Semantic Analysis and Understanding of Human Behaviour in Video Streaming investigates the semantic analysis of the human behaviour captured by video streaming, and introduces both theoretical and technological points of view. Video analysis based on the semantic content is in fact still an open issue for the computer vision research community, especially when real-time analysis of complex scenes is concerned. This book explores an innovative, original approach to human behaviour analysis and understanding by using the syntactical symbolic analysis of images and video streaming described by means of strings of symbols. A symbol is associated to each area of the analyzed scene. When a moving object enters an area, the corresponding symbol is appended to the string describing the motion. This approach allows for characterizing the motion of a moving object with a word composed by symbols. By studying and classifying these words we can categorize and understand the various behaviours. The main advantage of this approach lies in the simplicity of the scene and motion descriptions so that the behaviour analysis will have limited computational complexity due to the intrinsic nature both of the representations and the related operations used to manipulate them. Besides, the structure of the representations is well suited for possible parallel processing, thus allowing for speeding up the analysis when appropriate hardware architectures are used. A new methodology for design systems for hierarchical high semantic level analysis of video streaming in narrow domains is also proposed. Guidelines to design your own system are provided in this book. Designed for practitioners, computer scientists and engineers working within the fields of human computer interaction, surveillance, image processing and computer vision, this book can also be used as secondary text book for advanced-level students in computer science and engineering.
Semantic Analysis and Understanding of Human Behaviour in Video Streaming investigates the semantic analysis of the human behaviour captured by video streaming, and introduces both theoretical and technological points of view. Video analysis based on the semantic content is in fact still an open issue for the computer vision research community, especially when real-time analysis of complex scenes is concerned. This book explores an innovative, original approach to human behaviour analysis and understanding by using the syntactical symbolic analysis of images and video streaming described by means of strings of symbols. A symbol is associated to each area of the analyzed scene. When a moving object enters an area, the corresponding symbol is appended to the string describing the motion. This approach allows for characterizing the motion of a moving object with a word composed by symbols. By studying and classifying these words we can categorize and understand the various behaviours. The main advantage of this approach lies in the simplicity of the scene and motion descriptions so that the behaviour analysis will have limited computational complexity due to the intrinsic nature both of the representations and the related operations used to manipulate them. Besides, the structure of the representations is well suited for possible parallel processing, thus allowing for speeding up the analysis when appropriate hardware architectures are used. A new methodology for design systems for hierarchical high semantic level analysis of video streaming in narrow domains is also proposed. Guidelines to design your own system are provided in this book. Designed for practitioners, computer scientists and engineers working within the fields of human computer interaction, surveillance, image processing and computer vision, this book can also be used as secondary text book for advanced-level students in computer science and engineering.
This book addresses a particular and little-known form of writing, the prose dialogue, during the Late Antique period, when Christian authors adopted and transformed the dialogue form to suit the new needs of religious debate. Connected to, but departing from, the dialogues of Classical Antiquity, these new forms staged encounters between Christians and pagans, Jews, Manichaeans, and "heretical" fellow Christians. At times fiction, at others records of, or scripts for, actual debates, the dialogues give us a glimpse of Late Antique rhetoric as it was practiced and tell us about the theological arguments underpinning religious differences. By offering the first comprehensive analysis of Christian dialogues in Greek and Syriac from the earliest examples to the end of the sixth century CE, the present volume shows that Christian authors saw the dialogue form as a suitable vehicle for argument and apologetic in the context of religious controversy and argues that dialogues were intended as effective tools of opinion formation in Late Antique society. Most Christian dialogues are little studied, and often in isolation, but they vividly evoke the religious debates of the time and they embody the cultural conventions and refinements that Late Antique men and women expected from such debates.
In the last thirty years Computational Geometry has emerged as a new discipline from the field of design and analysis of algorithms. That dis cipline studies geometric problems from a computational point of view, and it has attracted enormous research interest. But that interest is mostly concerned with Euclidean Geometry (mainly the plane or Eu clidean 3-dimensional space). Of course, there are some important rea sons for this occurrence since the first applieations and the bases of all developments are in the plane or in 3-dimensional space. But, we can find also some exceptions, and so Voronoi diagrams on the sphere, cylin der, the cone, and the torus have been considered previously, and there are manY works on triangulations on the sphere and other surfaces. The exceptions mentioned in the last paragraph have appeared to try to answer some quest ions which arise in the growing list of areas in which the results of Computational Geometry are applicable, since, in practiee, many situations in those areas lead to problems of Com putational Geometry on surfaces (probably the sphere and the cylinder are the most common examples). We can mention here some specific areas in which these situations happen as engineering, computer aided design, manufacturing, geographie information systems, operations re search, roboties, computer graphics, solid modeling, etc.
