1,773 research outputs found
Hybrid Focal Stereo Networks for Pattern Analysis in Homogeneous Scenes
In this paper we address the problem of multiple camera calibration in the
presence of a homogeneous scene, and without the possibility of employing
calibration object based methods. The proposed solution exploits salient
features present in a larger field of view, but instead of employing active
vision we replace the cameras with stereo rigs featuring a long focal analysis
camera, as well as a short focal registration camera. Thus, we are able to
propose an accurate solution which does not require intrinsic variation models
as in the case of zooming cameras. Moreover, the availability of the two views
simultaneously in each rig allows for pose re-estimation between rigs as often
as necessary. The algorithm has been successfully validated in an indoor
setting, as well as on a difficult scene featuring a highly dense pilgrim crowd
in Makkah.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Machine Vision and Application
Invariant, super and quasi-martingale functions of a Markov process
We identify the linear space spanned by the real-valued excessive functions
of a Markov process with the set of those functions which are quasimartingales
when we compose them with the process. Applications to semi-Dirichlet forms are
given. We provide a unifying result which clarifies the relations between
harmonic, co-harmonic, invariant, co-invariant, martingale and co-martingale
functions, showing that in the conservative case they are all the same.
Finally, using the co-excessive functions, we present a two-step approach to
the existence of invariant probability measures
Distributed Consensus of Linear Multi-Agent Systems with Adaptive Dynamic Protocols
This paper considers the distributed consensus problem of multi-agent systems
with general continuous-time linear dynamics. Two distributed adaptive dynamic
consensus protocols are proposed, based on the relative output information of
neighboring agents. One protocol assigns an adaptive coupling weight to each
edge in the communication graph while the other uses an adaptive coupling
weight for each node. These two adaptive protocols are designed to ensure that
consensus is reached in a fully distributed fashion for any undirected
connected communication graphs without using any global information. A
sufficient condition for the existence of these adaptive protocols is that each
agent is stabilizable and detectable. The cases with leader-follower and
switching communication graphs are also studied.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figue
Finding polynomial loop invariants for probabilistic programs
Quantitative loop invariants are an essential element in the verification of
probabilistic programs. Recently, multivariate Lagrange interpolation has been
applied to synthesizing polynomial invariants. In this paper, we propose an
alternative approach. First, we fix a polynomial template as a candidate of a
loop invariant. Using Stengle's Positivstellensatz and a transformation to a
sum-of-squares problem, we find sufficient conditions on the coefficients.
Then, we solve a semidefinite programming feasibility problem to synthesize the
loop invariants. If the semidefinite program is unfeasible, we backtrack after
increasing the degree of the template. Our approach is semi-complete in the
sense that it will always lead us to a feasible solution if one exists and
numerical errors are small. Experimental results show the efficiency of our
approach.Comment: accompanies an ATVA 2017 submissio
Autocalibration with the Minimum Number of Cameras with Known Pixel Shape
In 3D reconstruction, the recovery of the calibration parameters of the
cameras is paramount since it provides metric information about the observed
scene, e.g., measures of angles and ratios of distances. Autocalibration
enables the estimation of the camera parameters without using a calibration
device, but by enforcing simple constraints on the camera parameters. In the
absence of information about the internal camera parameters such as the focal
length and the principal point, the knowledge of the camera pixel shape is
usually the only available constraint. Given a projective reconstruction of a
rigid scene, we address the problem of the autocalibration of a minimal set of
cameras with known pixel shape and otherwise arbitrarily varying intrinsic and
extrinsic parameters. We propose an algorithm that only requires 5 cameras (the
theoretical minimum), thus halving the number of cameras required by previous
algorithms based on the same constraint. To this purpose, we introduce as our
basic geometric tool the six-line conic variety (SLCV), consisting in the set
of planes intersecting six given lines of 3D space in points of a conic. We
show that the set of solutions of the Euclidean upgrading problem for three
cameras with known pixel shape can be parameterized in a computationally
efficient way. This parameterization is then used to solve autocalibration from
five or more cameras, reducing the three-dimensional search space to a
two-dimensional one. We provide experiments with real images showing the good
performance of the technique.Comment: 19 pages, 14 figures, 7 tables, J. Math. Imaging Vi
Intrinsic metrics for non-local symmetric Dirichlet forms and applications to spectral theory
On the Lorentz structure of the symmetry energy
We investigate in detail the density dependence of the symmetry energy in a
relativistic description by decomposing the iso-vector mean field into
contributions with different Lorentz covariant properties. We find important
effects of the iso-vector, scalar channel (i.e. -meson like) on the
high density behavior of the symmetry energy. Applications to static properties
of finite nuclei and to dynamic situations of heavy ion collisions are explored
and related to each other. The nuclear structure studies show only moderate
effects originating from the virtual meson. At variance, in heavy ion
collisions one finds important contributions on the reaction dynamics arising
from the different Lorentz structure of the high density symmetry energy when a
scalar iso-vector field is introduced. Particularly interesting is the
related neutron/proton effective mass splitting for nucleon transport effects
and for resonance and particle production around the threshold. We show that
the -like channel turns out to be essential for the production of
pions, when comparing with experimental data, in particular for high momentum
selections.Comment: 30 pages, 12 figures (.eps
A polymorphism associated with depressive disorders differentially regulates brain derived neurotrophic factor promoter IV activity
PMCID: PMC3712170Peer reviewedPublisher PD
A large-scale study of a poultry trading network in Bangladesh: implications for control and surveillance of avian influenza viruses
Since its first report in 2007, avian influenza (AI) has been endemic in Bangladesh. While live poultry marketing is widespread throughout the country and known to influence AI dissemination and persistence, trading patterns have not been described. The aim of this study is to assess poultry trading practices and features of the poultry trading networks which could promote AI spread, and their potential implications for disease control and surveillance. Data on poultry trading practices was collected from 849 poultry traders during a cross-sectional survey in 138 live bird markets (LBMs) across 17 different districts of Bangladesh. The quantity and origins of traded poultry were assessed for each poultry type in surveyed LBMs. The network of contacts between farms and LBMs resulting from commercial movements of live poultry was constructed to assess its connectivity and to identify the key premises influencing it
A global view of the OCA2-HERC2 region and pigmentation
Mutations in the gene OCA2 are responsible for oculocutaneous albinism type 2, but polymorphisms in and around OCA2 have also been associated with normal pigment variation. In Europeans, three haplotypes in the region have been shown to be associated with eye pigmentation and a missense SNP (rs1800407) has been associated with green/hazel eyes (Branicki et al. in Ann Hum Genet 73:160â170, 2009). In addition, a missense mutation (rs1800414) is a candidate for light skin pigmentation in East Asia (Yuasa et al. in Biochem Genet 45:535â542, 2007; Anno et al. in Int J Biol Sci 4, 2008). We have genotyped 3,432 individuals from 72 populations for 21 SNPs in the OCA2-HERC2 region including those previously associated with eye or skin pigmentation. We report that the blue-eye associated alleles at all three haplotypes were found at high frequencies in Europe; however, one is restricted to Europe and surrounding regions, while the other two are found at moderate to high frequencies throughout the world. We also observed that the derived allele of rs1800414 is essentially limited to East Asia where it is found at high frequencies. Long-range haplotype tests provide evidence of selection for the blue-eye allele at the three haplotyped systems but not for the green/hazel eye SNP allele. We also saw evidence of selection at the derived allele of rs1800414 in East Asia. Our data suggest that the haplotype restricted to Europe is the strongest marker for blue eyes globally and add further inferential evidence that the derived allele of rs1800414 is an East Asian skin pigmentation allele
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