Identifying elephant photos by multi-curve matching

We present in this paper an elephant photo identification system based on the shape comparison of the nicks characterizing the elephants' ears. The method we propose can deal with very cluttered and noisy images as the ones commonly used by zoologists for wild elephant photo identification. Difficult segmentation problems are solved using rough position information input by the user. Such information is used by the system as a basis for a set of segmentation and normalization hypotheses aiming at comparing a query photo Q with different photos of the system's database possibly representing the same individual as Q. The proposed shape comparison method, based on matching multiple, non-connected curves, can be applied to different retrieval by shape problems. Examples with real wild elephant photos are shown. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

La chiesa di San Vincenzo a Modena. Ecclesia Divi Vincentii

Un complesso intervento di restauro ha restituito la chiesa di San Vincenzo, voluta nel Seicento dai Chierici Regolari Teatini, non solo a Modena e ai modenesi ma a tutti coloro che vorranno ripercorrere un suggestivo itinerario tra raffinatezza ed eleganti sinuosità delle espressioni artistiche seicentesche e austere raffigurazioni ottocentesche che introducono il visitatore alla singolare e suggestiva cappella mortuaria estense annessa alla chiesa.Qui il visitatore è circondato dalla memoria dei duchi d'Este, dalle loro consorti e dei loro figli che con i loro nomi e le loro presenze ricordano due secoli e mezzo di storia cittadina, da quando Modena, con Francesco I, era capitale del ducato estense fino alla Restaurazione con l'arciduca Francesco IV d'Austria-Este. Tuttavia anche il frequentatore meno attento è avvolto dalla suggestione di un luogo singolare, sacro e funerario, evocatore di memorie lontane e non può fare a meno di ripercorrere con lo sguardo nomi e date che si riferiscono a tempi ormai lontani

Paths to Resilience: Examining EU and NATO Responses to the Tunisian and Egyptian Political Transitions

The unfolding of the Arab uprisings has shown that fostering the ability of countries affected by regime change to withstand crises is necessary for the EU and NATO to ensure the stability of the broader Southern Mediterranean region. The political transitions in Egypt and Tunisia arose from pressures to democratise. Yet, as the region’s security environment was deteriorating, EU and NATO have mostly addressed the symptoms of local instability, but largely neglected the long-term causes of insecurity in the two countries. By doing so, Euro-Atlantic diplomacy essentially enhanced state resilience at the expense of the broader societal resilience. In perspective, further political and operational coordination between NATO and the EU is needed to avoid risks of duplications and/or inconsistencies in their regional action