A Robust Quasi-dense Matching Approach for Underwater Images

While different techniques for finding dense correspondences in images taken in air have achieved significant success, application of these techniques to underwater imagery still presents a serious challenge, especially in the case of “monocular stereo” when images constituting a stereo pair are acquired asynchronously. This is generally because of the poor image quality which is inherent to imaging in aquatic environments (blurriness, range-dependent brightness and color variations, time-varying water column disturbances, etc.). The goal of this research is to develop a technique resulting in maximal number of successful matches (conjugate points) in two overlapping images. We propose a quasi-dense matching approach which works reliably for underwater imagery. The proposed approach starts with a sparse set of highly robust matches (seeds) and expands pair-wise matches into their neighborhoods. The Adaptive Least Square Matching (ALSM) is used during the search process to establish new matches to increase the robustness of the solution and avoid mismatches. Experiments on a typical underwater image dataset demonstrate promising results

Développer des services destinés aux personnes nécessitant une aide de longue durée

L'expérience de planification régionale dans l'Outaouais démontre qu'il est difficile de structurer les serv-ices de santé mentale destinés aux gens socialement démunis et plus vulnérables. On peut y parvenir en développant un partenariat entre institutions et avec des groupes communautaires dans le respect des expertises et des différences locales. Le réseau de la santé et des services sociaux doit cependant apprendre comment développer une dynamique intersectorielle pour changer les conditions socio-économiques qui expliquent les conditions des malades et leur exclusion. En contexte de crise budgétaire, la participation des citoyens pourrait faire la différence.Attempts at regional planning in the Outaouais have shown that it is difficult to open up mental health services for underprivileged clienteles that are more vulnerable. Nonetheless, services can be offered by developing partnerships between institutions and community groups, while ensuring that individual expertise and local defferences are respected. However, the healthcare and social services network must learn how to build intersectorial mechanisms that can change the socio-economic conditions which explain the conditions of patients and their exclusion. With budget cuts in the background, the participation of citizens could make all the difference

Au-delà des assises conceptuelles : Illustration d’une pratique de suivi communautaire en équipe

Les auteurs proposent un survol de la pratique du suivi communautaire, à partir de ses valeurs, de ses fonctions inhérentes, de façon générique. Allant au-delà des différents modèles de pratique, ils cherchent à illustrer ce qui distingue ce suivi des autres services externes ou dans la communauté. Ils en présentent ensuite l'actualisation au Service d'Accompagnement et de Soutien Communautaire (SASC) du Centre hospitalier Pierre-Janet. Une vignette, écrite avec une usagère, illustre les aspects quotidiens et cliniques, tandis que les aspects structuraux et organisationnels sont discutés en lien avec l'organisation régionale des services de santé mentale.The authors propose an overview of the practice of assertive community treatment, from the perspective of its values, its inherent functioning as well as its generic way. Going beyond different models, the authors try to illustrate what distinguishes assertive community treatment from other external or community services. They then present its application with the Service d'accompagnement et de soutien communautaire (SASC) of Pierre-Janet hospital. A vignette written by a client, illustrates the daily and clinical aspects, while structural and organizational aspects are discussed in relation to the regional organization of mental health services.Los autores proponen un sobrevuelo de la prâctica del seguimiento comunal, a partir de sus valores, de sus funciones inhérentes, de forma genérica. Yendo mas alla de los diferentes modelos de prâctica, ellos quieren ilustrar Io que distingue ese seguimiento de los otros servicios externos o en la comunidad. Luego ellos presentan la actualizaciôn al Servicio de Acompanamiento y de Sostén Comunales (SASC) del centro hospitalario Pierre-Janet. Una vinuela, escrita con una usuaria, ilustra los aspectos diarios y clînicos, mientras que los aspectos estracturales y organizacionales son discutidos en relaciôn con la organization regional de servicios de salud mental

Friction and inertia for a mirror in a thermal field

The force experienced by a mirror moving in vacuum vanishes in the case of uniform velocity or uniform acceleration, as a consequence of spatial symmetries of vacuum. These symmetries do not subsist in a thermal field. We give a general expression of the corresponding viscosity coefficient valid at any temperature and for any reflectivity function. We show that the computed motional force also contains a non vanishing inertial term. The associated mass correction goes to zero in the limiting cases of perfect reflection or of zero temperature.Comment: 5 page