Intelligent optical methods in image analysis for human detection

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University.This thesis introduces the concept of a person recognition system for use on an integrated autonomous surveillance camera. Developed to enable generic surveillance tasks without the need for complex setup procedures nor operator assistance, this is achieved through the novel use of a simple dynamic noise reduction and object detection algorithm requiring no previous knowledge of the installation environment and without any need to train the system to its installation. The combination of this initial processing stage with a novel hybrid neural network structure composed of a SOM mapper and an MLP classifier using a combination of common and individual input data lines has enabled the development of a reliable detection process, capable of dealing with both noisy environments and partial occlusion of valid targets. With a final correct classification rate of 94% on a single image analysis, this provides a huge step forwards as compared to the reported 97% failure rate of standard camera surveillance systems

Intelligent optical methods in image analysis for human detection

This thesis introduces the concept of a person recognition system for use on an integrated autonomous surveillance camera. Developed to enable generic surveillance tasks without the need for complex setup procedures nor operator assistance, this is achieved through the novel use of a simple dynamic noise reduction and object detection algorithm requiring no previous knowledge of the installation environment and without any need to train the system to its installation. The combination of this initial processing stage with a novel hybrid neural network structure composed of a SOM mapper and an MLP classifier using a combination of common and individual input data lines has enabled the development of a reliable detection process, capable of dealing with both noisy environments and partial occlusion of valid targets. With a final correct classification rate of 94% on a single image analysis, this provides a huge step forwards as compared to the reported 97% failure rate of standard camera surveillance systems.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Desktop publishing in a small rural primary school

This thesis looks at the way words and pictures work together in cognitive development and the place of the computer as a tool to enhance and extend such development by assisting in creating the content of a publication, providing the means to revise and tailor information to specific audiences, generate the images, merge text and graphics, make a proof for editing and finally reproduce the completed publication for a wider audience. It describes such a research project and analyses the results achieved. There is an overview of general psychological writings and theses on imagery and perception in chapter two. Art packages and the use of camcorder and video digitiser are discussed as are strategies for computing and presenting images. The nature of the writing process, writing for publication to an unknown audience and the part played by the word processor in such a project are discussed in chapter three. The research study is described in chapter four, its organisation, the basic computer system required and the various decisions which needed to be made and the skills required and developed by the children involved are studied. In chapter five the findings of the project, the developing child writer, the observed changes in behaviour, the computer as a new medium for art are summarised. The test results are quantified and there is a look at some aspects of certain individual texts. In the concluding chapter the speaking, writing, reading relationship, pupil-initiated learning, the impact of word processing, the role of the teacher and the possible requirements of the National Curriculum are discussed and suggestions for further work are outlined

Proceedings of the GIS Research UK 18th Annual Conference GISRUK 2010

This volume holds the papers from the 18th annual GIS Research UK (GISRUK). This year the conference, hosted at University College London (UCL), from Wednesday 14 to Friday 16 April 2010. The conference covered the areas of core geographic information science research as well as applications domains such as crime and health and technological developments in LBS and the geoweb. UCL’s research mission as a global university is based around a series of Grand Challenges that affect us all, and these were accommodated in GISRUK 2010. The overarching theme this year was “Global Challenges”, with specific focus on the following themes: * Crime and Place * Environmental Change * Intelligent Transport * Public Health and Epidemiology * Simulation and Modelling * London as a global city * The geoweb and neo-geography * Open GIS and Volunteered Geographic Information * Human-Computer Interaction and GIS Traditionally, GISRUK has provided a platform for early career researchers as well as those with a significant track record of achievement in the area. As such, the conference provides a welcome blend of innovative thinking and mature reflection. GISRUK is the premier academic GIS conference in the UK and we are keen to maintain its outstanding record of achievement in developing GIS in the UK and beyond

Stem Cell-based Study on Defining Toxic Astrocytes in Neurodegeneration

M.Phil. in Global Health - ThesisINTH395AMAMD-GLO

Communicative humanoids : a computational model of psychosocial dialogue skills

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Media Arts & Sciences, 1996.Includes bibliographical references (p. [223]-238).Kristinn Rúnar Thórisson.Ph.D

Identity Formation and Collaboration Inquiry in the Zone of Proximal Development: Eighth Grade ESL Students Doing Research - A Teacher Research Study

