Co-Fusion: Real-time Segmentation, Tracking and Fusion of Multiple Objects

In this paper we introduce Co-Fusion, a dense SLAM system that takes a live stream of RGB-D images as input and segments the scene into different objects (using either motion or semantic cues) while simultaneously tracking and reconstructing their 3D shape in real time. We use a multiple model fitting approach where each object can move independently from the background and still be effectively tracked and its shape fused over time using only the information from pixels associated with that object label. Previous attempts to deal with dynamic scenes have typically considered moving regions as outliers, and consequently do not model their shape or track their motion over time. In contrast, we enable the robot to maintain 3D models for each of the segmented objects and to improve them over time through fusion. As a result, our system can enable a robot to maintain a scene description at the object level which has the potential to allow interactions with its working environment; even in the case of dynamic scenes.Comment: International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) 2017, http://visual.cs.ucl.ac.uk/pubs/cofusion, https://github.com/martinruenz/co-fusio

Macroeconomics effects of private sector participation in Latin America's infrastructure

The authors provide empirical evidence on the impact that private participation in infrastructure has had on key macroeconomic variables in a sample of 21 Latin American countries from 1985-98. Specifically, they look at the effects on GDP per capita, current public expenditures, public investment, and private investment, controlling for country effects and institutional factors. The authors also investigate the relevance of the specific contractual form of private participation contracts on these variables and show differentiated effects according to contract types. The results suggest that: 1) Private sector involvement in utilities and transport have some, but not impressive, positive effects on GDP per capita. 2) There is some degree of crowding-out of private investment resulting from greenfield projects in utilities, and delayed crowding-in from concessions in transport. 3) There is crowding-in of public investment by private participation in utilities, while there is crowding-out by increased private investment in transport. 4) Private participation in utilities decreases recurrent expenditures, while in transport it results in an increase. The net effect on the public sector account is uncertain, but this uncertainty is a major risk. The revelation of this risk may be the main contribution of this paper since it is inconsistent with the fiscal gains expected by many policymakers as they engage in infrastructure privatization programs.Decentralization,Environmental Economics&Policies,Labor Policies,Health Economics&Finance,ICT Policy and Strategies,Health Economics&Finance,Environmental Economics&Policies,ICT Policy and Strategies,Scientific Research&Science Parks,Science Education

Bancos y otras entidades financieras

El lavado de dinero es una problemática que perjudica no sólo a una nación sino también a todo el mundo, dadas las consecuencias que este delito trae aparejadas en la economía, el gobierno y el bienestar social de las naciones, implicando además una grave amenaza para la seguridad nacional, regional e internacional. El siglo XXI nos sorprende con nuevas herramientas tecnológicas y métodos accesibles para llevar a cabo transacciones en efectivo o electrónicas de dinero permitiendo que las principales organizaciones delictivas puedan concretar delitos de lavado de activos y financiamiento del terrorismo. Actualmente, las transferencias de dinero obtenido de actividades ilícitas no poseen impedimentos de fronteras políticas, económicas o sociales. Asimismo, la globalización, las relaciones internacionales y la creciente interdependencia económica entre países brindan mayores oportunidades y nuevos mecanismos para lavar dinero y legitimar toda clase de fondos de origen ilegal. A lo largo del presente trabajo, se abordan las siguientes cuestiones vinculadas al proceso de lavado de activos: su definición, etapas que comprende, tipologías que adopta y consecuencias económicas, sociales y políticas que produce. Asimismo, se pretende identificar los principales organismos internacionales y nacionales involucrados en la prevención de lavado de activos y financiamiento del terrorismo. Particularmente, la presente investigación se centra en dar a conocer cuál es la normativa vigente en la República Argentina aplicable a las entidades financieras, sujetos obligados a informar operaciones sospechosas de lavado de dinero según la ley 25.246. Las mencionadas entidades, a su vez deberán cumplir disposiciones de la Unidad de Información Financiera y del Banco Central de la República Argentina.Fil: Maccari, Estefania Lourdes . Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas.Fil: Martin, Denis Nicolás . Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas.Fil: Ramirez, Marisa Gisel. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas

