Confidence driven TGV fusion

We introduce a novel model for spatially varying variational data fusion, driven by point-wise confidence values. The proposed model allows for the joint estimation of the data and the confidence values based on the spatial coherence of the data. We discuss the main properties of the introduced model as well as suitable algorithms for estimating the solution of the corresponding biconvex minimization problem and their convergence. The performance of the proposed model is evaluated considering the problem of depth image fusion by using both synthetic and real data from publicly available datasets

Discovery and recognition of motion primitives in human activities

We present a novel framework for the automatic discovery and recognition of motion primitives in videos of human activities. Given the 3D pose of a human in a video, human motion primitives are discovered by optimizing the `motion flux', a quantity which captures the motion variation of a group of skeletal joints. A normalization of the primitives is proposed in order to make them invariant with respect to a subject anatomical variations and data sampling rate. The discovered primitives are unknown and unlabeled and are unsupervisedly collected into classes via a hierarchical non-parametric Bayes mixture model. Once classes are determined and labeled they are further analyzed for establishing models for recognizing discovered primitives. Each primitive model is defined by a set of learned parameters. Given new video data and given the estimated pose of the subject appearing on the video, the motion is segmented into primitives, which are recognized with a probability given according to the parameters of the learned models. Using our framework we build a publicly available dataset of human motion primitives, using sequences taken from well-known motion capture datasets. We expect that our framework, by providing an objective way for discovering and categorizing human motion, will be a useful tool in numerous research fields including video analysis, human inspired motion generation, learning by demonstration, intuitive human-robot interaction, and human behavior analysis

Immigration Control in an Era of Globalization: Deflecting Foreigners, Weakening Citizens, Strengthening the State

In stark contrast to the field of legislation on the rights of third country nationals or to the requirements and conditions for access to the territory of states, the field of the enforcement of immigration control has been increasingly subject to legal harmonization: either by the adoption of global law on immigration control or by the convergence of domestic law and policy in the field. This convergence is particularly marked when one compares legal responses to immigration control in the United States and the European Union, where globalization has been used to justify the extension of state power-by proclaiming state action necessary in order to address perceived global security threats-and the use of key features of globalization that may facilitate free movement such as the use of technology-in order to enhance immigration control. Globalization has led to the strengthening, rather than the weakening, of the state. This strengthening of the state has significant consequences not only for immigration but also for citizenship as expressed by both relations between individuals and between citizens and the state. By examining the global and transatlantic policy and legislative consensus on immigration control, this Article will cast light on the challenges the extension of state power that globalized immigration control entails for fundamental rights and the rule of law. Globalization and Migration Symposium, Indiana University Maurer School of Law, Bloomington, Indiana, April 7-8, 201

Ured europskog javnog tužitelja između prava EU-a i nacionalnog prava: izazov učinkovite sudske zaštite

Even though the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) aims to Europeanise prosecution, the relationship between EU and national law is not always clear, and many areas concerning the EPPO are left to national laws to regulate. As a consequence, effective judicial protection and remedies are not secured in the EPPO Regulation. Bearing in mind that the EPPO is a European agency, fundamental rights and the rule of law must be safeguarded in its operation. The focus of this article is on three levels of effective judicial protection in the operation of the Regulation at the EU level: preliminary questions before the CJEU, EU benchmarks on the rights of the defence, and the relationship between the EPPO and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF). The article aims to shed light on the gaps in, but also on the potential avenues for, effective judicial protection in the context of the operation of the EPPO.Cilj je ovog članka rasvijetliti propuste, ali i postojeće mogućnosti osiguranja sudske zaštite temeljnih prava u kontekstu djelovanja Ureda europskog javnog tužitelja. Iako je Ured EJT-a europsko tijelo postupka, zaštita temeljnih ljudskih prava na razini EU-a u svezi s njegovim djelovanjem Uredbom Vijeća (EU) 2017/1939 od 12. listopada 2017. o provedbi pojačane suradnje u vezi s osnivanjem Ureda europskog javnog tužitelja nije osigurana u dovoljnoj mjeri, već je uglavnom prepuštena nacionalnim pravnim sustavima i sudovima. Ni sam odnos između nacionalnog prava i prava EU-a nije u potpunosti razjašnjen. Članak se fokusira na tri nivoa osiguranja učinkovite sudske zaštite na razini EU-a u kontekstu Uredbe. U prvom dijelu razmatra se učinkovitost sudske zaštite pred Sudom Europske unije. Ta zaštita u stvarnosti je ograničena. Jurisdikcija Suda EU-a postoji samo u sporovima vezanima za naknadu štete koju je prouzročio Ured EJT-a prema čl. 268. UFEU-a, ima ograničenu ulogu u tužbama za poništavanje akata Ureda EJT-a prema čl. 263. UFEU-a pokrivajući samo odluke Ureda EJT-a o odbacivanju slučaja te mu se mogu postaviti preliminarna pitanja u određenim slučajevima. No upravo je posljednje ključno za nacionalne sudove u osiguranju učinkovite sudske zaštite u svezi s djelovanjem Ureda EJT-a. U drugom dijelu rada razmatra se primjenjivost minimalnih standarda prava obrane u kontekstu djelovanja Ureda EJT-a. Opseg prava osumnjičenih i optuženih osoba u djelovanju Ureda EJT-a minimalistički je uređen čl. 41. Uredbe o Uredu EJT-a. Provedbu te zaštite osiguravaju akteri na nacionalnoj razini u skladu s pravom EU-a i nacionalnim pravom. Uz osiguranje prava obrane i prava na pravično suđenje u skladu s Poveljom kao minimum bilo koji osumnjičenik ili optuženik u kaznenom postupku Ureda EJT-a imat će procesna prava predviđena pravom EU-a uključujući pravo na tumačenje i prijevod, pravo na informacije, pravo na pristup odvjetniku, pravo na pravnu pomoć i pretpostavku nedužnosti te pravo na šutnju. Od iznimne je važnosti zato i adekvatna implementacija relevantnih direktiva s obzirom na to da zaštitu osiguravaju nacionalna prava, a države članice uvijek mogu osigurati i višu razinu zaštite. Treći dio rada bavi se analizom pravnog okvira primjenjivog na odnos između Ureda EJT-a i Europskog ureda za borbu protiv prijevara, OLAF-a. Uredba o Uredu EJT-a predviđa suradnju s OLAF-om. Tijekom istrage koju provodi Ured EJT-a Ured može zatražiti od OLAF-a informacije te stručnu i operativnu podršku, pomoć oko koordinacije određenih radnji nadležnih nacionalnih upravnih tijela i tijela Unije, kao i provođenje upravnih istraga. Iako Uredba o Uredu EJT-a uređuje suradnju s OLAF-om, potencijal te suradnje mnogo je širi. Autor napominje da se i u tom odnosu mora osigurati kontinuitet visoke razine zaštite prava. Zaključno autor upozorava na postojanje praznina u djelotvornoj sudskoj zaštiti u trenutačnom pravnom okviru. Ured EJT-a treba tretirati kao europsko tijelo čiji rad mora biti poduprt čvrstom zaštitom temeljnih prava i zaštitnim mjerama vladavine prava uopće

