Interactive volumetric segmentation for textile micro-tomography data using wavelets and nonlocal means

This work addresses segmentation of volumetric images of woven carbon fiber textiles from micro-tomography data. We propose a semi-supervised algorithm to classify carbon fibers that requires sparse input as opposed to completely labeled images. The main contributions are: (a) design of effective discriminative classifiers, for three-dimensional textile samples, trained on wavelet features for segmentation; (b) coupling of previous step with nonlocal means as simple, efficient alternative to the Potts model; and (c) demonstration of reuse of classifier to diverse samples containing similar content. We evaluate our work by curating test sets of voxels in the absence of a complete ground truth mask. The algorithm obtains an average 0.95 F1 score on test sets and average F1 score of 0.93 on new samples. We conclude with discussion of failure cases and propose future directions toward analysis of spatiotemporal high-resolution micro-tomography images

Guided patch-wise nonlocal SAR despeckling

We propose a new method for SAR image despeckling which leverages information drawn from co-registered optical imagery. Filtering is performed by plain patch-wise nonlocal means, operating exclusively on SAR data. However, the filtering weights are computed by taking into account also the optical guide, which is much cleaner than the SAR data, and hence more discriminative. To avoid injecting optical-domain information into the filtered image, a SAR-domain statistical test is preliminarily performed to reject right away any risky predictor. Experiments on two SAR-optical datasets prove the proposed method to suppress very effectively the speckle, preserving structural details, and without introducing visible filtering artifacts. Overall, the proposed method compares favourably with all state-of-the-art despeckling filters, and also with our own previous optical-guided filter

Finding frames: new ways to engage the UK public in global poverty

The aim of the study was to explore the potential for frames theory to be used as a practical tool to re-engage the UK public in global poverty. In exploring the uses of frames theory, we have built on work by Tom Crompton at WWF-UK, who began the task of linking values to frames and thereby suggesting new ways forward for engaging the public in environmental issues and actions. An important finding from his Common Cause paper is that there is a common set of values that can motivate people to tackle a range of ‘bigger than self’ problems, including the environment and global poverty. The implication is that large coalitions can – and must – be built across third- sector organisations to bring about a values change in society. This report responds to that call. The basic argument of this paper is that there is a problem in terms of the UK public’s levels of engagement with global poverty. Simply put, people in the UK understand and relate to global poverty no differently now than they did in the 1980s. This is the case despite massive campaigns such as the Jubilee 2000 debt initiative and Make Poverty History; the widespread adoption and mainstreaming of digital communication techniques and social networks; steady growth in NGO fundraising revenues; the entire Millennium Development Goal story; and the establishment of a Westminster consensus on core elements of development policy. By many measures we have made amazing strides forward in recent years, but the public have largely been left behind. The result is that we operate within social and, by extension, political conditions that are precarious in the immediate term and incommensurate to the challenges of poverty and climate change in the medium and long term. This study looks at what can be learned from values (the guiding principles that individuals use to judge situations and determine their courses of action) and frames (the chunks of factual and procedural knowledge in the mind with which we understand situations, ideas and discourses in everyday life). Values and frames offer ways to look at the problem of public engagement with global poverty and to identify possible solutions. If we apply values and frames theory to the question of how to re-engage the public, we come up with some compelling insights into the impact of our existing practices and some striking solutions to the problems that these reveal. They may not be perfect solutions, and they bring with them significant challenges. But we believe they offer something valuable and timely: a fresh perspective. The persistent problem of public engagement suggests it is time for the development sector to transform its practices radically. Values and frames offer pathways to potential solutions that should be debated across the sector, and no

Reinforced Segmentation of Images Containing One Object of Interest

In many image-processing applications, one object of interest must be segmented. The techniques used for segmentation vary depending on the particular situation and the specifications of the problem at hand. In methods that rely on a learning process, the lack of a sufficient number of training samples is usually an obstacle, especially when the samples need to be manually prepared by an expert. The performance of some other methods may suffer from frequent user interactions to determine the critical segmentation parameters. Also, none of the existing approaches use online (permanent) feedback, from the user, in order to evaluate the generated results. Considering the above factors, a new multi-stage image segmentation system, based on Reinforcement Learning (RL) is introduced as the main contribution of this research. In this system, the RL agent takes specific actions, such as changing the tasks parameters, to modify the quality of the segmented image. The approach starts with a limited number of training samples and improves its performance in the course of time. In this system, the expert knowledge is continuously incorporated to increase the segmentation capabilities of the method. Learning occurs based on interactions with an offline simulation environment, and later online through interactions with the user. The offline mode is performed using a limited number of manually segmented samples, to provide the segmentation agent with basic information about the application domain. After this mode, the agent can choose the appropriate parameter values for different processing tasks, based on its accumulated knowledge. The online mode, consequently, guarantees that the system is continuously training and can increase its accuracy, the more the user works with it. During this mode, the agent captures the user preferences and learns how it must change the segmentation parameters, so that the best result is achieved. By using these two learning modes, the RL agent allows us to optimally recognize the decisive parameters for the entire segmentation process