This bibliography is a supplement to the one previously published by Brill in 1988. This one covers material from 1984 to 2003. The chronology has been expanded to begin in the fourth century. Numerous Iberian Church Fathers not represented in the first one are now incorporated. The book contains author and subject indexes and is cross-referenced throughout.
The purpose of this volume is to provide a conspectus of current research on the history of guilds and corporations in Italy in the period from the Renaissance to the end of the 19th century. Particular aims are to examine the relationship between guilds, manufacturing, entrepreneurship, and economic development, and their impact on urban society and social welfare. The work derives from a major project set up in 1994; the results were discussed at a conference in Rome in September 1997, and formed the basis for a further presentation by Professor Carlo Poni at the 12th International Economic History Conference in Seville. The papers are grouped into three sections, dealing with the guild system in urban areas, case studies of individual guilds and conflicts, and their role in mutual aid and assistance. Specially translated for this volume, they trace for the English-speaking world a rich picture of the history of the Italian guild system in the modern era, and its movement from magnificence to decline.
Passionate, political and principled, the UltraS are the hardcore subculture of football supporters found in the stadiums of Italy. Amongst the most committed and uncompromising are two such groups who gather in support of the main football clubs of Rome - AS Roma and SS Lazio. Openly proclaiming neo-fascist sympathies, and not afraid of violence against rival supporters and police, these groups (the Boys Roma and the Lazio Irriducibili) are well-organised and determined to bring about social and political change and stamp out those who oppose them. The much-maligned football hooligans of England pale by comparison. Following years of research involving individuals inside these organisations, and drawing on exclusive interviews with each group's leading figures, Alberto Testa and Gary Armstrong present a fascinating account of the world of the neo-fascist UltraS.
Political corruption has traditionally been presented as a phenomenon characteristic of developing countries, authoritarian regimes, or societies in which the value system favored tacit patrimony and clientelism. Recently, however, the thesis of an inverse correlation between corruption and economic and political development (and therefore democratic "maturity") has been frequently and convincingly challenged. Countries with a long democratic tradition, such as the United States, Belgium, Britain, and Italy, have all experienced a combination of headline-grabbing scandals and smaller-scale cases of misappropriation. In "Corrupt Exchanges," primary research on Italian cases (judicial proceedings, in-depth interviews, parliamentary documents, and press databases), combined with a cross-national comparison based on a secondary analysis of corruption in democratic systems, is used to develop a model to analyze corruption as a network of illegal exchanges. The authors explore in great detail the structure of that network, by examining both the characteristics of the actors who directly engage in the corruption and the resources they exchange. These processes of degeneration have caused a crisis in the dominant paradigm in both academic and political considerations of corruption. The book is organized around the analysis of the resources that are exchanged and of the different actors who take part. Politicians in business, illegal brokers, Mafia members, protected entrepreneurs, and party-appointed bureaucrats exchange resources on the illegal market, altering the institutional system of interactions between the state and the market. In this complex web of exchanges, bonds of trust are established that allow the corrupt exchange to thrive. The book will serve both as a theoretical approach to a political problem of large bearing on democratic institutions and a descriptive warning of a system in peril.
Italy remains an enigma for many observers. Recent Social Trends in Italy, 1960-1995, the sixth volume from the international Comparative Charting of Social Change program, provides a new and convincing schema for its comprehension. It shows that three essential institutions have structured and unified Italian society: the family, the church, and political parties. While the state remains a weak institution, it is important as a regulator of the economy and of society through the welfare state. The book, which contains a long introduction by Alberto Martinelli on the uneven modernization of Italy, shows the usefulness of analysing social change through study of a series of macro-social trends. These trends range from life-style structures to fertility, leisure, consumption, inequality, religion, and family, among others. This sixth national profile provides more arguements in favour of a hypothesis of diversification, rather than convergence, of modern societies. As Henri Mendras writes in the preface of the book, "The more we change, the more we remain ourselves: that is the conclusion of our comparative research, and the Italian study provides further ample proof of it.
