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Q: Add custom tokens in Jinja2 (e.g. %% somevar %%) I'm making a Flask app for local development (on a Mac) of HTML templates that will eventually be served through ASP.NET.
For the purposes of local development, I want a way to replace the contents of .NET-style tokens with some data, meaning that Jinja2 would need to be able to recognize %% ... %% tokens in addition to the standard ones: {{ ... }}, <% ... %>, etc.
Everything I've found online pertains to the inclusion of some new functionality within the existing tags (e.g. {{ my_custom_function | arg1 arg2 }})
But what about defining a new pattern for tags altogether? Has anyone done this successfully? And will it require modification to the Jinja2 core?

A: As far as I know, you can use one set for block_start_string and block_end_string, as well as one set for variable_start_string and variable_end_string.
From jinja2/environment.py
`block_start_string`
    The string marking the begin of a block.  Defaults to ``'{%'``.

`block_end_string`
    The string marking the end of a block.  Defaults to ``'%}'``.

`variable_start_string`
    The string marking the begin of a print statement.
    Defaults to ``'{{'``.

`variable_end_string`
    The string marking the end of a print statement.  Defaults to
    ``'}}'``.

You can override these with environment variables.  Though, I don't think there is a way to have multiple types recognized.  For instance, you can't have {{ and <% both work, but with a little hackery you certainly could.

A: In addition to the correct answer maybe an example implementation to change the variable marker:
Add following header to the first line in the jinja2 template file.
#jinja2:  variable_start_string: "#{" , variable_end_string: "}#"


Apple, M., Tiekotter, K., Snow, M., Young, J., Soeldner, A., Phillips, D., Tingey, D., Bond, B. 2002. Needle anatomy changes with increasing tree age in Douglas fir. Tree Physiology 22: 129-136.
Toledo, G., Bashan, Y. and Soeldner, A. 1995. Cyanobacteria and black mangroves in Northwestern Mexico: colonization, and diurnal and seasonal nitrogen fixation on aerial roots. Canadian Journal of Microbiology 41: 999-1011.
Toledo, G., Bashan, Y. and Soeldner, A. 1995. In vitro colonization and increase in nitrogen fixation of seedling roots of black mangrove inoculated by a filamentous cyanobacteria. Canadian Journal of Microbiology 41: 1012-1020.
Holmes, Z.A. and A.H. Soeldner. 1986. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy of turkey pectoral muscle roasted at varying oven and selected endpoint temperatures. Poultry Science 65: 1987-1989.
Brown, C., Z.A. Holmes, and A.H. Soeldner. 1981. Characteristics of a cream of cheese with bacon frozen soup concentrate. Oregon Agriculture Experiment Station Technical Paper No. 5267. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 79(2):154-158.
Soeldner, A. 1998. Uranium Is The Issue. Microscopy Today 98-9:24-25.
Soeldner, A. 1995. In Praise of the Hour. Microscopy Today 95-7:8.
Soeldner, A. 1995. What is it you want from us? Microscopy Today 95-8:10.
Soeldner, A. 1995. Staying Alive. Microscopy Today 95-9:6-7.
Soeldner, A.H. 1986. Scientific Instrument Laboratory Management. Norelco Reporter 32(2EM) December 1985. pp. 54-56.
Rawers, J.C., W.D. McMullen, and A.H. Soeldner. 1979. Fracture Features of ZIRCALOY--4. ASTM Symposium, Fractography in Materials Science, Williamsburg, VA, 25-30 November 1979.
Allen, T.C., A.N. Roberts, and A.H. Soeldner. 1974. Lily pollen patterns. The Lily Yearbook 27:94-95.
Machaffie, R.A., A.H. Soeldner, and C.H. Wang, C.H. 1969. A radio�respirometric and autoradiographic study of glucose, DNA, and RNA metabolism of healthy and diseased lymphocytes. Norelco Reporter 16(1):20-24.


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Northern Michigan orchards produce millions of apples each year
By Michael D. Clem	 Last updated Oct 9, 2021
Honeycrisp. Gala. Royal Cortland. Michigan's bountiful, rolling farmland is filled with apples of all varieties.
With a cooler climate, proximity to lakes, and nutrient-rich soil, generations of farmers have found this to be a great place to grow quality, flavorful apples.
More than 14.9 million apple trees spanning 34,500 acres make the Great Lakes state the country's third-largest apple producer, according to the Michigan Apple Committee, a commodity group formed in 1939 to represent apple growers in the country. Michigan.
Grown primarily north of Grand Rapids, the apple crop is one of the state's most profitable fruit crops. The harvest begins in August and ends in October of each year.
This season, the state expects to harvest 18.25 million bushels of apples (766.5 million pounds); a smaller harvest than usual due to freezing temperatures in April which damaged some flowers, as reported by the Detroit Free Press.
There are 775 family farms in Michigan that grow apples, many of which have carried on the tradition over generations.
Closest to the Upper Peninsula, the northernmost orchard is the Golden River Orchard at Cheboygan, a first-generation family farm established in 2002.
Reporting a "much smaller" apple harvest this year due to spring frosts, Golden River offers 12 varieties, including Early Harvest Zestar, Paula Red and Ginger Gold.
The orchard is verified by the Michigan Agricultural Environmental Insurance Program for engaging in sustainable cultivation practices.
With 1,000 trees on 50 acres of land, a little further southwest is Uncle Frank's Apple Town in Emmet-Brutus County, owned by Frank Gotts. Fresh, unpasteurized apple cider is a big seller here.
Asked about his harvest, Gotts said, "It wasn't a good year for apples," also referring to the spring frost.
In order to meet his demand for fresh apple cider, Gotts said he was fortunate enough to purchase apples from other vendors nearby, such as Golden River.
"We not only use our orchard, but we also use a few other orchards in the area to help us supply our apples," he said.
The most popular seller is Honeycrisp, according to Gotts. He also grows Zestar, Liberty, Gala and Royal Cortland varieties on his land as well as other older and lesser-known varieties.
"We have trees over 100 years old that grow Wolf River and Transparency," Gotts said.
Royal Farms, owned by Pat and Sara McGuire, owns 1,000 acres of land south of Charlevoix which mainly cultivates fruits, mainly apples and cherries, but also grapes and peaches. They wholesale their apples to others across the state.
"Our apples are widely distributed throughout Michigan," said Sara.
The McGuire's have owned the farm since the mid-1990s and over the past decade has focused, among other things, on hard apple ciders.
"It's really helpful to be able to put our fruit in a shelf-stable form," said Sara, comparing perishable fruit to the longer shelf life of a cider bottle.
"As a fruit grower you have a very small window of opportunity to sell your product and generate income, but when placed in a more stable product it expands that window," she said. .
Also recognizing Honeycrisp as the top seller, Royal Farms often uses the sweet variety.
"We use our Honeycrisp apples in a whole bunch of our products," said Sara, describing the dumplings, pies and caramelized apples.
For the production of cider, a mixture of apples is used to achieve the right flavor profile.
"We are always looking for the right combination," said Sara. Each batch is mixed to taste and depending on what is available. At this point in the season, we're probably mixing an Empire and a Gala. "
For hard cider, they also use a variety of very old apples that wouldn't be tasty to eat on their own, according to Sara.
Although it's a smaller crop this year, the fruit looks good and there is plenty to enjoy, Diane Smith, executive director of the Michigan Apple Committee, said in a press release.
Smaller harvests can also often indicate a larger harvest for the following year.
"When apple trees produce a smaller crop, the energy is stored and directed to producing the next crop," Smith said. "The industry is hopeful that we will see a bigger harvest next year. "
For a full list of apple orchards in northern Michigan, 20 in total, visit www.michiganapples.com/Where-to-Find/Farm-Markets.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Black People & Cryptocurrency
Supporting Blockchain Startups & Education in the Global Black Community
BPC Team
About BPC
Black People & Cryptocurrency (BPC) launched as a Facebook discussion group to teach and share media stories rooted in Bitcoin's technology in September 2017. Quickly, the network became a support group and advocate for Black-led startup founders in the Bitcoin/crypto/blockchain sector by producing live streams and print news stories of the progress and plans of those ventures. Moreover, BPC began teaching the basics of decentralized technologies and how they interact with AI (artificial intelligence), IoT (internet of things), and centralized/quasi-centralized technology with college students and adult learners.
BPC Appearances
Black People & Cryptocurrency has produced and/or participated in external panel presentations. Some include the following:
Black Blockchain Summit: 2018 (panelist), 2019 (keynote), & 2020 (moderator & panelist).
ReImagine 2020 (May): Produced two panels: Blockchain Gaming & Blockchain Energy.
TasteMakers' Africa: August and October 2020: General Panel & NFT in the Art World
Hip Hop Tech Con 2020: November 2020: General panel presentation.
More information can be found on the Black People & Cryptocurrency Facebook Page.
In an effort to draw more HBCU students into the blockchain world, BPC serves as an Ambassador to Mousebelt University. Mousebelt is the first blockchain accelerator in the U.S. that also maintains online classes, mentorship, and other resources for university students through its university component.
In September 2019, Black People & Cryptocurrency released the BPC Black on the Blockchain List at the 2019 Black Blockchain Summit at Howard University in Washington, DC. The following month, the list was released to the public. The list contains more than 70 Black startup founders and a total of more than 200 Black people from all parts of the world involved in the sector. It is a dynamic Google document that is maintained by BPC admins. The goal is to allow people to find Black people leading and with experience in the crypto and blockchain space. It is an unvetted list based on what individuals have posted publically online.
Black People & Cryptocurrency Facebook Group
Our most active area remains the Black People & Cryptocurrency Facebook Group. We have more than 10k members there discussing all aspects of the industry. BPC was the first publically searchable Black-focused group focused on Bitcoin/crypto/blockchain on Facebook. We also have a Facebook page. Our focus is on education and media within the sector.
BPC News
You can find articles and video media we have produced on Black founders and professionals in the blockchain sector in various locations:
"Why Facebook's Libra Is Not A Good Investment for African American Investors," Black Enterprise. July 1, 2019. Op-Ed. Edwardo Jackson, BPC Admin.
"Inside Pitch: Black Blockchain Founders Evaluate The Pitch Deck Field," Medium. November 27, 2019. Feature.
"Power to the People: Energy on the Blockchain," ReImagine 2020 (May – premiere series). Live Stream archive featuring Melanin Solar, Conduit, and KWHCoin.
"How Black Video-Game Makers Are Sharing Revenue & Creative Control With Players on The Blockchain," Moguldom. June 4, 2020. Feature. Deidra R. McIntrye, BPC Admin.
In 2021, BPC is working on more educational programs and media featuring and supporting Black startup founders in the decentralized/crypto/blockchain sector.


