Interactive Vegetation Rendering with Slicing and Blending

Detailed and interactive 3D rendering of vegetation is one of the challenges of traditional polygon-oriented computer graphics, due to large geometric complexity even of simple plants. In this paper we introduce a simplified image-based rendering approach based solely on alpha-blended textured polygons. The simplification is based on the limitations of human perception of complex geometry. Our approach renders dozens of detailed trees in real-time with off-the-shelf hardware, while providing significantly improved image quality over existing real-time techniques. The method is based on using ordinary mesh-based rendering for the solid parts of a tree, its trunk and limbs. The sparse parts of a tree, its twigs and leaves, are instead represented with a set of slices, an image-based representation. A slice is a planar layer, represented with an ordinary alpha or color-keyed texture; a set of parallel slices is a slicing. Rendering from an arbitrary viewpoint in a 360 degree circle around the center of a tree is achieved by blending between the nearest two slicings. In our implementation, only 6 slicings with 5 slices each are sufficient to visualize a tree for a moving or stationary observer with the perceptually similar quality as the original model

PRANJE NOVCA U AKTIMA EUROPSKE UNIJE I SAVETA EUROPE

The author deals with the regulation of money laundering in the legal instruments of the European Union and Council of Europe. He ranges money laundering in the group of international economic crime law as a branch or sphere of international criminal law. Although it is considered as a relatively new notion which has not been yet generally admitted as a branch of international criminal law, it could be nevertheless defend with regard to its subject in narrow and broader sense. Money laundering has been also extensively discussed by the United Nations, European Union and Council of Europe which adopted important legal acts. The European Union has adopted so far three directives concerning the prevention of money laundering. Money laundering was also considered the Council of Europe which has adopted so far two conventions related to money laundering. Legal acts of the European Union and Council of Europe which are presented in this paper regulate much precisely measures for prevention, detection, and prosecution of money laundering. It is important that the mentioned instruments require from the signatory states, for which they are legally binding, to regulate their national legislation in accordance with the definition of money laundering set up in these acts. It means that the regulation of money laundering in national laws should be very similar to the regulation in respective international instruments; this facilitates international cooperation which is particularly important for a successful prevention and prosecution of money laundering.Autor tretira pranje novca u aktima Europske Unije i Saveta Europe. Pranje novca svrštava u sklop međunarodnog privrednog krivičnog prava kao grane odnosno uže struke u okviru međunarodnog krivičnog prava. Mada se radi o relativno novom pojmu, koji još nije opšte priznat kao grana međunarodnog krivičnog prava, može se kao takav po sadržaju opredeliti u užem i širem smislu. O sprečavanju pranja novca raspravljali su i doneli značajne akte između ostalih OUN, Europska unija i Savet Evrope. Europska unija donela je do sada tri direktive koje se odnose na sprečavanje pranja novca. Pranjem novca bavio se i Savet Evrope. Do sada je usvojio dve konvencije koje se odnose na sprečavanje pranja novca. Predstavljeni pravni akti Europske unije i Saveta Europe dovoljno detaljno uređuju mere za sprečavanje, otkrivanje i gonjenje pranja novca. Važno je da ti akti traže od država potpisnica da urede pranje novca u domaćim zakonodavstvima u skladu s opredeljenjima pranja novca onako, kako su uređeni u evropskim aktima. To znači, traže da su uređenja pranja novca u nacionalnim zakonodavstvima slična, kako bi bila međunarodna saradnja olakšana, što je od posebno velikog značaja za sprečavanje i gonjenje pranja novca

Attribute Interactions in Medical Data Analysis

There is much empirical evidence about the success of naive Bayesian classification (NBC) in medical applications of attribute-based machine learning. NBC assumes conditional independence between attributes. In classification, such classifiers sum up the pieces of class-related evidence from individual attributes, independently of other attributes. The performance, however, deteriorates significantly when the “interactions” between attributes become critical. We propose an approach to handling attribute interactions within the framework of “voting” classifiers, such as NBC. We propose an operational test for detecting interactions in learning data and a procedure that takes the detected interactions into account while learning. This approach induces a structuring of the domain of attributes, it may lead to improved classifier’s performance and may provide useful novel information for the domain expert when interpreting the results of learning. We report on its application in data analysis and model construction for the prediction of clinical outcome in hip arthroplasty

Interaktivna interakcijska analiza

Interakcije lahko razumemo kot korelacije, ki obsegajo več kot le dva atributa. Neka skupina atributov je med seboj v interakciji, če njihovih medsebojnih povezanosti ne moremo popolnoma razumeti, ne da bi jih vse opazovali hkrati. Interakcije so zakonitosti skupin več atributov. V tem članku merimo pomembnost interakcije s postopki, ki temeljijo na Shannonovi entropiji kot pojmu negotovosti, ki je bolj splošen od koncepta statistične variance. Cilj interakcijske analize je analitiku predstaviti interakcije grafično z več tipi diagramov. S tem namenom smo izdelali orodja, ki omogočajo interaktivno preučevanje podatkov in nudijo pomoč pri iskanju zanimivih pogledov na podatke. Interakcije prinašajo tudi nov pogled na nekatere težave postopkov strojnega učenja

Coping Strategies of L2 Writers During The Writing Process: Case Studies of Non-English Dominant Students in Mainstream English Composition Courses

This paper sheds light on the strategies L2 students use to overcome their difficulties with writing assignments in a mainstream composition class. The findings are based on the composite of data gathered by interviews with students, teachers, students\u27 written reflections on their writing, and surveys. The first part of the findings presents the strategies L2 students employed and the in-depth analysis of each case study reveals students’ rationale. It is concluded that L2 students are, in order to be successful, prepared to put a lot of effort in their writing assignments and that they develop a variety of strategies with which they take the responsibility for dealing with their differences

Applying a Systems (Holistic) Approach to Religious Tourism

This paper explores the ways in which the rigour of systems thinking can underpin critical research in religious tourism. Following a brief introduction of the principles of analytical systems approaches, the paper elaborates how these principles can drive analyses of religious tourism. Systems approach is a methodology for complex phenomena research, theory and cybernetics, the disciplines, which play an important role in different fields of scientific research. Hereby we will present the tourism system from systems point of view with special regards on religious tourism. Systems Approach uses a different process. It puts the system in the context of the larger environment it is a part of and studies the role it plays in the larger whole. The parts are no longer primary focus. The parts are essential but what is more important is the interrelationship between the parts as they work together to fulfil the purpose of the whole system. Systems approach is optimal for understanding interdependency, which requires a way of thinking different from analysis; it requires systems thinking

Systems (Holistic) Approach to Religious Tourism

Systems Approach has been accepted within natural sciences since Ludwig von Bertalanffy published his manifesto of general system theory (Bertalanffy, 1952) and Norbert Wiener his on Cybernetics (Wiener, 1948). The intention of general systems theory and cybernetics is the ‘ontology’ of action, which is shown by feedback information. Its goal is to find a method to predict the consequence of a decision-making action. Industrial engineering recognised it, when Forrester published the work Industrial Dynamics (Forrester, 1961) and social sciences rediscovered it with Senge’s work on the learning organisation - The Fifth Discipline (Senge, 1990). Systems Approach is a methodology for complex phenomena research, theory and cybernetics, the disciplines, which play an important role in different fields of scientific research. Here we will present the tourism system from a systems point of view with special emphasis on religious tourism