This authoritative treatment covers theory, optimal estimation and a range of practical applications. The first book on the subject, and written by leading researchers, this clear and rigorous work presents a comprehensive theory for both the stability boundary and the stability regions of a range of nonlinear dynamical systems including continuous, discrete, complex, two-time-scale and non-hyperbolic systems, illustrated with numerical examples. The authors also propose new concepts of quasi-stability region and of relevant stability regions and their complete characterisations. Optimal schemes for estimating stability regions of general nonlinear dynamical systems are also covered, and finally the authors describe and explain how the theory is applied in applications including direct methods for power system transient stability analysis, nonlinear optimisation for finding a set of high-quality optimal solutions, stabilisation of nonlinear systems, ecosystem dynamics, and immunisation problems.
This intriguing book brings young readers into some of the greatest battles in history. They can walk alongside some of the mightiest armies, ones that shaped the world they know today. They will walk in the shoes of the Roman legionnaire and the Mongol rider, the Christian knight and the Sioux warrior, the Japanese samurai and the Navy SEAL. They will learn about the origin of armies in ancient times and the army of the future. Captivating illustrations bring readers further into this world and offer a unique perspective on history.
In this set of novellas, a few facts are constant. Sergio is a young intellectual, poor and proud of his new membership in the Communist Party. Maurizio is handsome, rich, successful with women, and morally ambiguous. Sergio’s young, sensual lover becomes collateral damage in the struggle between these two men. All three of these unfinished stories, found packed in a suitcase after Alberto Moravia’s death, share this narrative premise. But from there, each story unfolds in a unique way. The first patiently explores the slow unfurling of Sergio’s resentment toward Maurizio. The second reveals the calculated bargain Maurizio offers in exchange for his conversion to Sergio’s beloved Communism. And the third switches dramatically to the first person, laying bare Sergio’s conflicted soul. Anyone interested in literature will relish the opportunity to watch Moravia at work, tinkering with his story and working at it from three unique perspectives.
Connects principles, processes, and experimental techniques with current research in the continuously expanding field of photochemistry and photophysics Photochemistry and Photophysics covers a wide spectrum of concepts in photochemistry and photophysics, introducing principles, processes, and experimental techniques, with a wealth of examples of current applications and research spanning natural photosynthesis, photomedicine, photochromism, luminescent sensors, energy conversion and storage, and sustainability issues. In this Second Edition, several chapters have been revised considerably and others have been almost entirely rewritten. A number of schemes and figures have been added, and the reference list at the end of each chapter has been extended and updated. Clearly structured, the first part of the text discusses the formation, properties, and reactivity of excited states of inorganic and organic molecules and supramolecular species, and the second part focuses on photochemical and photophysical processes in natural and artificial systems. Readers will learn how photochemical and photophysical processes can be exploited for novel, unusual, and unexpected applications. Written by world-renowned experts in the field, Photochemistry and Photophysics includes information on: Formation, electronic structure, properties, chemical reactivity, and radiative and nonradiative decay of electronically excited states Fundamental concepts and theoretical approaches concerning energy transfer and electron transfer Peculiar light absorption/emission spectra and the photochemical properties of the various families of organic molecules and metal complexes Equipment, techniques, procedures, and reference data concerning photochemical and photophysical experiments, including warnings to avoid mistakes and misinterpretations Relationships between photochemical, photophysical, and electrochemical properties of molecules that enable interconversion between light and chemical energy With an appropriate mix of introductory, intermediate, and advanced content, this is an ideal textbook resource for related undergraduate and postgraduate courses. The text is also valuable for scientists already active in photochemical and photophysical research who will find helpful suggestions to undertake novel scientific projects.
Whilst corruption and organized crime have been widely researched, they have not yet been specifically linked to sport. Corruption, Mafia Power and Italian Soccer offers an original insight into this new research area. Adopting a psycho-social approach based mainly on Pierre Bourdieu's praxeology, the book demonstrates that corruption and the mafia presence in Italian soccer reflect the Italian socio-political and economic system itself. Supported by interviews with security agency officials, anticorruption organisations and antimafia organisations, and analysing empirical data obtained from a case study of 'Operation Dirty Soccer', this important study explains why mafia groups are involved in soccer, what the links are to political corruption and what might be done to control the problem. It also examines the mechanisms that make it possible for mafia groups and affiliates to enter the football industry and discusses how mafia groups exploit and corrupt Italian football. This is important reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students, researchers and academics working in the areas of sociology, criminology, policing, anthropology, the sociology of sport, sport deviance, sport management and organised crime. It is also a valuable resource for practitioners in the football industry.
