Making Deep Heatmaps Robust to Partial Occlusions for 3D Object Pose Estimation

We introduce a novel method for robust and accurate 3D object pose estimation from a single color image under large occlusions. Following recent approaches, we first predict the 2D projections of 3D points related to the target object and then compute the 3D pose from these correspondences using a geometric method. Unfortunately, as the results of our experiments show, predicting these 2D projections using a regular CNN or a Convolutional Pose Machine is highly sensitive to partial occlusions, even when these methods are trained with partially occluded examples. Our solution is to predict heatmaps from multiple small patches independently and to accumulate the results to obtain accurate and robust predictions. Training subsequently becomes challenging because patches with similar appearances but different positions on the object correspond to different heatmaps. However, we provide a simple yet effective solution to deal with such ambiguities. We show that our approach outperforms existing methods on two challenging datasets: The Occluded LineMOD dataset and the YCB-Video dataset, both exhibiting cluttered scenes with highly occluded objects. Project website: https://www.tugraz.at/institute/icg/research/team-lepetit/research-projects/robust-object-pose-estimation

Co-creating conditions for social justice in digital societies: modes of resistance in HCI collaborative endeavors and evolving socio-technical landscapes

In this paper, we report on a three-year endeavour that fostered 18 collaborations between academic and non-academic organizations to co-create responses to social (in)justice issues in digital societies. The projects and range of individuals and organisations connected to this programme offer a snapshot of the state of social justice thinking within the UK digital economy research sector. Our analysis shows how the programme’s constellations of actions enacted different modes of resistance attempting to reshape people’s relationship to power dynamics, addressing institutions and exposing systems, and developing and restoring values for social justice. We explore how these efforts invite nuanced understanding of what constitutes resistance in knowledge co-production endeavours and how they helped surface tensions at the intersection of agencies and the distribution of responsibilities. Drawing from our insights and experience, we discuss implications for HCI concerned with the creation of the conditions for social justice in our digital societies

Effectiveness of a Skin Care Program With a Cream Containing Ceramide C and a Personalized Training for Secondary Prevention of Hand Contact Dermatitis

Background/Objectives: The aim of our study was to investigate the effectiveness of personalized training on skin protection associated with the regular use of ceramide-containing cream (CC) versus other creams (OC) for improving hand contact dermatitis. Methods: We performed a double-center randomized trial that enrolled workers with hand dermatitis. All workers received personalized training. The intervention was 3 times per day application of the study emollient. The control arm used an emollient of choice without ceramide, as needed. The primary outcome was improvement in hand dermatitis at 1 and 3 months of follow-up. Results: In total, 102 patients with hand dermatitis were enrolled in this study. Improvement in dermatitis was found in 40%, 52.5%, 50%, and 63% of OC and CC, at the first and second follow-ups, respectively. The use of CC was significantly associated with an improvement in dermatitis (odds ratios 2.6; 95% confidence intervals 1.30-5.2), analyzed using generalized equation estimation during the follow-up. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that an educational personalized intervention could improve the signs and symptoms in patients with hand dermatitis, and the use of a CC resulted in a significantly better outcome during the 3 months of follow-up

Surfacing Small Worlds through Data-In-Place

We present findings from a five-week deployment of voting technologies in a city neighbourhood. Drawing on Marres’ (2012) work on material participation and Massey’s (2005) conceptualisation of space as dynamic, we designed the deployment such that the technologies (which were situated in residents’ homes, on the street, and available online) would work in concert, cutting across the neighbourhood to make visible, juxtapose and draw together the different ‘small worlds’ within it. We demonstrate how the material infrastructure of the voting devices set in motion particular processes and interpretations of participation, putting data in place in a way that had ramifications for the recognition of heterogeneity. We conclude that redistributing participation means not only opening up access, so that everyone can participate, or even providing a multitude of voting channels, so that people can participate in different ways. Rather, it means making visible multiplicity, challenging notions of similarity, and showing how difference may be productive

Mejora del olmo para resistencia a DED: clones italianos y características de su madera

In Italy, an elm breeding program to develop Dutch elm disease-resistant trees has been established by cross-breeding Asian elms with indigenous species, in order to produce individuals that combine resistance of the first with growth characteristics and higher degree of environmental adaptability of the second. Thus, the favourable adaptation of Ulmus pumila in Italy has been explored: «San Zanobi» and «Plinio» are two recent results of this research and many others promising clones as «FL090», «FL146», «FL441», «FL568», «FL634», are in the final stage of field testing. The resistance levels of all these clones were significantly higher level of resistance than «Lobel» and «Urban» in several assessments during different years. First technological tests indicate that the wood characteristics of «San Zanobi» and «FL090» clones are comparable to those of elm wood traditionally present on the market, thus highlighting that those clones is likely to satisfy the elm wood demand. The present characterisation needs to be confirmed by further evaluations of mature trees having bigger diameters and allowing industrial trials, still not available so far.En Italia, el programa de mejora genética del olmo para la obtención de árboles resistentes a la grafiosis se ha desarrollado a partir del cruzamiento de olmos asiáticos con especies nativas, y tiene por objetivo producir individuos que combinen la resistencia de los primeros con las características vegetativas y el alto grado de adaptación al ambiente de los segundos. Por esta razón, se ha aprovechado la favorable adaptación de Ulmus pumila en Italia: «San Zenobi» y «Plinio » son dos resultados recientes de estas investigaciones, y otros muchos clones prometedores como «FL090», «FL146», «FL441», «FL568» y «FL634» están en las fases finales de las pruebas de campo. Los niveles de resistencia de todos estos clones fueron significativamente mayores, en diferentes ensayos, que los niveles de resistencia de «Lobel» y «Urban ». Los primeros ensayos tecnológicos han mostrado que las características de la madera de los clones «San Zenobi» y «FL090» son comparables a los de las maderas de olmo tradicionalmente presentes en el mercado, indicando que esos clones pueden probablemente satisfacer las demandas de madera. La actual caracterización debe ser confirmada con nuevas evaluaciones en árboles maduros de mayores diámetros y mediante ensayos industriales aún no disponibles