On covariate factor detection and removal for robust gait recognition

We propose a novel bolt-on model capable of boostingthe robustness of various single compact 2D gait representations.Gait recognition is negatively influenced by covariatefactors including clothing and time which alter thenatural gait appearance and motion. Contrary to traditionalgait recognition, our bolt-on module remedies this by a dedicatedcovariate factor detection and removal procedure whichwe quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate. The fundamentalconcept of the bolt-on module is founded on exploitingthe pixel-wise composition of covariates factors. Resultsdemonstrate how our bolt-on module is a powerful componentleading to significant improvements across gait representationsand datasets yielding state of the art results

Dynamic distance-based shape features for gait recognition

We propose a novel skeleton-based approach to gait recognition using our Skeleton Variance Image. The core of our approach consists of employing the screened Poisson equation to construct a family of smooth distance functions associated with a given shape. The screened Poisson distance function approximation nicely absorbs and is relatively stable to shape boundary perturbations which allows us to define a rough shape skeleton. We demonstrate how our Skeleton Variance Image is a powerful gait cycle descriptor leading to a significant improvement over the existing state of the art gait recognition rate

Faith and Scepticism in Private International Law: Trust, Governance, Politics, and Foreign Judgments

__abstract__ In both the European Union (EU) and the United States (US), the law governing the enforcement of foreign judgments is evolving, but in different directions. EU law, especially after the elimination of exequatur by the 2012 ’Recast’ of the Brussels I Regulation, increasingly facilitates enforcement in member states of judgments of other member states’ courts, reflecting growing faith in a multilateral private international law approach to foreign judgments. In US law, on the other hand, increasingly widespread adoption of state legislation based on the 2005 Uniform Foreign-Country Money Judgments Recognition Act (2005 Act), which adds new case-specific grounds for refusing enforcement, suggests growing scepticism. In this essay, I explore possible reasons for these diverging trends. I begin with the most obvious explanation: the Brussels framework governs the effect of internal EU member state judgments within the EU, whereas the 2005 Act governs the effect of external foreign country judgments within the US. One would expect more mutual trust – and thus more faith in foreign judgment enforcement – internally than externally. But I argue that this mutual trust explanation is only partially satisfactory. I therefore sketch out two other possible explanations. One is that the different trends in EU and US law are a result of an emphasis on ’governance values’ in EU law and an emphasis on ’rights values’ in US law. Another explanation – and perhaps the most fundamental one – is that these trends are ultimately traceable to politics

Absolute rate constant for the reaction of atomic chlorine with hydrogen peroxide vapor over the temperature range 265-400 K

Rate constants for the reaction of atomic chlorine with hydrogen peroxide were measured from 265-400 K using the flash photolysis-resonance fluorescence technique. Analytical techniques were developed to measure H2O2 under reaction conditions. Due to ambiguity in the interpretation of the analytical results, the data combine to give two equally acceptable representations of the temperature dependence. The results are compared to previous work at 298 K and are theoretically discussed in terms of the mechanism of the reaction. Additional experiments on the H + H2O2 reaction at 298 and 359 K are compared with earlier results from this laboratory and give a slightly revised bimolecular rate constant

Absolute rate of the reaction of C l(2P) with methane from 200-500 K

Rate constants for the reaction of atomic chlorine with methane have been measured from 200-500K using the flash photolysis-resonance fluorescence technique. When the results from fourteen equally spaced experimental determinations are plotted in Arrhenius form a definite curvature is noted. The results are compared to previous work and are theoretically discussed

Absolute rate of the reaction of Cl(p-2) with molecular hydrogen from 200 - 500 K

Rate constants for the reaction of atomic chlorine with hydrogen are measured from 200 - 500 K using the flash photolysis-resonance fluorescence technique. The results are compared with previous work and are discussed with particular reference to the equilibrium constant for the reaction and to relative rate data for chlorine atom reactions. Theoretical calculations, using the BEBO method with tunneling, give excellent agreement with experiment

The Concept of a Global Legal System

An enduring contribution of Jessup’s Transnational Law is his critique of “international law” and his case for a functionalist concept of “transnational law” defined as rules—international, national or private—that offer solutions to transnational problems. Extending Jessup’s argument, this chapter critiques the concept of the “international legal system,” proposes an alternative concept of the “global legal system” and offers an analytical framework for understanding that system. The global legal system consists of not only rules, but also courts and other institutions, that provide legal solutions to transnational problems. These institutions are national, international, private and sometimes hybrid. Among the solutions provided are three generic governance functions: prescription, adjudication and enforcement. More than one institution may provide solutions to a given transnational problem, creating a need for choice across three dimensions: national-national, national-international and public-private. The global legal system uses three types of principles to guide these choices: principles of authority, allocation and party autonomy. This chapter’s concept of a global legal system aims to provide a coherent way of thinking about the multiple transnational problem-solving functions of legal systems and the multiple levels at which those functions are performed