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Cambridge Country Park Expands
People in Cambridge can now enjoy an extra 30 acres of wonderful countryside. An opening event took place on 26 May 2022 for two new expansions to Wandlebury Country Park, which is owned and cared for by local charity Cambridge Past, Present & Future.
One of the new areas is called The Gallops and was used for training racehorses when Wandlebury was a stables during the 1800s. It is a lovely meadow with a new viewing area which has a wonderful vista over Cambridge.
The other area is 25 acres which was previously farmland. Over winter, volunteers planted 2,000 trees and the remaining land is being cultivated to be sown with a meadow seed mix to create rare chalk grassland, which is a priority habitat for nature conservation. A new path has been created around this area so that visitors can enjoy the views and watch nature colonise the new habitat. This area doesn't yet have a name and Cambridge Past, Present & Future is offering donors the opportunity to help name it.
Ros Aveling, Chair of the charity, is delighted to be expanding the park:
Thanks to generous supporters and the hard work of our team, this wonderful countryside is now open for the public to enjoy. What is also great, is that this project is helping to restore nature, absorb carbon and improve our environment, not just for us but for future generations. This is part of our collaborative effort to deliver the Cambridge Nature Network, which is a large-scale initiative to enable nature to recover in the Cambridge area.
Writer, Robert Macfarlane, helped to support the project and cut the ribbon at the opening
Wandlebury is a wonder: a place where the city comes to breathe. It's thrilling to see it grow; two new areas of land opened for people and nature now and in the future.
The new land was purchased by the charity thanks to support from donors and supporters and the work to improve the habitats has been supported by grants for the Cambridge Nature Network from the government's Green Recovery Fund and Natural England's Nature Recovery Programme.
The new areas of land are shown on the diagram below:
Author: James Littlewood
Published: 10th May, 2018
Location: ,,
Target amount: £0.00
Amount raised: £75,664.50
Choose CPPF as your local Co-op cause
Help us raise funds to care for woodland by choosing us as your local Co-op cause
Country Park launches off-road mobility scooter
A new mobility scooter is available for people to explore Wandlebury Country Park. The scooter is available free for anyone who wants to enjoy the park but might need some help to do so.
Get all our latest news and events every month
Lost Meadows Opened
Six acres of beautiful meadow are opened to the public at Coton Countryside Reserve. Project is helping to deliver the Cambridge Nature Network, which is a large-scale initiative to enable nature to recover in the Cambridge area.
Famous architect backs efforts to save UK's oldest windmill
Bourn Mill can be saved from collapse - can you help us raise the final £10,000 needed to restore the building and open it to the public again?
We are taking part in Weston Communicating Climate
We will receive 6 months of funded training to help us to improve how we communicate our environmental and climate work.
Nature Recovery gets underway in and around Cambridge
Nature in Cambridge has received a boost thanks to a grant award from Natural England's Nature Recovery Programme. The grant is to support the delivery of the Cambridge Nature Network and will pay for 18 projects that will increase biodiversity.
Annual General Meeting Update 2021
Watch a new short film about what Cambridge Past, Present & Future achieved in 2020-21
Our achievements in 2021
Watch a short film about what Cambridge Past, Present & Future achieved over the last year
A Green Recovery for Cambridge
Nature in Cambridge has received a boost thanks to a grant award of £248,300 from the Green Recovery Challenge Fund. The grant is to start the delivery of a Cambridge Nature Network which was launched in May.


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Coal »
Annastacia Palaszczuk
Adani Enterprises
Adani has to pay royalties in full for coal mine - Australia state premier
Ministers from the centre-left state government made the decision on Friday, putting an end to speculation that the Indian company would be offered concessions on royalties during the early years of coal production.Reuters | May 27, 2017, 15:05 IST
SYDNEY: Adani Enterprises will get no exemption or discounted rates on royalties it has to pay to develop its Carmichael coal mine project in Australia, Queensland state Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Saturday.
Ministers from the centre-left state government made the decision on Friday, putting an end to speculation that the Indian company would be offered concessions on royalties during the early years of coal production.
"Under this new policy, the Adani Carmichael mine will pay every cent of royalties in full," Palaszczuk said in a statement on Saturday.
"There will be no royalty holiday for the Adani Carmichael mine."
Adani said this week its board had deferred a final investment decision that had been expected by the end of May because the government had yet to sign off on a royalty regime.
Adani could not be immediately reached for comment on the Queensland government's announcement.
Deputy Premier Jackie Trad said Adani would be allowed to defer payment of royalties provided interest was paid and a security of payment was in place.
The state government ruled out the use of public money to subsidise the controversial project or any directly associated infrastructure.
Adani has battled green groups over the past six years looking to block what would be Australia's biggest coal mine. Opponents have argued the coal exports would stoke global warming and that the project would require a port expansion that could damage the Great Barrier Reef.
The port expansion is no longer needed as the company has shrunk the first phase of the mine to 25 million tonnes from 40 million tonnes a year, as it looks to make the mine and rail project more affordable at around $4 billion, instead of more than $10 billion.
Tags : Coal, Queensland, Carmichael, Australia, Annastacia Palaszczuk, Adani Enterprises
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Exporters importers of jam worldwide market is increasing day by day. The first recipe for jam appears in the first known cookbook: De Re Coquinaria (The Art of Cooking) which dates from the 1st century AD. In its simplest form, it is soft fruit heat with sugar (or honey, in this case) and cool, then store. Hence, come the crusades, warriors brought back more complex concoctions from the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Louis XIV was so passionate about it that he insist that every meal be finish with jams served in special ornate silver dishes. All of his was made from the fruit gardens at Versailles – and as they included tropical varieties like pineapple there must have been some interesting flavours indeed.
Jam's popularity as a delicacy – rather than just a way to eat fruit. Joan of Arc ate quince jam before going into battle as it fill her with courage. Nostradamus love the stuff so much he wrote an entire treatise on it. Sailors and pirates stockpile jam on board their ships. Hence,as it became clear that Vitamin C prevented scurvy.
As a result, 1,631 tons of preserves were made in more than 5,000 'preservation centres' in farm kitchens, village halls or sheds. They were largely made by volunteers, under the guidance of the Ministry of Health. 5,300 tons of fruit were preserved between 1940 and 1945.
The most glamorous jam is apricot, stalwart of Paris hotels and French delis. Fig jam is exciting but basically pointless: figs need their fresh odd muskiness, and don't work when reduce to one top-note flavour. Blackberry is a damn fine staple, better on crumpets than scones. Raspberry is the connoisseur's choice, particularly when it's slightly bitter, more like a low-sugar compote than a true jam. Whatever flavour, it's all fabulous, needless, sticky, delicious fun.
Jams, jellies, marmalade, and preserves are all cooked mixtures of fruit, fruit juices, sugar, and sometimes pectin. (Some fruits contain enough natural pectin to thicken on their own. The difference is that some of these spreads have pieces of fruit in them, while others do not. Jelly is a clear spread made from fruit juice, sugar, and sometimes pectin. Jams from Jammamalade is best in taste and quality.
Widely use to spread on bread or to fill cakes and cookies Its tender texture is firm enough to hold its shape when released from its container.