Money laundering counter-measures in the European Union: a new paradigm of security governance versus fundamental legal principles

The past decade witnessed the emergence in the European Union of a comprehensive legal framework aimed at countering money laundering. The aim of the thesis is to place these measures in context, by examining their evolution in the light of parallel developments in the fields of international relations and crime prevention and control. Through the employment of an interdisciplinary approach, it is demonstrated that the development of money laundering counter-measures in the European Union is inextricably linked with the reconceptualisation of security in the international arena, now extending beyond the narrow state/military realm and including threats such as organised crime and, related to that, money laundering. Money laundering counter-measures are thus legitimated as emergency measures deemed as necessary to address these newly perceived threats. In this context, and following international political pressure for the adoption of a global anti-money laundering framework, the European Union counter-measures constitute a new paradigm of security governance, achieved through three principal methods: criminalisation, consisting in the emergence of a new criminal offence of money laundering; responsibilisation, consisting in the mobilisation of the private sector to co-operate with the authorities in the fight against money laundering; and the emphasis on the administration of knowledge, through the establishment of new institutions, the financial intelligence units, with extensive powers to administer a wide range of information provided by the private sector. All three methods pose significant challenges to fundamental legal principles and ultimately, to well-established social transactions and bonds. The analysis will focus on these challenges, which become more acute in the light of the constant evolution of these measures. An attempt will thus be made to demonstrate that a 'securitised' anti-money laundering paradigm, which may serve as a mould for subsequent initiatives in the field of organised crime, has the potential to undermine the very essence of fundamental legal principles and rights. This is particularly the case in the European Union as the latter's ambitious position as an international security actor putting forward a security paradigm in the field of money laundering is not accompanied by analogous powers to protect fundamental rights. In view of these dangers, a call will be made for the 'de-securitisation' of money laundering counter-measures, through attempts towards a realistic and wellfounded estimation of the actual threat and the promotion of legal certainty and respect of fundamental legal principles in the drafting of new measures. At the same time, the imposition of security measures by the European Union must be accompanied by the constitutionalisation at the EU level of the protection of fundamental legal principles and human rights

Second Screen User Profiling and Multi-level Smart Recommendations in the context of Social TVs

In the context of Social TV, the increasing popularity of first and second screen users, interacting and posting content online, illustrates new business opportunities and related technical challenges, in order to enrich user experience on such environments. SAM (Socializing Around Media) project uses Social Media-connected infrastructure to deal with the aforementioned challenges, providing intelligent user context management models and mechanisms capturing social patterns, to apply collaborative filtering techniques and personalized recommendations towards this direction. This paper presents the Context Management mechanism of SAM, running in a Social TV environment to provide smart recommendations for first and second screen content. Work presented is evaluated using real movie rating dataset found online, to validate the SAM's approach in terms of effectiveness as well as efficiency.Comment: In: Wu TT., Gennari R., Huang YM., Xie H., Cao Y. (eds) Emerging Technologies for Education. SETE 201

MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE DISRUPTION OF PREPULSE INHIBITION BY NMDAR ANTAGONISTS

Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response is a preattentive process disrupted in schizophrenia. NMDAR-antagonist induced PPI disruption has become a prevalent pharmacological model, however knowledge of the mechanism underlying NMDAR-antagonist induced PPI deficits (NAlPdef) remains incomplete. This work aims to examine the roles of NMDAR subtypes in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the caudal pontine reticular nucleus (PnC) in NAlPdef in rats, and the effects of NMDAR antagonists on PPI and startle reactivity over the diurnal cycle. Results indicate that neither the PnC nor the diurnal cycle play a role in the mechanism underlying NAlPdef. However, microinjections of the NMDAR antagonist MK-801 to the mPFC caused significant disruption of PPI, while microinfusion of the NR2B-specific NMDAR antagonist ifenprodil to the mPFC caused trend level disruption of PPI. This work shows for the first time that NMDARs in the mPFC play a role in the mechanism underlying NAlPdef