Increasing integrative negotiation in European organizations through trustworthiness and trust

Integrative negotiation in which employers and employees create value is a major necessity in the current challenging context. Collective labor negotiations in organizations are traditionally focused on mostly distributive issues, such as pay, working hours, and holidays. However, the current situation demands the inclusion of other issues of a potentially more integrative nature, such as telework, sustainability, and risk prevention, the enhancement of which is a major challenge for organizations. In this study, we explore the negotiation process between management and employee representatives (ERs), analyzing the roles of trust and trustworthiness. We collected data from 614 human resources managers from different organizations in 11 European countries. The results confirm that ERs who management perceive to be trustworthy have a greater influence on negotiation, particularly with regard to integrative as opposed to distributive issues, and that trust partially mediates this relationship

Prevention of periodontal disease in pregnant. Review of the literature

Durante el embarazo, la mujer sufre los mayores cambios tanto hormonales como fisiológicos de su vida, los cuales tienen repercusión sobre la cavidad bucal de manera directa o indirectamente. Muchas mujeres no entienden la importancia del cuidado oral en el embarazo, por lo que cobran gran importancia los programas educativos. La enfermedad periodontal es la lesión bucal más frecuentemente relacionada con el embarazo debido al cambio hormonal y a otros factores durante esta etapa de la vida de la mujer. La prevención juega un papel fundamental para la salud bucodental, gracias a ella pueden evitarse la mayoría de las intervencionesDuring pregnancy, the woman undergoes the major hormonal and physiological changes of her life, which have repercussions on the oral cavity directly or indirectly. Many women do not understand the importance of oral care in pregnancy, so educational programs are of great importance. Periodontal disease is the most frequently related pregnancy injury due to hormonal change and other factors during this stage of a woman's life. Prevention plays a fundamental role for oral health, thanks to which most interventions can be avoided

The Fetal Growth Restriction at Term Managed by Angiogenic Factors Versus Feto-Maternal Doppler (GRAFD) Trial to Avoid Adverse Perinatal Outcomes: Protocol for a Multicenter, Open-Label, Randomized Controlled Trial

Angiogenic factors; Fetal growth restriction; Small for gestational ageFactores angiogénicos; Restricción del crecimiento fetal; Pequeño para la edad gestacionalFactors angiogènics; Restricció del creixement fetal; Petit per a l'edat gestacionalBackground: Fetal smallness affects 10% of pregnancies. Small fetuses are at a higher risk of adverse outcomes. Their management using estimated fetal weight and feto-maternal Doppler has a high sensitivity for adverse outcomes; however, more than 60% of fetuses are electively delivered at 37 to 38 weeks. On the other hand, classification using angiogenic factors seems to have a lower false-positive rate. Here, we present a protocol for the Fetal Growth Restriction at Term Managed by Angiogenic Factors Versus Feto-Maternal Doppler (GRAFD) trial, which compares the use of angiogenic factors and Doppler to manage small fetuses at term. Objective: The primary objective is to demonstrate that classification based on angiogenic factors is not inferior to estimated fetal weight and Doppler at detecting fetuses at risk of adverse perinatal outcomes. Methods: This is a multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled trial conducted in 20 hospitals across Spain. A total of 1030 singleton pregnancies with an estimated fetal weight ≤10th percentile at 36+0 to 37+6 weeks+days will be recruited and randomly allocated to either the control or the intervention group. In the control group, standard Doppler-based management will be used. In the intervention group, cases with a soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase to placental growth factor ratio ≥38 will be classified as having fetal growth restriction; otherwise, they will be classified as being small for gestational age. In both arms, the fetal growth restriction group will be delivered at ≥37 weeks and the small for gestational age group at ≥40 weeks. We will assess differences between the groups by calculating the relative risk, the absolute difference between incidences, and their 95% CIs. Results: Recruitment for this study started on September 28, 2020. The study results are expected to be published in peer-reviewed journals and disseminated at international conferences in early 2023. Conclusions: The angiogenic factor-based protocol may reduce the number of pregnancies classified as having fetal growth restriction without worsening perinatal outcomes. Moreover, reducing the number of unnecessary labor inductions would reduce costs and the risks derived from possible iatrogenic complications. Additionally, fewer inductions would lower the rate of early-term neonates, thus improving neonatal outcomes and potentially reducing long-term infant morbidities