Gaming can be sustainable too! Using Social Representation Theory to examine the moderating effects of tourism diversification on residents' tax paying behavior

Tourism authorities in the Las Vegas region have suggested the diversification of the tourism industry as a strategy to improve the vitality of rural communities outside of the metropolitan area. The present study uses Social Representation Theory as the conceptual basis to test the moderating effects of the various types of proposed tourism development on residents' willingness to pay higher taxes to support such development. A survey of 301 residents in Las Vegas rural communities examined how the factors of economic dependence on tourism, community attachment, and ecocentric attitude towards tourism influence residents' perceptions of tourism's impacts. A higher economic dependence on tourism and higher levels of community attachment led to more favorable perceptions of tourism's economic and social impacts. The economic impacts, in turn, resulted in a willingness to pay higher taxes, irrespective of the type of tourism development proposed by the Las Vegas authorities. The results suggest that rural communities reinforce a hegemonic social representation of tourism in order to characterize the ethos of capitalist urbanism that pervades the economic development discourse. The residents' social construction of tourism has important implications for tourism planners in the region and suggests the adoption of an inclusive tourism diversification strategy that leverages both gaming and alternative tourism.This work was supported by the Southern Nevada Planning Coalition, Outside Las Vegas Foundation and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. (Southern Nevada Planning Coalition; Outside Las Vegas Foundation; Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

The segmentation of visual form

The argument of this work is that, despite the massive body of literature that has accumulated in the decades since the discovery of 'gestalt' as the ruling principle of perception, little genuine progress in solving the problem posed by the visual perception of form has been made. This state of affairs is attributed, moreover, to a fundementally inadequate formulation of this problem. It is not enough merely to revise this or that theory, or this or that experimental design, if the argument is correct; rather, it is necessary to revise the formulation of the form problem upon which theory and experimental design rest. Thus, the reformulation suggested is that (a) form is the unit which segments space, and consequently that (b) the problem posed by this unit is essentially that of its segmentation/formation of space, rather than that of its recognition/conservation through change in space; the former is the primary, the latter the secondary, (psycho-physical) problem posed by the visual perception of form. This work also contains a segmentation (spatial/holistic) theory of form, and five experiments designed to test this theory against current recognition (dimensional/analytic) theories of form (for example, see Corcoran, 1971); these experiments are all concerned with different facets of the role played by contour in visual perception, and they provide some evidence for the former, and against the latter, type of theory. It should be pointed out that both in the main body of the text, and in an appendix, it is argued that segmentation is primarily two-dimensional rather than three-dimensional: two-dimensional 'figure'form is primary over three-dimensional 'object' form in perceptual development, and indeed, the latter is constructed from the former. (This hypothesis is part of a more general point of view about cognition, namely that there is an a priori spatial system which is used to process perceptual input, and establish in it the spatial structure of perceptual experience, but one whose conceptual implications and properties become available for symbolisation and thinking when it is freed from the task of perceptual processing by being lifted out of perception into a visual form of representation which Bruner terms 'ikonic' (See Bruner et al., 1966).)<p

