Evaluating Example-based Pose Estimation: Experiments on the HumanEva Sets

We present an example-based approach to pose recovery, using histograms of oriented gradients as image descriptors. Tests on the HumanEva-I and HumanEva-II data sets provide us insight into the strengths and limitations of an example-based approach. We report mean relative 3D errors of approximately 65 mm per joint on HumanEva-I, and 175 mm on HumanEva-II. We discuss our results using single and multiple views. Also, we perform experiments to assess the algorithm’s generalization to unseen subjects, actions and viewpoints. We plan to incorporate the temporal aspect of human motion analysis to reduce orientation ambiguities, and increase the pose recovery accuracy

RISE OF MOBILITY PROGRAMS IN GERMANY DUE TO GLOBALISATION

Learning has come to the front position of the educational agenda in many countries of the world – the knowledge society, learning society, learning organization and so forth are the common terms now in the 21st century. The terms come into view in countless publications of the European Union and of many other countries in and outside the European Community. The learning society is one of the products of globalisation and knowledge, learning and education are intertwined with global capitalism. Education is considered as a servant to global capitalism, enabling trans-boundary companies to gather more effectively in the knowledge society. Learning has become to a central task in governmental education policy in many countries and it is being treated as investment – adding value to human and social capital, resulting in employability and then in work, which makes an even greater distribution to the economy, rather than being treated as a natural human process that results in the improvement of people as human beings. Profound changes are taking place as a result of globalisation that is affecting the whole of the educational institution. The objective of this contribution is to present Germany on its way to a knowledge society by examining the past and the present situation of Germany concerning mobility and furthermore mobility programs.mobility programs, Germany, globalisation, knowledge society, learning society

Expenditure Patterns of Migrant Households: Evidence from Moldova

This paper examines the effect of temporary and permanent migration on household expenditures and on asset/durables ownership. Using household survey data from Moldova, this paper relies on the matching approach for identification. It is shown that temporary migrant and permanent migrant households have additional expenditures for food compared to non-migrant households. Concerning the ownership of goods or assets compared to the regional crisis in 1998, temporary and permanent migrant households are more likely to own more goods or assets than non-migrant households. Migration has stronger effects on ownership in rural areas. Overall, the findings indicate that temporary migration has a stronger effect on household expenditures than permanent migration. --Expenditures,Remittances,Migration,Propensity Score Matching

Non-volatile gated variable resistor based on doped La_{2}CuO_{4} and SrTiO_{3} heterostructures

Gated variable resistors were manufactured by depositing epitaxial heterostructures of doped La_{2}CuO_{4} and SrTiO_{3} layers. Their conductance change as function of write current I and write time t followed a simple empirical law of the form {\Delta}G/G = CI^A t^B. This behavior is in agreement with ionic transport that accelerates exponentially with electrical field strength.Comment: Communicatio

Decoherence in Pre-Big-Bang Cosmology

We analyze the quantum cosmology of the simplest pre--big--bang model without dilaton potential. In addition to the minisuperspace variables we include inhomogeneous dilaton fluctuations and determine their wave function on a semiclassical background. This wave function is used to calculate the reduced density matrix and to find criteria for the loss of decoherence. It is shown that coherence between different backgrounds can always be achieved by a specific choice of vacua though generically decoherence can be expected. In particular, we discuss the implications of these results on the ``exit problem'' of pre--big--bang cosmology.Comment: 15 pages, 2 postscript figures include

Proceedings of the OECD/PACIOLI Workshop on Information Needs for the Analysis of Farm Household Income Issues

The assessment of agricultural policies depends more and more on micro-economic data sets. This is especially true for policies with an income objective in a situation where farm households have different income sources. Among others the OECD has stressed this point in recent years with analytical reports. The PACIOLI network yearly brings together data managers and researchers interested in the innovation of data collection in this area. In April 2004 a joint workshop was organised at the OECD in Paris to bring experts together to exchange best practices. This report contains the proceedings of that workshop.Farm Management,