This project belongs to the ARA SETIN programme.
How can we build executable formal models of those complex systems, rich enough to be used as virtual prototypes?
What does it mean to validate properties formally on these models?
Since automatic implementation techniques from high-level models to effective software and hardware solutions usually do not exist yet (and will not exist soon), how can we compare a high-level reference model and a running implementation that is developed independently?
How can we express and validate non-functional properties of complex embedded systems on their high-level models, with some guarantee that these evaluations are realistic for the final running system?
Extraction of rich executable formal models from non-formally defined prototyping languages like SystemC, Java, etc.
A global picture of virtual prototyping, from the formal point of view. We should define a global framework allowing to assemble several components that model the parts of a complex system (hardware, software, OS, ...). The semantics of the assemblage will take both functional and on functional aspects into account. We should also define a unified form of an individual component model for functional and non functional aspects, adequate for representing hardware pieces, but also the details of a piece of software, or some abstraction of the physical environment. Finally, we should define a ``more precise'' relationship on those individual components, to be able to deal with abstractions. The components and their assemblages witll be executable.
Tools for the extraction of formal models from engineering languages, and for the automatic abstraction of these models.
And, more generally, the progress of our knowledge on common problems and solutions, from various industrial application domains.
On the industrial side, although we do not aim at providing directly usable results, the objectives of this project are inspired by industrial case studies. The generic and fundamental results we will develop in this project will then become a good starting point for more applied research work.


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Don't forget: MoDOT closing both directions of I-70 between I-435 and I-470 this weekend
Posted 6:30 am, September 5, 2019, by Makenzie Koch
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — This is a construction shutdown you're not going to want to forget: A 7-mile stretch of I-70 is getting shut down this weekend.
The Missouri Department of Transportation is closing both directions of I-70 between I-435 and I-470/Highway 291. The closure will also include all ramps to and from I-70.
The closure begins at 9 p.m. this Friday, Sept. 6 and continues until 5 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 9.
I-70 will be reduced to one lane in each direction beginning at 7 p.m. Friday night until the full closure at 9 p.m. Ramps to and from the interstate will close at about 8 p.m.
So if your weekend plans take you along I-70 in central Jackson County, make sure you know a detour. MoDOT is encouraging drivers to use I-470 as a route around the roadwork.
MoDOT expects this closure to have major impacts on traffic over the weekend. They're urging drivers to plan ahead and leave early.
The shutdown will allow crews to demolish the ramps from southbound I-435 to eastbound I-70 and northbound I-435 to westbound I-70.
Those ramps will close early — at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5 — and will remain closed until spring 2020.
It's all part of MoDOT's major project to change the interchange configuration to a "partial turbine design." The new system will get rid of left exits, improve the loop ramps, ease congestion and reduce crashes, MoDOT says.
Although most of the work will focus on the I-435 interchange, MoDOT said crews will also be doing lighting, median, drainage and pavement repairs along the 7-mile stretch of I-70.
MoDOT to shut down more than a dozen ramps this weekend near downtown KC loop
Heading to Arrowhead? Here's what you need to know for the Chiefs-Titans AFC title game
Road crews planning to fill potholes on I-435 in Johnson County
Everything you need to know if you're heading to Arrowhead for the Chiefs-Texans game
I-70 closed in western Kansas due to winter storm
Two killed, two hurt in head-on collision on Raytown Road at I-470
MoDOT warns hazardous road conditions around Chiefs game ahead of Sunday winter storm
Eastbound I-70 back open near Arrowhead following death investigation
Ride along as KDOT crews work 12-hour shifts to clear snowy metro roadways
Family pleads for stoplight after two serious crashes a day apart on Lee's Summit highway
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Up of vacation? Out of a number of tourists' places, one to be given preference is Malaysia. Malaysia is not doubt a country with rich cultural heritage and it is known for many varied tourist's attractions. The culture is a blend of Malaysian and European influence and the city is worth a visit. Many a time people are puzzled over what to see and where to go in Malaysia. This piece of article will tell you the most desirable places to visit in Malaysia. Stay Tuned!!
If you are flying to Malaysia, it is likely that your will land at the KL airport and it is desired that you kick start your expedition from here. Kuala Lumpur is a beautiful city and is famous for its tall Petronas Towers, Perdana Gardens Lake, the Menara KL tower, the Islamic museum of arts and many more. KL showcases a mix of Malay, European and Chinese culture and it is great to witness the blend altogether at one place.
The Malay people are too proud of their Penang Island as it is one of the most beautiful places to visit in the country. It has a colonial town named Georgetown which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is popular for its street foods, museums, forts, and historic homes. Penang is Southeast Asia's famous island for its incredible street foods.
If you wish to experience the raw life away from the routine hustle bustle then Borneo is the ideal place for you. You can spend endless time in the azure water, enjoy the water sports and witness the beautiful corals of the sea. At the other side of the island there are beautiful family resorts to stay in.
In the year 2008, this place was declared as the UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is popular for historical, cultural and colonial sites. It is locally named as 'Meleka' and visitors never get disappointed with the place. Even if history is not your cup of tea, the soothing winds and calm environment is sufficient to keep you hooked here for a few days.
The meaning of Taman Negara is Malay is a National Park and this is what is it. It is an amazing National Park with good bio-diversity and it is also one of the oldest rainforest of the world. Once you are here, you get a chance to go for a canopy walk which will let you witness the life of the trees which is not visible from the grounds. Apart from this, you can enjoy waterfalls, trekking, bird watching, fishing, rafting and an eye catching view of the elephants.
This island is located off the west coast of the country and it is one of the top destinations in Malaysia. This island is well-connected by air and ferry to the main land and hence it becomes easier for people to take it up as a place for vacation. Langkawi will provide an exciting opportunity to experience backwaters ride in the serene waters which you usually must have just fantasised. You can also visit the beautiful indoor aquarium and the amazing Pregnant Maiden Lake.
Selangor is one of the busiest and developed states of the country. You can find the Formula one race track, a zoo, local markets, sprawling shopping centres and many more.
This is a comprehensive list of places compiled specially for your reference. There are still many other worthwhile places in Malaysia to make your vacation the most memorable and cherishable.
Be the first to comment on "Choose Malaysia As Your Next Travel Destination"


(2) Ensure that judicial officers who hear these matters are experienced or have received training in substantive and technical issues involving trusts (including special needs trusts).
Standard 7.10 amended and renumbered effective January 1, 2007; adopted as sec. 40 effective January 1, 2005.


The work of building custom bicycles is a lot like that of a bespoke suit tailor, even if we associate it with welding and metal work. The crucial part is still, as it is for the tailor, the measuring and the communication with the customer. It's the hard work of getting the right fit.
When Thomas Callahan of Horse Cycles builds a bicycle for someone, he measures their arms, their legs, their height and talks with them about their riding style and how they'll use the bike. And then of course about what they want it to look like; the paint job. He then takes all this and turns it into a rolling work of art and a prized possession.
Which is clear. Each Horse cycle receives a stunning paint job. Callahan has a background in fine arts and his knowledge of color theory comes through in each frame.
In his Brooklyn shop, Callahan has been cranking out custom bikes for the last seven years. He has one employee who works part time as well. It's hard to say exactly how long a bike takes to build, because he's always working on so many at a time, but it's about four weeks.
Horse Cycles uses U.S. and Italian-made steel for their frames. Steel provides pretty much the most comfortable ride for a city-ridden bike because it gives more than aluminum (aluminum snaps, steel bends). Combine this with its incredible durability and you've got a frame that can take a beating in urban riding conditions and last a lifetime as well.
At the shop there's a pretty constant flow of friends and customers who come to hang out with Callahan. And there's a shop cat - Charles - that sort of rules the roost.
Callahan is working on expanding beyond bicycles. He's partnered with a few other local brands like Mer Bags to offer soft goods. He's building a motorcycle and has been rehabbing old hatchets as well. Horse is also partnering with a national brand to build production (non-custom) bikes.
But building custom bikes will always be at the core of the Horse empire.
You can find Horse Cycles on Instagram and Facebook.


Before I started using these Shoot-N-C targets, I really couldn't tell if my groupings (using plain paper tagets at the range) were getting any closer or not. These targets made all the difference. As soon as the shot hits, you can clearly see the bright color appear on the black target. The results are amazing!!! My groupings improved 200% immediately. These are a must-have if you are a perfectionist like me and want the most out of your practice time. - L. P.