Over a hundred years after the first socialist revolution broke the global monopoly of capitalism, a new class of socialist-oriented socioeconomic development is coming to the fore. Capitalism is still dominant worldwide, although its hegemony is no longer undisputed, and humankind is now faced with a key existential challenge. This book proposes an alternative path to overcoming the worldwide crisis of globalized capitalism. It offers a novel, balanced and historically rooted interpretation of the successes and failures of socialist economic construction throughout the last century. The authors apply a multidisciplinary, holistic and purpose-based methodology to draw basic lessons from stylized facts, emerging in different areas of knowledge, ranging from political economy to biology, and from key national socioeconomic experiences, with a particular focus on China. The book is divided into three parts. The first is mainly theoretical and general in nature, identifying the major contributions bequeathed by the hard sciences to their social counterparts. Consistent with these findings, the authors offer a stylized interpretation of the contemporary state-of-the-art of the debate on the core concepts of economic science and advance a few elementary theories about what socialism in the 21st century could look like. The second and third parts analyze and discusses the core features of a few select experiences, which have evolved in certain countries since 1917, some of which are still unfolding. The book will find an audience among academics, researchers and students in the fields of economics, political science, history, and geography, as well as, policy makers, particularly in developing countries.
San Diego's unique lowrider culture and community has a long history of "low and slow." Cruising the streets from 1950 to 1985, twenty-eight lowrider car clubs made their marks in the San Diego neighborhoods of Logan Heights, Sherman Heights, National City, Old Town, San Ysidro and the adjoining border community of Tijuana, Mexico. Foundational clubs, including the Latin Lowriders, Brown Image and Chicano Brothers, helped transform marginalized youth into lowriders who modified their cars into elegant, stylized lowered vehicles with a strong Chicano influence. Despite being targeted by the police in the 1980s, club members defended their passion and succeeded in building a thriving scene of competitions and shows with a tradition of customization, close community and Chicano pride. Authors Alberto López Pulido and Rigoberto "Rigo" Reyes follow the birth of lowrider culture to the present day.
Since 1984, the year of the publication of its first edition, the famous “Blue Guide” has been the international reference for paediatricians and neuropaediatricians with regard to epileptic syndromes in infants, children and adolescents. This 6th edition reviews some of the most noteworthy developments in the field, particularly in epileptic syndromes, but also focuses on the genetic aspects of the syndromes and their development. Progress brought about by advances in neuroimaging is also discussed in addition to specific etiologies such as parasitic diseases and immune and autoimmune diseases. The different backgrounds of the contributors - coordinators and authors – ensure that the book’s longstanding reputation for objectivity and seriousness, built over almost 35 years, remain well-deserved. This book written by the current leading specialists is recognized worldwide as the international reference in epilepsy.
This volume contains the lectures and seminars presented at the NATO Advanced Study Institute on "Physics of New Laser Sources", the twelfth course of the Europhysics School of Quantum Electronics, held under the supervision of the Quantum Electronics Division of the European Physical Society. The Institute was held at Centro "I Cappuccini" San Miniato, Tuscany, July 11-21, 1984. The Europhysics School of Quantum Electronics was started in 1970 with the aim of providing instruction for young researchers and advanced students already engaged in the area of quantum electronics or for those wishing to switch into this area after working previously in other areas. From the outset, the School has been under the direction of Prof. F. T. Arecchi, then at the University of Pavia, now at the University of Florence, and Dr. D. Roess of Heraeus, Hanau. In 1981, Prof. H. Walther, University of Munich and Max-Planck Institut fur Quantenoptik joined as co-director. Each year the Directors choose a subj~ct of particular interest, alternating fundamental topics with technological ones, and ask colleagues specifically competent in the chosen areas to take the scientific responsibility for that course.
This book is an exploration of the post-New Testament figure of Simon Magus spanning the patristic era, Middle Ages, and the early modern period as found in art, vernacular literatures, heresiologies, theological texts, hagiographies and homilies.
This book argues that narrations of rhetorical performances in late antique literature can be interpreted as a reflection of the ongoing debates of the time. Competition among cultural elites, strategies of self-presentation and the making of religious orthodoxy often took the shape of narrations of rhetorical performances in which comments on the display of oratorical skills also incorporated moral and ethical judgments about the performer. Using texts from late antique authors (in particular, Themistius, Synesius of Cyrene, and Libanius of Antioch), this book proposes that this type of narrative should be understood as a valuable way to decipher the cultural and religious landscape of the fourth century AD. The volume pays particular attention to narrations of deficient rhetorical deliveries, arguing that the accounts of flaws and mistakes in oratorical displays and rhetorical performances reveal how late antique literature echoed the concerns of the time. Criticisms of deficient deliveries in different speaking occasions (declamations, public speeches, oratorical agones, school exercises, sermons) were often disguised as accusations of practising magic, heresy or cultural apostasy. A close reading of the sources shows that these oratorical deficiencies hid struggles over religious, cultural and political issues.
