This paper introduces an efficient approach to integrating non-local statistics into the higher-order Markov Random Fields (MRFs) framework. Motivated by the observation that many non-local statistics (eg, shape priors, color distributions) can usually be represented by a small number of parameters, we reformulate the higher-order MRF model by introducing additional latent variables to represent the intrinsic dimensions of the higher-order cliques. The resulting new model, called NC-MRF, not only provides the flexibility in representing the configurations of higher-order cliques, but also automatically decomposes the energy function into less coupled terms, allowing us to design an efficient algorithmic framework for maximum a posteriori (MAP) inference. Based on this novel modeling/inference framework, we achieve state-of-the-art solutions to the challenging problems of class-specific image segmentation and template-based 3D facial expression tracking, which demonstrate the potential of our approach.

Finding surface mappings with least distortion arises from many applications in various fields. Extremal Teichm ller maps are surface mappings with least conformality distortion. The existence and uniqueness of the extremal Teichm ller map between Riemann surfaces of finite type are theoretically guaranteed [1]. Recently, a simple iterative algorithm for computing the Teichm ller maps between connected Riemann surfaces with given boundary value was proposed in [11]. Numerical results was reported in the paper to show the effectiveness of the algorithm. The method was successfully applied to landmark-matching registration. The purpose of this paper is to prove the iterative algorithm proposed in [11] indeed converges.

To a digraph with a choice of certain integral basis, we construct a CW complex, whose integral singular cohomology is canonically isomorphic to the path cohomology of the digraph as introduced in\cite {GLMY}. The homotopy type of the CW complex turns out to be independent of the choice of basis. After a very brief discussion of functoriality, this construction immediately implies some of the expected but perhaps combinatorially subtle properties of the digraph cohomology and homotopy proved very recently\cite {GLMY2}. Furthermore, one gets a very simple expected formula for the cup product of forms on the digraph. On the other hand, we present an approach of using sheaf theory to reformulate (di) graph cohomologies. The investigation of the path cohomology from this framework, leads to a subtle version of Poincare lemma for digraphs, which follows from the construction of the CW complex.

In this paper, we construct complete constant scalar curvature Khler (cscK) metrics on the complement of the zero section in the total space of O ( - 1 ) 2 over O ( - 1 ) 2 , which is biholomorphic to the smooth part of the cone <i>C</i> ₀ in O ( - 1 ) 2 defined by equation O ( - 1 ) 2 . On its small resolution and its deformation, we also consider complete cscK metrics and find that if the cscK metrics are homogeneous, then they must be Ricci-flat.

Let X be a compact Khler manifold and X a subvariety of X with higher co-dimension. The aim is to study complete constant scalar curvature Khler metrics on non-compact Khler manifold X with Poincar--Mok--Yau asymptotic property (see Definition\ref {def}). In this paper, the methods of Calabi's ansatz and the moment construction are used to provide some special examples of such metrics.