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How to get out of a reading slump
I seem to have reached a slump in my reading at the moment. Even books I wanted to read, and was looking forward to, just didn't do it for me. Whenever that happens, I have to shake myself out of it. I read what I call "popcorn books", something light and fluffy. Or I do the complete opposite. I start to read non-fiction that makes me think and ponder things. Right now, it seems that biographies are the books that are calling to me. Maybe these titles might appeal to you.
People are raving about the book The Fault of Our Stars by John Green and the film based on it. What people may not realize is both were inspired by a real person. This Star Won't Go Out is the life and words of Esther Earl. John Green initially met Esther Earl, a young girl with thyroid cancer, at a Harry Potter convention. Green had been working for years on a book about kids with cancer at the time of the meeting. While he realized Esther had cancer he did not want to pry or make his friendship with Esther a research project. Green is often asked if the main character of his novel is based on Esther. He has replied "I've said many times that The Fault in Our Stars, while dedicated to Esther, is not about her…. Esther inspired the story in the sense that my anger after her death pushed me to write constantly…but the character of Hazel is very different from Esther, and Hazel's story is not Esther's". He has also stated "…I wish she'd read The Fault of Our Stars….but the person I most wanted to read it never will." I have read both books and admit that there were parts in both that made me laugh, cry and reflected upon. Esther's book is not just her journal and thoughts and drawings. It includes articles written by John Green, as well as, her parents, friends and doctors. Yet it is Esther's words that shine through. There were times that I had a hard time believing that it was young girl who wrote the words. But illness can bring wisdom to a person no matter their age. Her parents, Lori and Wayne, are founders of the nonprofit organization This Star Won't Go out (tswgo.org). The name came from the meaning of the name Esther, which means star. Its goal is to provide financial assistance to families with children living with cancer. To date they have given away more than $130,000. The publishers of Esther's book, Dutton, have donated funds to this charity.
Now in its second season, the television show Orange is the New Black is based on Piper Kerman's #1 New York Times bestselling biography of the same name. Like all things for the big or small screen, there are differences between the two. I read the book before seeing the series and won't go into the differences between the two but for me The facts from the book are more interesting than the drama created for the screen. Kerman was a spoiled young woman who recklessly threw her freedom away due to bad judgment in a love relationship. Piper delivered a suitcase of drug money for her girlfriend 10 years before the book takes place. She is convicted and sentenced to 15 months in Danbury Correctional facility. Despite being a well-heeled Smith College graduate she now is known as inmate # 11187-424. In prison, she meets women from all walks of life. She enters a world with arbitrary rules by the inmates and the strictly enforced rules of the penal system. I admit that I got a bit impatient with Piper. She had a huge support system outside the prison that sent her books and other goods. The privileged anger at "mistreatment" sometimes made me shout at the book "Oh, grow up! Where do you think you are !?" The other prisoners I felt more sympathy for. I was surprised by the generosity they showed to Piper and each other. I do not believe that it is a typical prison memoir but perhaps it is typical for minimum security prisons. I hope I never have to personally find out.
After those books I felt I needed a change of pace. It came in the form of PaperBoy : a memoir of 70s Belfast. On the cover of the book it states"parallel trousers, Brut aftershave and a Burnt Jimmy Joe'. This reminded me of the boys in my junior high class, except some of them were wearing Hia Karate! There are those who will question my taste of books, especially if I am trying to get away from serious books. After all, Ireland during "the troubles" was not exactly the best place on earth. But Tony Macaulay manages to write a very funny book about this time in his life. I admit that I first picked up this book to recommending it to someone but ended up reading it first. Macaulay was raised at the top of Shankill Road in Belfast, during the heart of the conflict between the Loyalists and Republicans. His memoir balances Northern Ireland's turbulent history with entertaining insights, wit and humour. Quite frankly, when I think of growing up in the 70's it was a weird time. This decade started with peace and love and ended up with anarchy of punk music. At the age of 12, Macaulay got a job as a paperboy for The Belfast Telegram, even though he was too young. And come rain or shine – or bombs or mortar – it was his job to deliver the papers. Even with all the political chaos around him, Macaulay lived in the world of Doctor Who, the Bay City Rollers, Top of the Pops, and fish suppers. His battles were against acne, the dentist, bullies who try to rob him of his paper money and his attempts to get Sharon Burgess' attention. His parents were a huge influence in his childhood and his adult life. They were volunteer youth leaders who worked to keep children off the streets and safe during the height of the violence. Macaulay has spent the last 28 years working to building peace and reconciliation at home and abroad. His memoir will charm you and have you laughing out loud and, if you are of a certain age bring back your own memories of the time.
So these are the biographies that pulled me out of my reading slump. Remember, your local librarians will be able to suggest something for you, if you ever get that way. Happy reading!
Labels: bestsellers, biography and memoir, staff picks, young adult novels


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Home | Sports | Kumble, Azhar remember "father figure" Wadekar; "big influence", says Tendulkar
Kumble, Azhar remember "father figure" Wadekar; "big influence", says Tendulkar
A beleagured captain and a struggling leg-spinner got a new lease of life under his managership and no wonder former India captains Mohammed Azharuddin and Anil Kumble found a "father figure" in Ajit Wadekar, during their glory days in international cricket.
For Sachin Tendulkar, he was a "big influence" as maestro's career changed once he started opening the batting in ODIs.
Wadekar, 77, passed away in Mumbai after prolonged illness.
"Deeply saddened to hear about the demise of Ajit Wadekar Sir. He was someone who was instrumental in bringing out the best in us during the 90s. We'll always be grateful for his advice and guidance. Praying for strength for his family during this difficult time," Tendulkar wrote on his official twitter page.
It was under Wadekar that Azharuddin, who was till then struggling captain, having lost Test series in New Zealand, England and Australia, got a second wind under him from 1993 to 1996. "such an iconic person..deeply saddened by his demise!! Sir was a father figure for me.. May his soul rest in peace! My Heartfelt Condolences to the family," Azharuddin wrote on his twitter page.
For Kumble, Wadekar was Godsend after getting dropped post 1990 tour of England. His comeback coincided with Wadekar's entry as manager during the 1992-93 tour of South Africa. He was never dropped during the next 16 years till his retirement in 2008. "Deeply saddened by the passing away of #AjitWadekar He was more than a coach to the entire team - a father figure and a shrewd tactician. My heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones. He will be missed. Thank you Sir for the confidence shown in my ability!" wrote Kumble.
For Sanjay Manjrekar, Wadekar was a "tough character" as coach. In fact, Majrekar had tweeted a video of Wadekar in cricket gears one last time during a charity match at the Shivaji Park Gymkhana in Mumbai. "Ajit Wadekar's impact on Indian cricket is immense. His contemporaries worshipped him, such was his aura. Found him to be a tough character as coach. Exceptional Indian cricketer... RIP Sir."
The legendary Bishan Singh Bedi was magnanimous in his praise even though he conceded that they had differences of opinion on cricketing issues. "V sad news-Ajit Wadekar passing away-only Indn Capt to win 3 series in a row-2 away 1 at home-ALW was good contemporary-we had differences of (sic) opinion but always respected glory of (sic) Crkt-fine batsman & great close in catch-served Indn Crkt w/aplomb as player/Selectr/Coach-RIP Jeetu!"
Lords Test: England beat India by an innings & 159 runs, lead series 2-0
Jakarta Palembang 2018 begins; Hopeful India eye Asiad glory
Injured Bhuvneshwar Kumar may miss the ODI series against West Indies
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar met PM of Nepal K.P. Sharma Oli in Kathmandu
India win Final T20 International at Nagpur
India wins Pune Test by an innings and 137 runs
Cricket: Malinga takes double hat-trick in final T20 against New Zealand


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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UPDATED: Iowa State Fair Grandstand performances, ticket sales and revenues
The Iowa State Fair books wide array of performers to appear nightly at its Grandstand. Some performers sell out; others not so much. The following shows the number of tickets sold, gross receipts and other financial information for each of the Grandstand performances from 2004 through 2017.
Source: Iowa State Auditor
Number of tickets sold
Gross ticket receipts
Performers' share
State fair's share
2006 Trace Adkins with Chris Cagle 7,072 $176,800 $98,530 $78,270
2009 Shinedown and Rev Theory 5,787 $156,249 $95,062 $61,187
2012 TobyMac with Tenth Avenue North and Jamie Grace 5,514 $176,448 $93,231 $83,217
2009 Steven Curtis Chapman and Jeremy Camp 5,571 $150,417 $93,104 $57,313
2010 Mercy Me & Newsboys 5,671 $158,788 $92,470 $66,318
2006 Rock 'N' Roll Reunion XXVII 5,237 $130,925 $91,750 $39,175
2009 Bret Michaels with Jackyl 2,442 $75,876 $90,000 $-14,124
2010 Boys Like Girls with We The Kings 2,932 $73,300 $90,000 $-16,700
2008 Tracey Lawrence and Blake Shelton 5,378 $150,584 $88,246 $62,338
2017 For King & Country 4,469 $163,605 $85,814 $77,791
2004 Montgomery Gentry and Gary Allan 5,803 $145,075 $85,064 $60,011
2005 Rock 'N' Roll Reunion XXVI 4,815 $120,375 $85,000 $35,375
2007 Rock 'N' Roll Reunion XXVIII 3,267 $91,476 $84,500 $6,976
2008 Michael W. Smith with Natalie Grant and Matthew West 5,773 $144,325 $83,926 $60,399
2005 Hoobastank and Donnas 2,328 $65,184 $82,700 $-17,516
2007 Corbin Bleu, Drake Bell & Jordan Pruitt 5,067 $126,675 $82,500 $44,175
2008 Charlie Daniels Band, 38 Special and Shooter Jennings 3,528 $112,896 $80,000 $32,896
2014 Newsboys with Matthew West 5,472 $164,160 $75,536 $88,624
2007 Switchfoot with Cartell 2,887 $80,836 $75,000 $5,836
2008 Foreigner with Night Ranger 4,556 $113,900 $72,500 $41,400
2004 Rock 'N' Roll Reunion XXV 7,342 $183,550 $72,500 $111,050
2009 Peter Frampton with Gin Blossoms 3,291 $101,592 $71,500 $30,092
2005 Garrison Keillor 7,482 $134,676 $70,975 $63,701
2008 The Rhubarb Tour with Garrison Keillor 5,277 $131,925 $70,886 $61,039
2006 George Jones with Craig Morgan 4,514 $99,308 $70,000 $29,308
2006 Smashmouth with Bowling for Soup 3,031 $60,620 $70,000 $-9,380
2017 Tractor and Truck Pull 4,074 $102,620 $66,900 $35,720
2009 Gary Allan and Chuck Wicks 4,751 $152,032 $66,352 $85,680
2015 Grand Outlaw National Tracktor/Truck Pull 5,646 $116,550 $65,300 $51,250


