Online Mutual Foreground Segmentation for Multispectral Stereo Videos

The segmentation of video sequences into foreground and background regions is a low-level process commonly used in video content analysis and smart surveillance applications. Using a multispectral camera setup can improve this process by providing more diverse data to help identify objects despite adverse imaging conditions. The registration of several data sources is however not trivial if the appearance of objects produced by each sensor differs substantially. This problem is further complicated when parallax effects cannot be ignored when using close-range stereo pairs. In this work, we present a new method to simultaneously tackle multispectral segmentation and stereo registration. Using an iterative procedure, we estimate the labeling result for one problem using the provisional result of the other. Our approach is based on the alternating minimization of two energy functions that are linked through the use of dynamic priors. We rely on the integration of shape and appearance cues to find proper multispectral correspondences, and to properly segment objects in low contrast regions. We also formulate our model as a frame processing pipeline using higher order terms to improve the temporal coherence of our results. Our method is evaluated under different configurations on multiple multispectral datasets, and our implementation is available online.Comment: Preprint accepted for publication in IJCV (December 2018

Reflections on Frankfort Rally

Comments on Frankfort rally

More From the #Jury Box: The Latest on Juries and Social Media

This Article presents the results of a survey of jurors in federal and state court on their use of social media during their jury service. We began surveying federal jurors in 2011 and reported preliminary results in 2012; since then, we have surveyed several hundred more jurors, including state jurors, for a more complete picture of juror attitudes toward social media. Our results support the growing consensus that jury instructions are the most effective tool to mitigate the risk of juror misconduct through social media. We conclude with a set of recommended best practices for using a social-media instruction

More From the #Jury Box: The Latest on Juries and Social Media

This Article presents the results of a survey of jurors in federal and state court on their use of social media during their jury service. We began surveying federal jurors in 2011 and reported preliminary results in 2012; since then, we have surveyed several hundred more jurors, including state jurors, for a more complete picture of juror attitudes toward social media. Our results support the growing consensus that jury instructions are the most effective tool to mitigate the risk of juror misconduct through social media. We conclude with a set of recommended best practices for using a social-media instruction

The elements of economic development

More communities have come to realize that change is inevitable and they are establishing economic development programs to help them manage that change. At a time when the industrial revolution has given way to the information age, a good economic development program will help a community remain "tuned in" to the world. It can help business and industry to be more productive and also contribute to the community's overall viability. Accomplishing this takes a program that is broad-based and long-term.New 6/92/5M

Decision-making Techniques for Community Groups

Community groups often have a problem coming to a decision about projects to undertake. Quite often, resources, both human and financial, are limited; the number of problems seem overwhelming; or there are forceful advocates of a "pet" project. How can a group overcome these difficulties? The four decision-making techniques shown in this guide will make the task easier. The first two techniques generate ideas about community goals or projects while the last two prioritize the alternatives you have identified.New 6/92/5M

Phase transition of the susceptible-infected-susceptible dynamics on time-varying configuration model networks

We present a degree-based theoretical framework to study the susceptible-infected-susceptible (SIS) dynamics on time-varying (rewired) configuration model networks. Using this framework, we provide a detailed analysis of the stationary state that covers, for a given structure, every dynamic regimes easily tuned by the rewiring rate. This analysis is suitable for the characterization of the phase transition and leads to three main contributions. (i) We obtain a self-consistent expression for the absorbing-state threshold, able to capture both collective and hub activation. (ii) We recover the predictions of a number of existing approaches as limiting cases of our analysis, providing thereby a unifying point of view for the SIS dynamics on random networks. (iii) We reinterpret the concept of hub-dominated phase transition. Within our framework, it appears as a heterogeneous critical phenomenon : observables for different degree classes have a different scaling with the infection rate. This leads to the successive activation of the degree classes beyond the epidemic threshold.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figure

Town Meetings that Work

Town meetings -- The nature of community -- Orgainizing a town meeting -- The town meeting process -- Final thoughts -- AppendiciesNew 4/93/lM.Includes bibliographical reference