Libera!

About: Libera! is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Bellman equation & European union. The organization has 501 authors who have published 571 publications receiving 7962 citations.

Depth image-based plane detection

Abstract: The emerging of depth-camera technology is paving the way for variety of new applications and it is believed that plane detection is one of them. In fact, planes are common in man-made living structures, thus their accurate detection can benefit many visual-based applications. The use of depth data allows detecting planes characterized by complicated pattern and texture, where texture-based plane detection algorithms usually fail. In this paper, we propose a robust Depth Image-based Plane Detection (DIPD) algorithm. The proposed approach starts from the highest planarity seed patch, and uses the estimated equation of the growing plane and a dynamic threshold function to steer the growing process. Aided with this mechanism, each seed patch can grow to its maximum extent, and then next seed patch starts to grow. This process is iteratively repeated so as to detect all the planes. Validated by extensive experiments on three datasets, the proposed DIPD algorithm can achieve 81% correct detection ratio which doubles the value compared with the state-of-the-art algorithms. Meanwhile, the runtime of the proposed algorithm is around 4 times of the fastest RANdom SAmple Consensus (RANSAC). The proposed depth image-based plane detection algorithm can achieve state-of-the-art performance. In terms of applications, it could be used as the pre-processing step for planar object recognition, super-resolution of the intrinsically low resolution Time-of-Flight (ToF) depth images, and variety of other applications.

Entrepreneurial Crowdfunding without Private Claims

Abstract: For a wide class of crowdfunding approaches, we argue that the reward structure (for funders) is closer to that of charitable donations to public goods than it is to traditional entrepreneurial finance. Many features of the design of crowdfunding platforms can therefore be understood as attempts to deal with attendant “free-rider” problems in motivating contributions. Reviewing institutional features of today’s crowdfunding, we clarify that there are often limits in the extent to which tangible rewards can be used to motivate contributions. Drawing on analogies with charitable donations, we theorize that intangible sources of motivation — (i) direct psychological rewards, (ii) reciprocity and (iii) social interactions — can play a role in entrepreneurial crowdfunding. In our detailed empirical analysis of a representative project we find abundant evidence consistent with this characterization and we proceed to discuss implications for platform design and entrepreneurial funding and unique and defining characteristics of crowdfunding.

The Attentional-SNARC effect 16 years later: no automatic space–number association (taking into account finger counting style, imagery vividness, and learning style in 174 participants)

Abstract: The Attentional-SNARC effect (Att-SNARC) originally described by Fischer et al. (Nat Neurosci 6(6):555, 2003), consists of faster RTs to visual targets in the left side of space when these are preceded by small-magnitude Arabic cues at central fixation and by faster RTs to targets in the right side of space when these are preceded by large-magnitude cues. Verifying the consistency and reliability of this effect is important, because the effect would suggest an inherent association between the representation of space and that of number magnitude, while a number of recent studies provided no positive evidence in favour of the Att-SNARC and the inherency of this association (van Dijck et al. in Q J Exp Psychol 67(8):1500-1513, 2014; Zanolie and Pecher in Front Psychol 5:987, 2014; Fattorini et al. in Cortex 73:298-316, 2015; Pinto et al. in Cortex, DOI:10.1016/j.cortex.2017.12.015, 2018). Here, we re-analysed Att-SNARC data that we have collected in 174 participants over different studies run in our laboratory. Most important, in a subsample of 79 participants, we also verified whether the strength and reliability of the Att-SNARC is eventually linked inter-individual variations in finger counting style, imagery vividness, and verbal/visual learning style. We found no evidence for the Att-SNARC effect or for the influence of finger counting style, imagery vividness, and learning style on its direction or consistency. These results confirm no inherent link between orienting of spatial attention and representation of number magnitudes. We propose that this link is rather determined by the joint use of spatial and number magnitude or parity codes in the performance of the numerical task at hand.

Effect of anticardiolipin antibodies on prolactin and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 production by human decidual cells.

Abstract: PROBLEM: The effect of anticardiolipin antibodies (ACAs) on basal- and growth factor-stimulated prolactin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding protein (BP)-l production by cultured human decidual cells was investigated. METHOD OF THE STUDY: Decidual cells were cultured for 24, 48, or 96 hr in medium supplemented with 5% ACA-containing or 5% control serum and increasing concentrations of insulin (1–10 μg/mL) or IGF-I (10–100 ng/mL). RESULTS: No significant increase in prolactin production was observed after addition of increasing doses of insulin and IGF-I in the presence of ACA-containing serum, while a dose-dependent stimulation was seen with control serum. Time-dependent prolactin accumulation was also reduced when cells were cultured in the former conditions. IGF BP-1 release was not affected by insulin and IGF-I in the presence of both sera. However, lower IGF BP-1 levels and a less pronounced time-dependent accumulation were observed in the presence of ACA-positive serum. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that ACAs affect cellular transduction mechanisms regulating critical events, such as decidual cell differentiation. These cellular dysfunctions might be relevant in the induction of some obstetric disorders typical of this syndrome.