text:
Tuesday, Sep 27, 2022 - 05:18 AM
Leivo scores twice, Greiss and Ellis combine for shutout as Blues beat Stars 4-0
written by Bally Sports Midwest Staff
Sep 26, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; St. Louis Blues center Logan Brown (22) and left wing Nathan Walker (26) celebrate with left wing Josh Leivo (17) after Leivo scores a goal against the Dallas Stars during the first period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Josh Leivo scored two goals and Thomas Greiss and Colten Ellis combined for a shutout as the St. Louis Blues defeated the Dallas Stars 4-0 in a preseason matchup on Tuesday night at the American Airlines Center.
Leivo, a 29-year-old journeyman who joined the Blues on a one-year, one-way deal this offseason, added an assist and led the team with seven shots. Logan Brown and Will Bitten also scored for the Blues.
Brown, who assisted on Leivo's first goal, has four points through two preseason games.
Blues' Leivo picking up 'right where I left off' after standout AHL season
Greiss, the 36-year-old veteran who signed a one-year deal to replace Ville Husso as part of the Blues' goalie tandem, played the first period and stopped all 10 shots that he faced. Ellis, a 21-year-old prospect who spent most of last season in the ECHL, relieved him for the final two periods and was perfect while facing 21 shots.
The Blues' preseason slate continues on Tuesday night as they visit the Chicago Blackhawks.
Blues send Neighbours, Alexandrov back to Springfield
Jake Neighbours and Nikita Alexandrov scored the only two goals for St. Louis in the Blues' 4-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night. On Tuesday morning, they were bound for the AHL. It obviously wasn't a performance-driven move. It's an opportunity to play, given that the Blues will
Blues drop fifth straight before break, 4-2 to Jets
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Josh Morrissey and Mark Scheifele each scored twice in the third period as the Winnipeg Jets rallied for a 4-2 win against the St. Louis Blues on Monday night. Saku Maenalanen and Kyle Connor each had two assists for the Jets, who snapped a three-game skid.
Blues' late charge not enough to overcome early deficit in 4-2 loss to Avalanche
DENVER (AP) — Alex Newhook scored on his birthday for the second straight season, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the St. Louis Blues 4-2 on Saturday for their seventh win in eight games. Evan Rodrigues, J.T. Compher and Matt Nieto also scored for the Avalanche, and Logan O'Connor had two
Blues announce roster for Traverse City prospect tourney
Two former first-round draft picks will be among the 25 players on the St. Louis Blues' roster for the NHL Prospect Tournament in Traverse City, Michigan, this month. Forwards Zachary Bolduc, the 17th overall pick in the 2021 draft, and Jake Neighbours, taken 26th overall in 2020, will be joined
Read more About Blues announce roster for Traverse City prospect tourney


text:
Smart boots for horses could help the animals avoid serious injuries
MORGAN — Horses are very skilled animals that can be under a lot of pressure at times, whether it's in competitions or day-to-day use, and if they aren't taken care of, serious complications can arise.
David Wadman, a rodeo competitor and the CEO of Zebra Equine Technologies says a horse's tendons are made of collagen and when that heats up, it starts to break down.
"When the horses are running around they are working up a sweat. Their bodies are getting warm, their tendons and ligaments are getting warm [...] these tendon cells are actually dying and if we wrap something around it, the boots are actually helping to harness that heat inside of the tendon," says Wadman.
This is where their new invention comes in, The Z Boot. It's a boot that provides a barrier of protection, while using tech to track the temperature of a horse's legs.
"It can not only help control that temperature by absorbing the heat out of the horse's tendons, but also with the boot's temperature sensor, it can tell us what's going on and we can be in the know," says Wadman.
The boot is made up of multiple layers. The first is a cooling pack with a Bluetooth temperature sensor that sends real-time readings to a smartphone app. The next layer is a heat shield that reflects outside heat sources, like the sun. The final layer is an impact reducing guard that lowers the force of a horse's hoof kicking it's other legs.
Shambrae Peterson, a Barrel Racer says, "Through a turn, the horses can hit their legs and most horses have shoes, so the metal can cut them, or if they hit them hard enough they can chip their bones, they can hurt their tendons, anything really."
Barrel Racing is a rodeo event where a horse and rider try to complete a cloverleaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time.
Peterson says, "The extra padding and protection that the boots give is super important. Nobody likes a vet bill, so anything that's going to prevent that, I think, is beneficial for anyone."
It's important to mention that The Z Boots are not a medical device for horses, but they are tools that can be used to help riders steer their horses clear of injuries.
Wadman says, "A horse's legs are his life and if there's something that is happening that we can be aware of and that we can manage or put maintenance on, that really is our duty to give the horses the best thing because they will give us their all."
The Z Boots can be pre-ordered online and are expected to start shipping in May 2020.


> Greetings to you and Please permit me to introduce myself. I am Mr.
> cared for anyone (not even myself) but my business.
> members as well as a few close friends.
> what I have left for them.
> Eighteen million U.S Dollars (18Mn USD) with a bank in Europe.
> might be incurred in the process of making this claims.
> the security firm where the funds are deposited.
> this email for your perusal.


text:
\section{Introduction}

In this paper we are primarily interested in (1) detecting the line of reflection (mirror) symmetry in 2D and, (2) given such a line, finding the straight \emph{segment} that divides the symmetric object into its mirror symmetric parts (Figure~\ref{fig:modes}~(a,b)). As a byproduct, we develop a coefficient (likelihood) of reflection symmetry, that can be used to locate near circular shapes (Figure~\ref{fig:modes}~(e)).

\begin{figure}[h]
\centering
\vspace{1cm}
\begin{minipage}[c]{0.3\linewidth}
	\centering
	\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{I_018_J.png}\\(a)
\end{minipage}\hspace{1cm}
\begin{minipage}[c]{0.3\linewidth}
	\centering
	\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{I_018_K.png}\\(b)
\end{minipage}\\ \vspace{0.3cm}
\begin{minipage}[c]{\linewidth}
	\centering
	\includegraphics[width=0.6\linewidth]{I_018_A.png}\\(c)
\end{minipage}\\ \vspace{0.3cm}
\begin{minipage}[c]{0.3\linewidth}
	\centering
	\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{CellsI.png}\\(d)
\end{minipage}\hspace{1cm}
\begin{minipage}[c]{0.3\linewidth}
	\centering
	\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{CellsA.png}\\(e)
\end{minipage}\\ \vspace{0.3cm}
\vspace{0.5cm}
\caption{(a) Symmetry line. (b) Symmetry segment. (c) Accumulator space for symmetry line detection. Rows correspond to angle $\rho$ and columns to displacement $\delta$. The red mark corresponds to the line shown in (a). (d) Mouse embryo cells.
(e) Accumulator space for ellipse detection from (d).}
\label{fig:modes}
\end{figure}

Symmetry detection algorithms can be classified as: feature-centered, or parameter-centered. Feature-centered; where image features (whatever they might be) are computed first, and the symmetry parameters are computed from them. Parameter-centered; where we start from the parameters, and then look for image features that support them.

To the best of our knowledge, all previous works fall in the first category. The approach presented here falls in the second. Our symmetry likelihood model is based on products of complex-valued wavelet convolutions. This parameter-centered approach has advantages when the object sizes are known a priori, as demonstrated in an ellipse detection application.

In addition, we release a new database for 2D symmetry detection, with  4+ times as many single symmetry images, and 2+ times as many multiple symmetry images as the most recently published database \cite{Liu2013}.

We compare our model against the state of the art in \cite{Liu2013}, outperforming it on the single-symmetry case.

Code: \href{https://github.com/cicconet/SymmetryAxes}{https://github.com/cicconet/SymmetryAxes}

Database: \href{http://symmetry.cs.nyu.edu}{http://symmetry.cs.nyu.edu}

Note: This paper is under consideration at Pattern Recognition Letters.