This study is an ethnographic investigation of a Grade Eight ESL IV class conducting research with topics of their own choosing from October, 2001 through May, 2002. This investigation is conceived as a qualitative teacher-research study: an ethnographic examination of collaborative inquiry in the ESL classroom setting where the majority of the students are Brazilian

Special Libraries, Fall 1996

Volume 87, Issue 4https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1996/1003/thumbnail.jp

Internet-mediated intercultural English language education in China's higher education institutions

In the information age, the advent of Internet technologies has made it possible to transform language learning and teaching, through online intercultural exploration and exchange. The role of English as an international language in global communication is recognised in China's latest national guidelines for tertiary language curricula, which seek to develop professionals possessing both sound language proficiency and intercultural competence, alongside other goals such as information literacy and learner autonomy. This thesis examines the actual delivery of an intercultural dimension mediated by Internet technologies. To this end, this thesis reports an investigation into the situation of Internet-mediated intercultural English language teaching and learning at China's higher education institutions conducted between 2008 and 2009. Multi-stage and multi-site fieldwork combined a survey approach and a collective case study approach. The researcher being the primary data collection tool, data obtained from questionnaire survey, interview (and informal conversation), observation and document collection instruments have been combined. The survey findings thus not only have breadth, but also provide materials for in-depth studies of sample cases. Four cases, demonstrating a variety of institutional, individual, pedagogical and technological factors, are analysed at greater length to explore whether evidenced Internet-mediated practices might facilitate an intercultural approach to teaching and learning. Comparisons suggest that, despite their differing characteristics and contexts, there are some commonalities in terms of Internet-mediated activities entailing elements of an intercultural approach. These elements are synthesised and mapped out in an original pedagogical framework for Internet-mediated intercultural teaching and learning, with a set of guiding principles. This framework advocates establishing an Internet-mediated intra-class community as the basis for undertaking intercultural language activities, complementing the prevailing telecollaborative model for the development of intercultural communicative competence. This outcome contributes to a fuller understanding of the design of Internet-mediated intercultural language activities

The role of calcium-permeable AMPA receptors and arc in secreted amyloid precursor protein alpha-mediated plasticity

The orchestrated regulation of the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA)-subtype of glutamate receptors by neuronal activity and neuromodulators is critical to the expression of both long-term potentiation (LTP) and memory. In particular, GluA1-containing, Ca2+-permeable AMPAR (CP-AMPAR) comprise a unique role in these processes due to their transient, activity-regulated expression at the synapse. Importantly, many of the mechanisms which govern these processes are negatively affected in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, suggesting that understanding the mode of action of neuromodulatory molecules may reveal much needed novel therapeutic interventions. Secreted amyloid precursor protein-alpha (sAPPα), a metabolite of the parent amyloid precursor protein (APP) has been previously shown to enhance hippocampal LTP and facilitate memory formation. Accordingly, we hypothesised that sAPPα may act via modulation of AMPAR synthesis and cell surface expression. Using primary hippocampal neurons grown in culture, we found that sAPPα (1 nM) differentially regulates the expression of cell surface GluA1-, GluA2-, and GluA3-containing AMPAR. Interestingly, using fluorescent non-canonical amino acid tagging with proximity ligation assay (FUNCAT-PLA), we found that short-term sAPPα treatments (1 nM, 30 min) rapidly enhanced the cell surface expression of newly synthesised extrasynaptic GluA1-, but not GluA2-containing AMPAR, while long-term treatments of sAPPα (1 nM, 120 min) increased levels of pre-existing GluA1/2-containing heteromers at the cell surface, indicating a dynamic regulation of distinct AMPARs following treatment. Moreover, using electrophysiology in area CA1 of acute hippocampal slices, we provide evidence that the expression of CP-AMPAR is important in the induction of sAPPα-enhanced LTP. Using immunocytochemistry and siRNA knockdown, we provide evidence that internalization of CP-AMPARs may be governed, at least in part by sAPPα-driven expression of the activity-regulated cytoskeletal-associated protein (Arc). Further, we show that Arc expression is not induced by the related APP metabolite sAPPβ, but is dependent on synergistic activation of N-Methyl-D-Aspartate and α7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, as well as downstream activation of CaMKII, MAPK, and PKG. Together, these findings suggest that application of sAPPα to hippocampal neurons engages a cascade of mechanisms which enhance the synthesis and expression of AMPAR and Arc protein, in the regulation of synaptic strength and the expression of hippocampal LTP. These experiments expand upon our current knowledge underlying mechanisms of synaptic plasticity in hippocampal neurons