Dualities of Latin America

Determining whether the current situation of Latin America is better described as "post-neoliberalism" or as "commodities consensus" requires an analysis of recent changes in the region. Capitalism has expanded in agriculture and mining, accentuating the preeminence of basic exports. Traditional industry is declining, and remittances and tourism have increased in importance. Local capitalists associated with foreign corporations have replaced the national bourgeoisie, while the exodus of peasants consolidates labor precariousness, poverty, and inequality. At the same time, the United States is deploying troops to reorganize its domination. The South American rebellions have limited neoliberal aggression and achieved unusual victories in other parts of the world. The concept of post-neoliberalism emphasizes the region's political turn toward autonomy but overlooks the persistence of the economic model generated during the previous phase. The opposing concept, commodities consensus, highlights the extractivism prevailing throughout the region but plays down the extreme divergences among right-wing, center-left, and radical governments in all other areas. Both concepts contain part of the truth, but neither fully explains the regional scenario.Para determinar si la situación actual de Latinoamérica es mejor descrita como “postneoliberalismo” o como un “consenso de los commodities” hay que hacer un análisis de los cambios recientes en la región. El capitalismo se ha expandido en la agricultura y la minería, acrecentando la preeminencia de las exportaciones básicas. La industria tradicional ha disminuido, y la importancia del turismo y las remesas ha aumentado. Los capitalistas locales asociados con empresas extranjeras han reemplazado a la burguesía nacional, mientras que el éxodo de los campesinos ha consolidado la precariedad laboral, la pobreza y la desigualdad. Al mismo tiempo, Estados Unidos despliega tropas para reorganizar su dominio. Las rebeliones en América del Sur han puesto barreras a la agresión neoliberal y logrado victorias inusuales en otras partes del mundo. El concepto del postneoliberalismo destaca el giro político de la región hacia la autonomía pero con una tendencia a la persistencia del modelo económico generado durante la fase anterior. El otro concepto, el consenso de las commodities, destaca el extractivismo que prevalece en toda la región pero minoriza las divergencias entre los gobiernos de derecha, centro-izquierda y radicales en todas las demás áreas. Ambos conceptos son parcialmente ciertos, pero no explican totalmente el escenario regional.Fil: Katz, Claudio Isaac. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

An analysis of the marketing management of Stade Français Paris rugby club

This paper analyses the marketing strategy, mix marketing and brand development of SF Paris rugby union club which has succeeded in attracting huge crowds (around 75 000 spectators) for several regular season games and building a strong brand equity. Parallels with American professional sports are drawn whereas differences with European clubs are highlighted. Finally, planning, consistency and especially innovation are identified as key factors of success in the implementation of the club’s marketing strategy

Characterization of the response of quasi-periodic masonry : geometrical investigation, homogenization and application to the Guimarães castle, Portugal

In many countries, historical buildings were built with masonry walls constituted by random assemblages of stones of variable dimensions and shapes. The analysis of historic masonry structures requires often complex and expensive computational tools that in many cases are difficult to handle, given this large variability of masonry. The present paper validates a methodology for the characterization of the ultimate response of quasi periodic masonry. For this purpose, the behaviour at collapse of a wall at the Guimarães castle in Portugal is investigated by means of a rigid-plastic homogenization procedure, accounting for the actual disposition of the blocks constituting the walls and the texture irregularity given by the variability of dimensions in the blocks. A detailed geometric survey is conducted by means of the laser scanning technique, allowing for a precise characterization of dimensions and disposition of the blocks. After a simplification of the geometry and assuming mortar joints reduced to interfaces, homogenized masonry in- and out-of-plane strength domains are evaluated on a number of different Representing Elements of Volume (RVEs) having different sizes and sampled on the walls of the castle. Strength domains are obtained using a Finite Element (FE) limit analysis approach with a heterogeneous discretization of the RVEs with triangular elements representing units and interfaces (mortar joints), at different orientations of the principal actions with respect to the horizontal direction. The role played by vertical compression is also investigated, considering the case of masonry with weak and strong mortar. Finally, a series of limit analyses are carried out at structural level, using two different FE numerical models of the so-called Alcaçova wall, a representative perimeter wall of the caste. The first model is built with a heterogeneous material and the second model is built with a homogeneous material obtained through the homogenization procedure performed previously. The purpose is to determinate the reliability of results, in terms of limit load and failure mechanism, for the homogenized model and to compare these results to the ones obtained with the heterogeneous model

Internal Marketing: An Antidote for Macau\u27s Labor Shortage

Gaming scholars the world over are in consensus about Macau\u27s bright future as a gaming Mecca. The phenomenal growth in gaming facilities over the last three years has created an acute labor shortage in this Special Administrative Region of China. Moreover, around twenty additional gaming and hotel projects have been committed so far, all slated for completion in the next five years. Expansion on such massive scale will further intensify competition among employers to recruit and retain employees, particularly if the provincial government maintains its current restrictions on importing labor into the region. One, and arguably the only way to hire and retain manpower in the dynamic gaming market of Macau, is practicing internal marketing. This paper reviews the gaming business environment in Macau and proceeds to suggest ten internal marketing tools and techniques that casino establishments can use to recruit and retain service employees in a tight labor market