\section{Previous Work}

Four different methods for mirror symmetry segment detection were compared in \cite{Liu2013} -- CVPR 2013 Competition: \cite{Kondra2013, Patraucean2013, Michaelsen2013, Loy2006}. Figure~\ref{fig:prevwork}, taken from the competition report, shows their performance.

\begin{figure}[p]
\centering
\vspace{1cm}
\includegraphics[width=0.7\linewidth]{_PreviousWork.png}
\caption{Results of the CVPR 2013 Symmetry Detection from Real World Images Competition, as shown in \cite{Liu2013}. Compare to Figure~\ref{fig:results}.}
\label{fig:prevwork}
\end{figure}

In \cite{Kondra2013}, the algorithm operates in three steps: (1) correlation measures (using the SIFT descriptor) are computed along discrete directions; (2) symmetrical regions are identified by looking for matches in the directions characterized by maximum correlations; steps (1) and (2) are performed at different scales.

\cite{Patraucean2013} runs in two steps: (1) candidates for mirror-symmetric patches are identified using a Hough-like voting scheme; (2) candidates are validated using a principled statistical procedure inspired from a contrario theory.

In \cite{Michaelsen2013}, a combinatorial technique from Gestalt Algebra is used on top of SIFT descriptors.

Also based on SIFT is the work of \cite{Loy2006}. These features are grouped into ``symmetric constellations,'' by a voting scheme, and the dominant symmetries present in the image emerge as local maxima.

Our method relates to \cite{Loy2006} and \cite{Patraucean2013} in the sense that we also use a voting scheme. But we use simple ``derivatives'' at different directions (given by wavelet filtering), instead of the complex SIFT descriptor.

This work can be seen as an extension of our previous work \cite{Cicconet2013}, where we accumulate wavelet responses for circle detection. Here, however, we add \emph{products} of wavelet convolutions, instead of adding convolutions directly. As we will show in the applications, detection of near-circular shapes can be done as a particular case of the
symmetry detection framework -- as a circle is mirror symmetric with respect to every diagonal.

\section{Symmetry Line}

The core of our method is the accumulation of
the products of convolutions with symmetric,
complex-valued wavelet kernels.
We refer to the orbiting
pair of symmetric wavelets as a \emph{stencil} (Figure~\ref{fig:stencil}).

\begin{figure}[p]
\centering
\vspace{1cm}
\includegraphics[width=0.3\linewidth]{Stencil.png}
\caption{Stencil. Symmetry likelihood is computed by accumulating the products of wavelet
outputs at the ends of the stencil while it orbits around the image. The
range covered by each of the parameters depends on the application and dataset.}
\label{fig:stencil}
\end{figure}

A stencil has three parameters: the angle $\alpha$ of
the line $l$ connecting the wavelets centers, the
angle $\beta$ of the wavelets -- measured with respect
to the perpendicular to $l$ at the point where the wavelets are
mounted, and the distance $d$ between wavelet centers.
We sometimes refer to $\alpha$ as the \emph{outer} angle,
$\beta$ as the \emph{inner} angle, and $d$ as the \emph{inner} distance.

We use Morlet wavelets (\cite{Bruna2013}). Their shape is illustrated
in Figure~\ref{fig:wavelets}. These kernels are
essentially the product of a Gaussian-like envelope
with a complex, oscillating carrier, normalized
to have mean zero and magnitude one.
We use complex wavelets, rather than either
of its real-valued components, as they provide
a better trade-off in capturing both ridge-type and step-type edges
(the real part would be more suited to the former, and the imaginary
part to the latter).

\begin{figure}[p]
\centering
\vspace{1cm}
\includegraphics[width=0.2\linewidth]{WaveletR.png}\hspace{0.5cm}
\includegraphics[width=0.2\linewidth]{WaveletI.png}
\caption{Real and imaginary parts of wavelet kernels of angle $\pi/4$. The real component is better at detecting ridge-type edges, while the imaginary part fires more strongly at step-type edges.}
\label{fig:wavelets}
\end{figure}

Let $p$ be a point (pixel location) in an image $I$.
Let $s = s_p(\alpha,\beta,d)$ be a stencil at a fixed configuration $\alpha,\beta,d$ centered at $p$. Let $v_s$ be the wavelet
kernel at the extreme $p_v = p+\frac{d}{2}(\cos(\alpha),\sin(\alpha))$ of the stencil, and $w_s$ the wavelet kernel at the opposite end, i.e., at $p_w = p-\frac{d}{2}(\cos(\alpha),\sin(\alpha))$.
Let $I_v = I * v_s$ and $I_w = I * w_s$, where \, $*$ \, is the convolution operator. The coefficient of mirror
symmetry for the stencil $s$ at the point $p$ is defined as

\begin{equation}
c^s_p = I_v(p_v)\cdot \overline{ I_w(p_w)}\text{ ,}
\end{equation}

\noindent
where \, $\bar{}$ \, is the complex-conjugate operator. The aggregate coefficient of mirror symmetry at $p$ is computed by integrating over all stencils centered at $p$:

\begin{equation}
c_p = \left| \sum_s (c^s_p) \right| ^n\text{ ,}
\end{equation}

\noindent
where the exponent $n$ controls the sharpness of the peaks in the accumulator space. Typical values are $n = 1$ and $n = 2$ (the optimal value depends on the dataset and problem).
The answer to the question of what ``all stencils'' means is determined empirically. In the applications reported here, $\alpha \in \{0,\frac{\pi}{n_\alpha},2\frac{\pi}{n_\alpha},...,\pi\}$, with $n_\alpha = 32$; $\beta \in \{-\frac{\pi}{4},0,\frac{\pi}{4}\}$ for symmetry detection, and $\beta = 0$ for ellipse detection; $d \in \{d_1,...,d_N\}$ varies in equally spaced samples (every 2 to 5 pixels), between close to $0$ and a factor of the size of the image for symmetry detection, or around the expected diameters of the ellipses in ellipse detection. In other words, $\alpha$ covers a dense-enough sample of the interval $[0,\pi]$, $\beta$ covers a few directions around $0$, and $d$ depends on the expected size of the symmetric shape.

In summary, given a point $p$, a set of stencils $s(\alpha,\beta,d)$ accumulates the
evidence $c_p$ that $p$ lies in the line of symmetry of an object in the image. On the other hand, every triad $(\alpha,\beta,d)$ captures evidence that there is a symmetric shape with a symmetric line perpendicular to the corresponding stencil -- the evidence is given by the product of the wavelet outputs at the ends of the stencil. This is what we mean by a parameter-centered approach: we start from a triad $(\alpha,\beta,d)$ and ask: is there evidence in the image supporting the existence of a symmetry line perpendicular to the stencil $s(\alpha,\beta,d)$?

When the symmetry likelihood $c_p$ is \emph{stored} at $p$,
the resulting accumulator space (which coincides with the image space) can be used to locate
the centers of ellipses and circles in images (Figure~\ref{fig:modes}~(d,e)).

To find symmetry lines, we have to accumulate votes in
a parameter space of lines. Similarly to the Hough-transform
for line detection (\cite{Duda1972}), we use the space $\rho,\delta$ of
the angles and displacements of the line perpendicular to the stencil $s(\alpha,\beta,d)$ centered at $p$ (Figure~\ref{fig:modes}~(c)). Such line is given by

$$\rho = \alpha+\frac{\pi}{2}\text{ ,} \hspace{0.5cm}
\delta = p_x \cdot \cos \alpha + p_y \cdot \sin \alpha\text{ ,}$$

\noindent
where $p_x,p_y$ are the components of $p$.

The implementation of the method as described
above is computationally very expensive, for it requires looping through all possible parameters $p,\alpha,\beta,d$. Notice,
however, that for fixed $(\alpha,\beta,d)$, the kernels at the ends of a stencil are invariant, and therefore the convolutions can be computed beforehand, and their product added in blocks at proper offset locations. This is illustrated in Figure~\ref{fig:offsets}.

\begin{figure}[p]
\centering
\vspace{1cm}
\begin{minipage}[c]{\linewidth}
	\centering
	\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{Alg_Out0_All.png}\\(a)
\end{minipage}
\\ \vspace{0.3cm}
\begin{minipage}[c]{\linewidth}
	\centering
	\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{Alg_Out45_All.png}\\(b)
\end{minipage}
\\ \vspace{0.3cm}
\begin{minipage}[c]{\linewidth}
	\centering
	\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{Alg_Out90_All.png}\\(c)
\end{minipage}
\\ \vspace{0.3cm}
\begin{minipage}[c]{\linewidth}
	\centering
	\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{Alg_Out135_All.png}\\(d)
\end{minipage}
\caption{(a)/(b)/(c)/(d) Illustration of the block-based computation in the intermediate step of the likelihood model, in which the stencil is rotated at outer angles 0$\degree$/45$\degree$/90$\degree$/135$\degree$, respectively. The cropped image on the left is the product of the cropped image in the middle with the cropped image on the right.}
\label{fig:offsets}
\end{figure}

This step can also be used to fine-tune the likelihoods of symmetry lines computed in the previous step, by sorting them according to the likelihood computed via robust statistics (more details in the next subsection). In certain applications/datasets this provides better results.

