Face Selection for Improving Set-to-Set Face Verification

V této práci navrhujeme statistický model, který predikuje výkonnost natrénovaného systému pro verifikaci tváří na základě analýzy kvality vstupních obrázků. Základní část navrhovaného modelu je konvoluční neuronová síť s názvem CNN-FQ, která klasifikuje vstupní obrazky tváří na nízko kvalitní anebo vysoce kvalitní. Pojem kvality není definován explicitně, ale učí se z chyb, které verifikační systém dělá při vyhodnocení trojic obličejů. Naučenou CNN-FQ jsme použili pro verifikaci identit popsaných sadou obrázků, abychom snížili negativní dopad nízko kvalitních fotografií při jejich agregaci do deskriptoru šablony. Při 1:1 Verifikaci s použitím IJB-B protokolu se ukázalo, že použití predikce kvality z CNN-FQ při agregaci šablony vede k vyšší přesnosti rozpoznávání v porovnání s dříve používanými metodami odhadu kvality obrázků tváře.In this thesis we propose a statistical model which predicts performance of a pre-trained face verification system based on analysing quality of input images. A core part of the proposed model is a convolutional neural network, named CNN-FQ, which marks the input facial image as low-quality or high-quaity one. The concept of quality is not defined explicitly, but instead it is learned from mistakes the verification system makes when ranking triplets of faces. We applied the CNN-FQ in a set-based face verification to down-weight negative impact of low-quality faces when aggregating them to a template descriptor. It is shown on IJB-B 1:1 Face Verification benchmark that using CNN-FQ quality predictor for template aggregation leads to consistently higher recognition accuracy if compared to previously used face quality scores

Credibility of economic reform and foreign direct investment in the former Soviet Union region

Economic transition from socialist to market-based economy has been the subject of intense economic research in the last two decades. However, there are very few publications that address the transitional issues from the traditional microeconomics theory prospective. This dissertation focuses on several transitional issues. The first topic is: what is the economic nature and major characteristics of economic reform? Secondly, the dissertation focuses on the relationship between the government and private sector in the reform environment. In the end, the focus of the dissertation shifts to the question of economic reform credibility and of finding the most efficient ways to support the economic reform objectives;To find the answers to the above questions this dissertation develops two models of economic reform: a pre-commitment model and a time consistent model to show that besides the traditional reasons that effect the speed and intensity of economic reform, the sequence and timing of decisions is critical to the outcomes of the reform. We show that because private agents correctly anticipate that the government has the ability to change its previously announced policy, private sector support of the government\u27s reform efforts may be much weaker relative to what it could be if the pre-commitment mechanism existed. We also show that the absence of the pre-commitment mechanism not only effect the speed and intensity of economic reform in the future but also may effect the level of reform activity in the initial stages of economic reform. For example, we show that if there is no pre-commitment mechanism it is possible that the government could be interested in increasing the level of reform efforts during the initial stages of reform. This can increase the probability of political reversal which is of a great concern of all private investors;We show that a pre-commitment solution is more desirable comparing to the time consistent solution and that a pre-commitment mechanism is required to enhance the credibility of the pre-commitment solution. And we propose such a mechanism that together with other pre-commitment mechanism can be applied in transition economies, especially in the initial stages of the reform

Excitation of Surface Waves with On-Demand Polarization at Self-Complementary Metasurface

Surface electromagnetic waves are the main carriers of the highly localized in-plane signal in planar antennas and photonic devices. However, the polarization degree of freedom is generally absent for surface waves as far as it is still a challenge to excite the surface waves with a necessary polarization state. In this letter, for the first time, we propose a method to excite the surface waves of arbitrary polarization using the self-complementary metasurfaces obeying Babinet's duality principle. Namely, we demonstrate the excitation of surface waves with (i) linear horizontal and vertical, (ii) linear diagonal, (iii) right- and left-handed circular, and (iv) elliptical polarizations covering, in principle, a whole Poincare sphere of polarization states. Finally, we analyze the impact of substrate on the efficiency of polarization-demanded surface waves excitation. The results obtained may find the numerous applications in planar photonic and flat optical polarization devices

MANAGEMENT OF THE ECONOMIC SECURITY SYSTEM OF THE ENTERPRISES OF THE FOREST INDUSTRY COMPLEX OF UKRAINE

This article determines that the threats to the economic security of forestry are: insufficient level of forest cover in Ukraine; lack of legally established forest policy; low productivity of forests; corruption in the forest industry. Dependence on import of resources is characterized; high level of equipment wear, low level of introduction of innovative, resource - and energy - saving technologies, insufficient investments. It is generalized that the process of ensuring the economic security of Ukraine's forest industry includes the following stages: formation of principles of ensuring economic security of forestry; assessment of the external and internal environment of FIC; determining the list and priority of threats to the economic security of forestry; assessment of the level of economic security of forestry; modeling of scenarios for ensuring the economic security of forestry; development and implementation of management decisions and recommendations to ensure the economic security of forestry; monitoring and control of the effectiveness of financial and economic security of forestry.This article determines that the threats to the economic security of forestry are: insufficient level of forest cover in Ukraine; lack of legally established forest policy; low productivity of forests; corruption in the forest industry. Dependence on import of resources is characterized; high level of equipment wear, low level of introduction of innovative, resource - and energy - saving technologies, insufficient investments. It is generalized that the process of ensuring the economic security of Ukraine's forest industry includes the following stages: formation of principles of ensuring economic security of forestry; assessment of the external and internal environment of FIC; determining the list and priority of threats to the economic security of forestry; assessment of the level of economic security of forestry; modeling of scenarios for ensuring the economic security of forestry; development and implementation of management decisions and recommendations to ensure the economic security of forestry; monitoring and control of the effectiveness of financial and economic security of forestry