This book provides a comprehensive discussion of the public policy and management issues that are encountered in the regulation of infrastructure and utilities. Drawing from theoretical arguments and several case studies, the book is divided into three parts, namely devising regulation, installing regulation, and making regulation work. The first part covers theories of regulation, regulatory policies, strategies and tools, and regulatory reforms. The second part deals with the politics of regulation and regulatory capacity. The third part discusses regulatory commitment and investments, the performance of regulated industries, and the design of regulatory systems. Case studies pay attention to various sectors (including water, electricity, telecommunications, highways, railways, district heating, and airports) from countries in every region of the world. ; ;
Master the very latest clinical and technical information on the full range of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction techniques. Both inside the remarkably user-friendly printed version of this Expert Consult title and on its fully searchable web site, you'll find detailed coverage of hamstring, allograft and bone-tendon-bone (BTB) ACL reconstruction (including single versus double bundle techniques), and hamstring graft harvesting; plus fixation devices, rehabilitation, revision ACLR surgery, and much more! A "dream team" of ACL surgeons provides the advanced guidance you need to overcome the toughest challenges in this area. A comparison of the full range of graft options for ACL reconstruction makes it easier to choose the best approach for each patient. State-of-the-art information on the latest principles and technical considerations helps you avoid complications. ‘How to' principles of post-op rehabilitation and revision ACL surgery optimize patient outcome. Access to the full contents of the book online enables you to consult it from any computer and perform rapid searches. Also available in an upgradeable premium online version including fully searchable text PLUS timely updates.
San Diego's unique lowrider culture and community has a long history of 'low and slow.' Cruising the streets from 1950 to 1985, twenty-eight lowrider car clubs made their marks in the San Diego neighborhoods of Logan Heights, Sherman Heights, National City, Old Town, San Ysidro and the adjoining border community of Tijuana, Mexico. Foundational clubs, including the Latin Lowriders, Brown Image and Chicano Brothers, helped transform marginalized youth into lowriders who modified their cars into elegant, stylized lowered vehicles with a strong Chicano influence. Despite being targeted by the police in the 1980s, club members defended their passion and succeeded in building a thriving scene of competitions and shows with a tradition of customization, close community and Chicano pride. Authors Alberto Lâopez Pulido and Rigoberto 'Rigo' Reyes follow the birth of lowrider culture to the present day." --
The miniaturization of bulky devices and machines is a process that confronts us on a daily basis. However, nanoscale machines with varied and novel characteristics may also result from the enlargement of extremely small building blocks, namely individual molecules. This bottom-up approach to nanotechnology is already being pursued in information technology, with many other branches about to follow. - Written by a team of experienced authors headed by Vincenzo Balzani, one of the pioneers in the development of molecular machines - Covers such diverse aspects as sensors, memory components, solar energy conversion, biomolecules as molecular machines, and much more - Presented in a lucid style and didactically structured, with both the expert and the newcomer in mind - Includes a glossary of terms and numerous references to the recent literature Be among the first to explore the fascinating possibilities of this future-oriented technology! A must-have for every chemist and materials scientist with an interest in nanotechnology.
This book deals with the in-depth study of sustainability issues in the agri-food sector. In particular, a critical analysis of the current situation was developed and the future prospects of the sector on the issue of managing the environmental variable and the impacts relating to food production and consumption have been analyzed. Furthermore, the state of implementation and best practices relating to the carbon neutrality model in the agri-food sector were analyzed and models for the development of a new food production system were proposed with particular reference to the reduction of emissions, regeneration of natural resources, the elimination of waste and the reuse of production by-products. The main objectives of the book are to analyze the current situation and trends regarding carbon neutrality schemes and the connection with other greening programs, to identify and analyze the carbon-related labels, their methodology and their conformity assessment mechanisms and to understand possible key drivers for carbon neutrality or low carbon achievements in the agri-food sector. Today companies are acting on climate change pressures implementing carbon-neutral strategies for their brands and products. These frontrunner companies have identified a specific competitive advantage and are exploiting it to become the pioneers and the reference model for the carbon neutral implementation. This book will provide detailed and practical insights on how your organization can take positive action and be part of the global response developing a carbon neutral business.
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