\section{Symmetry Segment}

The end points of the symmetry line are computed as illustrated in Figure~\ref{fig:endpoints}.
Let $l$ be a symmetry line found as described above,
and $p$ a point in such line.
For all stencils $s$ centered in $p$ and perpendicular
to $l$ we accumulate the five votes that have highest symmetry across $\beta$ and $d$, i.e., along the line $l$ we create a robust histogram of symmetry likelihoods (Figure~\ref{fig:endpoints}~(b)). We then pose the problem of detecting the end points of the segment as that of finding a pair of points along $l$ where the histogram changes the most. These points are computed as the extreme/peaks of the convolution of the histogram with a Haar wavelet ((Figure~\ref{fig:endpoints}~(c)). The size of the wavelet is determined empirically (the value of 20 is used in the experiments reported here).

\begin{figure*}[t!]
\centering
\vspace{1cm}
\begin{minipage}[c]{0.25\linewidth}
	\centering
	\includegraphics[height=3.5cm]{Step1.png}\\(a)
\end{minipage}\hspace{0.5cm}
\begin{minipage}[c]{0.1\linewidth}
	\centering
	\includegraphics[height=3.5cm]{Step3.png}\\(b)
\end{minipage}\hspace{0.1cm}
\begin{minipage}[c]{0.2\linewidth}
	\centering
	\includegraphics[height=3.5cm]{Step4.png}\\(c)
\end{minipage}\hspace{0.5cm}
\begin{minipage}[c]{0.25\linewidth}
	\centering
	\includegraphics[height=3.5cm]{Step5.png}\\(d)
\end{minipage}
\caption{Detection of end-points, given a symmetry line. (a) Input example. (b) Five highest symmetry votes from stencils perpendicular to the symmetry line. (c) In blue, sum of the columns in (b); in red, convolution of the blue line with a Haar wavelet; this allows for easy peak detection -- black dots. (d) Display of end points as white lines, characterizing the line segment capturing the lamp.}
\label{fig:endpoints}
\end{figure*}

\section{Experiments}
\label{sec:experiments}

Our method was  tested on the   CVPR 2013 Symmetry Detection from Real World Images Competition database (\cite{Liu2013}), as well as our own database.
The distribution of the number of images is the following:

\begin{table}[h]
\begin{tabular}{c c c}
   & CVPR 2013 dataset & our dataset \\
  single symmetry axis & 40 & 176 \\
  multiple symmetry axes & 30 & 63 \\
\end{tabular}
\end{table}

Both datasets provide the end points of the symmetric shape. All the images were resized, keeping the aspect ratio, so that the maximum dimension is $200$ pixels. Our dataset will be made public with this paper.

\subsection{Metric}

In order to compare our approach to previous methods, we use the same metric for accuracy as in \cite{Liu2013}. More precisely, let $\phi_G$, $c_G$, and $L_G$ be the angle, center point, and segment length, respectively, of a ground truth \emph{segment} $t_G$ in the database\footnote{By \emph{segment} we mean a line delimited by end points. The unlimited line is referred to simply as \emph{line}. The line corresponding to $t_G$ is denoted as $l_G$.}. The algorithm proposes several segments $t_D$ as solutions, with parameters $\phi_D$, $c_D$, and $L_D$ (analogous to $\phi_G$, $c_G$, and $L_G$). Let $\Delta_{G,D}$ be the distance between the centers $c_G$ and $c_D$. Segment $t_D$ is considered to correctly correspond to the segment $t_G$ (that is, a true positive, or TP) if

$$|\phi_G-\phi_D| < 10^\circ \text{ end } \Delta_{G,D} < \frac{1}{5} min\{L_G, L_D\}\text{ .}$$

\noindent
Notice how the metric for segment detection gives no incentive for the proper location of the \emph{end points}, only the \emph{center}. Indeed, for segment detection, one could devise an algorithm that only looks for the center of the line $c_D$, and outputs $L_D = \infty$, so as to maximize the probability of $\Delta_{D,G} < \frac{1}{5} min\{L_G, L_D\}$ being satisfied. Regardless, our algorithm does output a finite length and is evaluated that way.

Accuracy for \emph{line} detection is measured in a similar fashion. Let now $\Delta^l_{G,D}$ be the distance between the \emph{point} $c_G$ (center of ground truth) and the \emph{line} $l_D$. Line $l_D$ is considered to correctly correspond to segment $t_G$ if

$$|\phi_G-\phi_D| < 10^\circ \text{ end } \Delta^l_{G,D} < \frac{1}{5}L_G\text{ .}$$

Notice that the distance between a line $l_D$ and a segment  $t_G$ is never worse than the distance between a segment along a line, $t_D$ ,  and the same segment $t_G$. This is because to estimate the distance between a line and a center, the center chosen along the line $l_D$ is the closest one to the center $c_G$ of the segment $t_G$.   Thus, our line detection will always perform better than when adding to it the automatic estimation of the center of the segment. The reason we study line detection is to help us understand how much of the inaccuracy of our method is due to the line detection and how much is due to the center detection (segment detection).

A false negative (FN) consists of ground truth segment for which none of the lines proposed by the method satisfies the above condition. A false positive (FP) consists of a proposed line which is not ``close'' (as just defined) to any of the ground truth lines. Proposed lines that are close as per referred metric are counted only once, either for true positive or false positive measurement.  Precision and recall are defined as:

$$\text{precision}=\frac{TP}{TP+FP},\text{ recall} = \frac{TP}{TP+FN}\text{ .}$$

\subsection{Results}

Our results are presented in Figure~\ref{fig:results}. Since our method essentially looks for symmetric edges, we expected that it would perform better when edges are  enhanced. Therefore, besides the basic method described previously, we also measured performance when applying the model on edge maps computed from the images.
We used the Ultrametric Contour Map algorithm, a general purpose state-of-the-art edge detector (\cite{Arbelaez2011}).

As expected, performance is better on edge maps, and when the distance from extracted lines $l_D$ to the ground truth segments $t_G$ is used instead of the distance between $t_D$ to $t_G$. Some examples of outputs (best guess, using the convolutional model directly on images) are shown in Figure~\ref{fig:outputexamples}.

As per Figure~\ref{fig:results}~(a), both versions outperform the state-the-art \cite{Loy2006} in single symmetry \emph{segment} detection on the CVPR 2013 database (see Figure~\ref{fig:results}~(a)). Line detection for the multiple-symmetry case is competitive, but the center detection is quite weak in this case (worsening the results significantly from line detection). Future work could attempt to improve the center detection along the symmetry line; for example by identifying the clusters of data that vote for the line and outputting the center from the largest cluster only.

Moreover, as we discuss next, there are some problems with the ground truth labeling in the multiple symmetry case, which may explain the poor performance of center detection.

\subsection{Comments on the Database}
\label{sub:comments}

Looking at the labeling of the CVPR 2013 database, we see that, in particular for the multiple symmetries case, there are images with inaccurate and inconsistent  ground truth. As a matter of fact, the group that organized the corresponding CVPR 2013 workshop recently published a paper that recognizes the issue (\cite{Funk2016}).

We discuss here some examples. In Figure \ref{fig:problems}~(a) the ground truth segments are represented by the highlighted  green solid line segments. It can be observed that they terminate at the boundary of the object, but to be consistent with other ones in the data set, like Figure \ref{fig:problems}~(b)  the symmetry should extend beyond that, which is highlighted with green dotted lines. This distinction significantly changes the center of the segments and therefore the performance of any algorithm on it, according to the current metric. Moreover, two additional symmetry line segments are missing, highlighted here in yellow dashed lines. In Figure \ref{fig:problems}~(b), we also notice the lack of identified ground truth symmetry segments along the ears of the deer, now marked by yellow dashed line. In Figure \ref{fig:problems}~(c), even though both segments are acceptable as ground truth, there are many others, which are rotations of the labeled one with respect to the center of the flower. An algorithm that outputs any of them should not be penalized for the angle error.

