Learning to Find Eye Region Landmarks for Remote Gaze Estimation in Unconstrained Settings

Conventional feature-based and model-based gaze estimation methods have proven to perform well in settings with controlled illumination and specialized cameras. In unconstrained real-world settings, however, such methods are surpassed by recent appearance-based methods due to difficulties in modeling factors such as illumination changes and other visual artifacts. We present a novel learning-based method for eye region landmark localization that enables conventional methods to be competitive to latest appearance-based methods. Despite having been trained exclusively on synthetic data, our method exceeds the state of the art for iris localization and eye shape registration on real-world imagery. We then use the detected landmarks as input to iterative model-fitting and lightweight learning-based gaze estimation methods. Our approach outperforms existing model-fitting and appearance-based methods in the context of person-independent and personalized gaze estimation

A Decoupled 3D Facial Shape Model by Adversarial Training

Data-driven generative 3D face models are used to compactly encode facial shape data into meaningful parametric representations. A desirable property of these models is their ability to effectively decouple natural sources of variation, in particular identity and expression. While factorized representations have been proposed for that purpose, they are still limited in the variability they can capture and may present modeling artifacts when applied to tasks such as expression transfer. In this work, we explore a new direction with Generative Adversarial Networks and show that they contribute to better face modeling performances, especially in decoupling natural factors, while also achieving more diverse samples. To train the model we introduce a novel architecture that combines a 3D generator with a 2D discriminator that leverages conventional CNNs, where the two components are bridged by a geometry mapping layer. We further present a training scheme, based on auxiliary classifiers, to explicitly disentangle identity and expression attributes. Through quantitative and qualitative results on standard face datasets, we illustrate the benefits of our model and demonstrate that it outperforms competing state of the art methods in terms of decoupling and diversity.Comment: camera-ready version for ICCV'1

International Arbitration and the Republic of Colombia: Commercial, Comparative and Constitutional Concerns From a U.S. Perspective

This article undertakes the first comparative analysis of Colombian arbitration law in English, setting Colombian statutory and case law side by side with international and U.S. law to provide U.S. parties with the information they need to (1) evaluate the risks and benefits associated with entering into an arbitration agreement with a Colombian party and (2) establish the kinds of procedures needed to provide optimal protection of the arbitral process and any resulting award. Not only does this research discuss important comparative and commercial matters, it also considers how a unique type of constitutional challenge - the acción de tutela - affects arbitration law in Colombia

The New Refugees and the Old Treaty: Persecutors and Persecuted in the Twenty-First Century

When the fledgling U.N. negotiated a treat to protect refugees after the Second World War, member states focused on Europe as well as on events causing forced migration that occurred prior to 1951. No one imagined that cross-border escape from persecution would become a global phenomenon and remain one more than sixty years later, or that this human rights treaty would be needed in the twenty-first century. In fact, as increased numbers of asylum seekers from developing countries reached the most developed regions of the world during the last thirty years, critics have questioned the merits of this treaty and argued that the Refugee Convention has become outmoded and obsolete. This Article considers how well suited this treaty is for the protection of refugees fleeing persecution in today\u27s world. The author first looks at how the nature of the state itself has evolved and finds that too many governments today fail at providing significant portions of their citizens with the most basic level of human security. A new cast of persecutors apart from the state now exerts authority and power in such societies, targeting particular societal groups using new forms of persecution. Examining how states have adapted this multilateral agreement to these changing circumstances, the author finds that this treaty continues to be vital in protecting the human rights of refugees thanks to two important treaty elements: a clear and fundamental purpose to protect individuals whose governments have been unwilling or unable to do so, and flexible terms that have enabled jurists and government officials to adapt the refugee definition to the changing nature of forced migration. Accordingly, the author\u27s analysis confirms the conclusion of the International Law Commission Special Rapporteur on Treaties over Time that subsequent practice by the parties may guide an evolutive interpretation of a treaty

Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) art in care of ageing society: focus on dementia

open access articleBackground: Art enhances both physical and mental health wellbeing. The health benefits include reduction in blood pressure, heart rate, pain perception and briefer inpatient stays, as well as improvement of communication skills and self-esteem. In addition to these, people living with dementia benefit from reduction of their noncognitive, behavioural changes, enhancement of their cognitive capacities and being socially active. Methods: The current study represents a narrative general literature review on available studies and knowledge about contribution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in creative arts. Results: We review AI visual arts technologies, and their potential for use among people with dementia and care, drawing on similar experiences to date from traditional art in dementia care. Conclusion: The virtual reality, installations and the psychedelic properties of the AI created art provide a new venue for more detailed research about its therapeutic use in dementia