School of Engineering of the National University of Jujuy. The Congress included 9 Workshops with 130 accepted papers, 1 main Conference, 4 invited tutorials, different meetings related with Computer Science Education (Professors, PhD students, Curricula) and an International School with 5 courses. CACIC 2009 was organized following the traditional Congress format, with 9 Workshops covering a diversity of dimensions of Computer Science Research. Each topic was supervised by a committee of three chairs of different Universities. The call for papers attracted a total of 267 submissions. An average of 2.7 review reports were collected for each paper, for a grand total of 720 review reports that involved about 300 different reviewers. A total of 130 full papers were accepted and 20 of them were selected for this book.Red de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Coupling of polymeric brushes functionalized with RGD peptide on PCL surfaces to increase cell adhesion

Osteoarthritis is a complex disease referring to the degeneration of articular cartilage, which has poor intrinsic capacity of self-regeneration. In order to find a way to create a construct able to replace and regenerate this particular tissue, a functionalized biodegradable polymer via polymer brushes can represent a design for cartilage loss. The aim of this work is the study of the functionalization of a biodegradable polymer (PCL) surface with RGD peptide via PNIPAM brushesope

Motile Aeromonas septicaemia of farmed Rana spp

The bacteria associated with septicaemic disease of farmed frogs in Thailand were investigated. A group of motile aeromonads, designated Au {Aeromonas unspeciated), was unusually homogeneous in their biochemical reactions for a geographically diverse collection, notably none of the Au isolates utilised sucrose. Bacteria conforming to the phenotypic reactions of Aeromonas hydrophila and Aeromonas sobria were isolated from the skin and intestine of disea.sed and clinically normal frogs but only Au isolates were found internally in septicaemic frogs. The DNA relatedness of the collection of aeromonads was examined using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and 16s rDNA sequencing. RAPD analysis produced very consistent banding patterns for the Au isolates whilst producing scattered profiles for type strains and other aeromonads from Thailand. The RAPD profiles showed that the Au isolates were all closely related tOi4. hydrophila (HGl) but were more closely related to each other. 16s rDNA sequence analysis revealed that in the hypervariable region V3 of the 16s rDNA gene all the Au isolates were identical and differed from all previously published Aeromonas sequences. The phenotypic and genotypic findings strongly suggest that Au is a previously unspeciated motile aeromonad. Histological examination of tissues from frogs affected by acute Au septicaemia revealed widespread vascular congestion, severe cardiac myopathy and pulmonary, renal, hepatic and splenic necrosis. In pathogenicity studies, clinically normal animals challenged with Au, by both injection and bath challenge, developed acute septicaemic disease and yielded pure cultures of Au on bacteriological examination. Haemolysin activities against frog RBC were significantly different within the collection of aeromonads. Groups of high haemolytic activity (unspeciated Aeromonas, Au), moderate haemolytic activity (A. hydrophila) and low haemolytic activity (A. veronii biovar sobria, A. veronii biovar veronii, A. caviae, A. schubertii) were noted. DNA colony hybridisation studies revealed that Au isolates possessed a haemolysin gene (ASH1) which was not present in any other Thai aeromonads or type strains tested. Cells from rainbow trout were extremely sensitive to Au toxins but less so to toxins produced by other species. In contrast mammalian cells showed very little sensitivity to Au toxins but were more sensitive to toxins produced by A. hydrophilia. The selection of suitable assay substrates is therefore very important; cells from homeotherms may be insensitive to cytotoxins associated with pathogenic processes in poikilotherms

State of the Art in Face Recognition

Notwithstanding the tremendous effort to solve the face recognition problem, it is not possible yet to design a face recognition system with a potential close to human performance. New computer vision and pattern recognition approaches need to be investigated. Even new knowledge and perspectives from different fields like, psychology and neuroscience must be incorporated into the current field of face recognition to design a robust face recognition system. Indeed, many more efforts are required to end up with a human like face recognition system. This book tries to make an effort to reduce the gap between the previous face recognition research state and the future state

The research for international response to the loss and damage caused by climate change

Le changement climatique devient de plus en plus grave, ce qui a déclenché un débat approfondi sur la manière d’y faire face. La réponse internationale est l’atténuation et l’adaptation. Cette thèse considère que l’adaptation est plus importante pour les Pertes et Dommages causés par le changement climatique. La première question abordée dans la présente thèse est de savoir quelle est la définition des Pertes et Dommages causés par le changement climatique. Une autre question principale est de savoir comment remplir l’obligation d’adaptation en réponse aux Pertes et Dommages. Pour l’obligation d’adaptation, la recherche vise à donner quelques suggestions: tirer pleinement parti des mesures du Mécanisme international de Varsovie; améliorer le mécanisme de mise en œuvre de l’Accord de Paris afin de garantir que les parties contractantes remplissent leurs obligations internationales. La thèse analyse également les contre-mesures de la Chine et suggère que la Chine devrait formuler des politiques appropriées de réduction des émissions et des politiques d’aide étrangère. La thèse analyse le « principe de responsabilité commune mais différenciée ». L’objectif est de discuter de la perspective du principe sur les obligations d’adaptation. Les pays adhèrent au principe et remplissent les obligations d’adaptation ou les obligations d’assistance pour les autres pays.Climate change is becoming more and more serious, which has triggered extensive discussion on how to deal with it. The international response are mitigation and adaptation. This thesis considers that adaptation is more important for the Loss and Damage caused by climate change. The first question addressed in the present thesis is what the definition of Loss and Damage caused by climate change is. Another principal question is how to fulfill the adaptation obligation in response to the Loss and Damage. For the adaptation obligation, the research aims to give some suggestions: to make full use of the measures under the Warsaw International Mechanism; to improve the implementation mechanism of the Paris Agreement to ensure that the contracting parties fulfill their international obligations. The thesis also analyzes China’s countermeasures, and it suggests that China should formulate appropriate emission reduction policies and foreign aid policies. The thesis analyzes the “common but differentiated responsibility principle”. The purpose is to discuss the prospect of the principle on adaptation obligations. Countries adhere to the principle and fulfill the adaptation obligations or the assistance obligations for other countries

Exploring the Impacts of Predictor Variables on Success in a Mental Health Diversion Program

Since the first Mental Health Court (MHC) in 1997, there has been a steady increase of MHCs all over the country. With the introduction of these new specialty courts have also come to introduction of diversion programs. Diversion programs work to connect offenders who have mental illnesses to community-based mental health treatment services as an alternative to incarceration. Typically, with the completion of the program comes with the benefit of having their charges dropped. Diversion programs aim to reduce recidivism in offenders with mental illness and improve their access to treatment