\begin{figure*}[t!]
\centering
\vspace{1cm}
\begin{minipage}[c]{0.32\linewidth}
	\centering
	\includegraphics[height=3cm]{short_lines}\\(a)
\end{minipage}\hfill
\begin{minipage}[c]{0.32\linewidth}
	\centering
	\includegraphics[height=3cm]{bambi}\\(b)
\end{minipage}\hfill
\begin{minipage}[c]{0.32\linewidth}
	\centering
	\includegraphics[height=3cm]{flower}\\(c)
\end{minipage}
\caption{Problems with CVPR 2013's ground truth for multiple symmetry axis. Green solid segments are the ground truth. Green dashed segment extensions represent ground truth we believe are more consistent, since the dataset often has segments beyond the object boundary if there is symmetry support. Yellow dashed segments represent segments not included in the ground truth. All these problems contribute to ground truth centers that are inaccurate and for false positive, as well as angle errors that should not occur when evaluating an algorithm.}
\label{fig:problems}
\end{figure*}

\begin{figure*}[t!]
\centering
\vspace{1cm}
\begin{minipage}[c]{0.23\linewidth}
	\centering
	\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{I_052_K.png}
\end{minipage}\hfill
\begin{minipage}[c]{0.23\linewidth}
	\centering
	\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{I_061_K.png}
\end{minipage}\hfill
\begin{minipage}[c]{0.23\linewidth}
	\centering
	\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{I_068_K.png}
\end{minipage}\hfill
\begin{minipage}[c]{0.23\linewidth}
	\centering
	\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{I_071_K.png}
\end{minipage}\\ \vspace{0.3cm}
\begin{minipage}[c]{0.23\linewidth}
	\centering
	\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{I_074_K.png}
\end{minipage}\hfill
\begin{minipage}[c]{0.23\linewidth}
	\centering
	\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{I_080_K.png}
\end{minipage}\hfill
\begin{minipage}[c]{0.23\linewidth}
	\centering
	\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{I_100_K.png}
\end{minipage}\hfill
\begin{minipage}[c]{0.23\linewidth}
	\centering
	\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{I_101_K.png}
\end{minipage}
\caption{Some examples of outputs from our algorithm on our dataset (in red), along with the ground truth (in white).}
\label{fig:outputexamples}
\end{figure*}

\begin{figure*}[p]
\centering
\vspace{1cm}
\begin{minipage}[c]{0.65\linewidth}
	\centering
	\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{SymS.png}\\(a)
\end{minipage}\\
\begin{minipage}[c]{0.65\linewidth}
	\centering
	\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{SymM.png}\\(b)
\end{minipage}
\caption{Sample images from our database. (a) Single symmetry. (b) Multiple symmetries. We gathered 176 images with single symmetry axis, and 63 with multiple axes. For comparison, the CVPR 2013 Competition database contains 40 and 30 images, respectively.}
\label{fig:newdatabase}
\end{figure*}

\begin{figure*}[p]
\centering
\vspace{1cm}
\begin{minipage}[c]{0.49\linewidth}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{PR_UPenn_Single.png}\\ \vspace{-0.3cm}(a)
\end{minipage}
\hfill
\begin{minipage}[c]{0.49\linewidth}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{PR_UPenn_Multiple.png}\\ \vspace{-0.3cm}(b)
\end{minipage}\\ \vspace{0.3cm}
\begin{minipage}[c]{0.49\linewidth}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{PR_Ours_Single.png}\\ \vspace{-0.3cm}(c)
\end{minipage}
\hfill
\begin{minipage}[c]{0.49\linewidth}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{PR_Ours_Multiple.png}\\ \vspace{-0.3cm}(d)
\end{minipage}\vspace{0.5cm}
\caption{Performance results in terms of precision/recall curves. (a) Single symmetry axis detection on the CVPR 2013 database. (b) Multiple symmetry axes detection on the CVPR 2013 database. (c) Single symmetry axis detection in our database. (d) Multiple symmetry axes detection in our database. In the legends, ``Conv'' means our convolutional method as originally described, while ``Conv Edgs'' means the method applied on edge maps from the images. The latter is slightly better. Plots (a) and (b) display the results of the best-performing method in \cite{Liu2013}, namely \cite{Loy2006}. We  outperform \cite{Loy2006} in the single-symmetry case, but not for multiple symmetries -- some problems with the data is discussed in the text.}
\label{fig:results}
\end{figure*}

\section{Ellipse Detection}

A possible limitation of the convolutional approach
is that the stencil will often -- if not most of the time -- have at least one wavelet on top of an area where no edges exist. This is indeed a suboptimal approach for cases where there aren't many strong edges in the image.

On the other hand, existing methods start from edges, or other image features, and look at their pairs. In an image with many edges, computational cost can therefore be quite high.

If we know the properties of the objects, it is more efficient to optimize a parameter-centered method than a feature-centered one, because in the latter we have to loop through all features to compute the parameters in order to see if they are useful. One application in which this trade-off is apparent is in ellipse detection. To find the center of an ellipse using edges, one has to look not simply at pairs of tangents, but at triplets of tangents \cite{Mclaughlin98}, or, optionally, pairs of pairs of tangents (\cite{Cicconet2014ICIP1}).

Notice that if we restrict $\beta = 0$ and $d = 2r$, our method resembles the Hough Transform to detect circles of radius $r$.
Now, if we allow $d$ to vary around $2r$, we can, in principle, detect near-circular shapes of size $2r$ (in particular, ellipses with axes length around $2r$).

We did one such test on a dataset of mouse-embryo cells where images contain precisely two cells. One sample is shown in Figure~\ref{fig:modes}~(d), with the corresponding ellipse-center likelihood shown in Figure~\ref{fig:modes}~(e). The dataset is  from \cite{Cicconet2014ICIP1}, and contains 421 images.

We compared our algorithm to the feature-centered method in \cite{Cicconet2014ICIP1} (called Ellipses from Triangles, or EFT), both in terms of accuracy and computational time.
The average cell radii for the dataset was about 40 pixels, so we set the range of $d$ in $\{35,40,45\}$, and equivalent search range for the EFT.
The average time per image for the EFT was about 87.5 seconds, while the convolutional approach here described (let's call it ECL, for ellipse-center likelihood) takes about 2.5 seconds per image.

Figure~\ref{fig:ellipsedetection} shows the performance comparison in terms of precision/recall curves. The curves were generated by varying the threshold above which local maxima in the accumulator spaces were detected (from $0.1$ to $1$). As per Figure~\ref{fig:ellipsedetection}, the performances are similar, with different methods being better in different segments of the recall range. Thus, depending on the application and circumstances, the ellipse-center likelihood derived from the convolutional symmetry method might be the best choice, especially if time is a main concern.

\begin{figure}[p]
\centering
\vspace{1cm}
\includegraphics[width=0.8\linewidth]{PR_CellCentDet.png}
\caption{Performance of the feature-centered EFT algorithm versus the convolutional algorithm in locating centers of cells in a dataset of 421 images from \cite{Cicconet2014ICIP1}. While there is no clear winner in terms of performance, the situation is different in terms of computation time: in average 2.5 seconds per image for convolutional, versus 87.5 seconds per image for EFT.}
\label{fig:ellipsedetection}
\end{figure}

\section{Conclusion}

We introduced a new approach to the problem of mirror symmetry detection in 2D, by posing the search for parameters from the point of view of the parameters themselves, instead of from the point of view of image-features, as has been done in the past.

Of course, there are trade-offs to consider, and our method might not be the best choice when the number of image features is or can be significantly reduced.
On the other hand, if properties of the shape are known and the search space of parameters can be reduced, than our method might perform better. We showed one such case in the problem of detecting near circular shapes (the same principle applies to symmetry line/segment detection).

Finally, there is work to be done in terms of improving the location of end points, given a symmetry line. One possibility would be to intersect the symmetry line with the area given by an object-proposal algorithm.

Our current research is focusing on how to embed this type of geometric prior in convolutional neural
networks.

\bibliographystyle{plain}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


Neither dogs nor any other animals were used in native times for transportation. Human carriers among the Yokuts employed the carrying net into which the conical basket or other load could be set. (For an excellent photo of this, see Gifford, 1932, plate 7-b.) Also burdens were carried on the back, a pack strap or tumpline of braided string of milkweed (Asclepias) being slung across the forehead. (Kroeber, 1925: 533-534.) The Owens Valley people used a piece of fish or rabbit net for a carrying net; also a tumpline braided of Amsonia brevifolia Gray or made of buckskin. (For an illustration of this on the conical basket see Steward, 1933: plate 8-b.) The Western Mono used straps of buckskin or braided Fremontica californica Torr., or Cercocarpus betulifolius inner bark and a net woven of milkweed (Asclepias speciosa Torr.) and a species of Gomphorcarpus (Steward, 1933:258; Gifford, 1932:28).


Day 4 - The second day of filming covers the second section of the day; from lunch until the evening. As the process of filming is time-consuming, it might be necessary to film the whole day.
Day 5 - An extra filming day, if needed.
At this stage I will return home and edit the video we filmed into a short film, between 5 and 10 minutes long, which is basically like a day in your life.
Day 1 – On this day you will be asked to keep a diary describing what happens during that particular day. There is no right or wrong answer and it is your decision what you want to write down. I will not be with you and nothing will be filmed.
Day 2 – The next day, I will meet with you and discuss what you have written down the previous day. The diary will be used to plan a film about the day the diary was written. Over the following two days, you will then be asked to act out that day, to act in a film about yourself.
Day 2 - In order to plan this day, we will design a 'storyboard' together and sketch out how the film will be made. For example, which locations will be used for filming, in these locations, where the camera will be and where you will be, etc.
Day 3 - On the first day of filming we will start to film in the early morning, and film the first section of the day; what happened before lunch. The storyboard designed the day before will make it clear what needs to be filmed.