La mediación: una herramienta de gestión constructiva del conflicto en el lugar de trabajo

Mediation becomes relevant nowadays as a way to manage conflicts in the workplace in a nonjudicial way, preventing costly, extensive, and unsatisfying legal procedures. This study tries to systematize the more recent research about mediation, showing the main challenges, questions, and findings. Research suggests the importance of integrating the organizational and societal context in the study of mediation, the use of efficiency, equity, and voice objectives for evaluating mediation effectiveness, and taking into account a contingency approach in mediator strategies. There is an important gap between the large development of professional practice in mediation and the few systematic studies on this topic. This paper offers a model that considers current research and practice for mediation effectiveness. This model could be used to focus the orientation of scholars, practitioners, and governments in search of new developments in the design of mediation. Future research could explore specific combinations of these dimensions to analyze sectors, organizations, or cases of mediation.La mediación está adquiriendo relevancia hoy en día como una forma extrajudicial de gestionar los conflictos, evitando procedimientos legales costosos, largos e insatisfactorios. Este estudio trata de sistematizar la investigación más reciente sobre la mediación, mostrando los principales retos, cuestiones y conclusiones. La investigación sugiere la importancia de integrar el contexto organizativo y social en el estudio de la mediación, el uso de objetivos de eficiencia, equidad y voz para evaluar la eficacia de la mediación y tener en cuenta un enfoque contingente en las estrategias de las personas mediadoras. Existe una importante brecha entre el gran desarrollo de la práctica profesional de la mediación y la escasez de estudios sistemáticos sobre este tema. Este artículo ofrece un modelo que tiene en cuenta tanto la investigación como el ejercicio práctico para entender cómo se producen las mediaciones eficaces. Este modelo podría utilizarse para orientar a la academia, el ejercicio profesional y a los gobiernos en la búsqueda de nuevos desarrollos en el diseño de la mediación. Las investigaciones futuras podrían explorar combinaciones específicas de estas dimensiones para analizar sectores, organizaciones o casos de mediación

A new species of Polydiscia (Acari, Prostigmata, Tanaupodidae) with reference to its host: a new species of Deuterosminthurus (Collembola, Symphypleona, Bourletiellidae)

During the sampling campaign to describe the Iberian fauna of Collembola, an undescribed species of the family Bourletiellidae living on Genista hispanica L. was found with parasitic mites. The attached parasitic mites were identified as the larval instar of a new species of Polydiscia, a prostigmatid mite of the family Tanaupodidae Thor, 1935. The genus was previously cited in Austria. The Collembola, Deuterosminthurus bisetosus sp. nov, which was found in distant localities on the Iberian Peninsula, and Polydiscia deuterosminthurus sp. nov., are both here described. Both species were found together on Genista for three consecutive years. The abundant material obtained has allowed us to study both species with SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy), and show characteristics in greater detail than has been possible with light microscopy

Why are Industrial Relations in Spain Competitive? Trust in Management, Union Support and Conflict Behaviour in Worker Representatives

In the current context of limited resources and economic, social and labour changes, organizational conflicts are becoming more and more competitive. Two possible explanations for this approach to conflict in Spain are the low trust between unions and management and the long tradition of confrontation in industrial relations. In this study we analyse the conflict pattern from worker representatives and the relation to trust in management and union support. The hypotheses are tested in a quantitative study of 719 representatives. Results show that a) representatives use a competitive conflict style; b) trust is negatively related to this style; and c) union support is positively related to the style. We explore how societal culture and historical industrial relations tradition explain these relations