Towards Subject Independent Sign Language Recognition : A Segment-Based Probabilistic Approach

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

A Multi-class Classification Strategy for Fisher Scores: Application to Signer Independent Sign Language Recognition

Fisher kernels combine the powers of discriminative and generative classifiers by mapping the variable-length sequences to a new fixed length feature space, called the Fisher score space. The mapping is based on a single generative model and the classifier is intrinsically binary. We propose a multi-class classification strategy that applies a multi-class classification on each Fisher score space and combines the decisions of multi-class classifiers. We experimentally show that the Fisher scores of one class provide discriminative information for the other classes as well. We compare several multi-class classification strategies for Fisher scores generated from the hidden Markov models of sign sequences. The proposed multi-class classification strategy increases the classification accuracy in comparison with the state of the art strategies based on combining binary classifiers. To reduce the computational complexity of the Fisher score extraction and the training phases, we also propose a score space selection method and show that, similar or even higher accuracies can be obtained by using only a subset of the score spaces. Based on the proposed score space selection method, a signer adaptation technique is also presented that does not require any re-training

Design and semantics of form and movement (DeSForM 2006)

Design and Semantics of Form and Movement (DeSForM) grew from applied research exploring emerging design methods and practices to support new generation product and interface design. The products and interfaces are concerned with: the context of ubiquitous computing and ambient technologies and the need for greater empathy in the pre-programmed behaviour of the ‘machines’ that populate our lives. Such explorative research in the CfDR has been led by Young, supported by Kyffin, Visiting Professor from Philips Design and sponsored by Philips Design over a period of four years (research funding £87k). DeSForM1 was the first of a series of three conferences that enable the presentation and debate of international work within this field: • 1st European conference on Design and Semantics of Form and Movement (DeSForM1), Baltic, Gateshead, 2005, Feijs L., Kyffin S. & Young R.A. eds. • 2nd European conference on Design and Semantics of Form and Movement (DeSForM2), Evoluon, Eindhoven, 2006, Feijs L., Kyffin S. & Young R.A. eds. • 3rd European conference on Design and Semantics of Form and Movement (DeSForM3), New Design School Building, Newcastle, 2007, Feijs L., Kyffin S. & Young R.A. eds. Philips sponsorship of practice-based enquiry led to research by three teams of research students over three years and on-going sponsorship of research through the Northumbria University Design and Innovation Laboratory (nuDIL). Young has been invited on the steering panel of the UK Thinking Digital Conference concerning the latest developments in digital and media technologies. Informed by this research is the work of PhD student Yukie Nakano who examines new technologies in relation to eco-design textiles

Ocularcentrism and deaf people : a social photography project.

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DX193175 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Leadership in a binational, bicultural and bilingual school

This study explored how leadership develops and is practised in a binational, bicultural and bilingual school. The study focused on the joint leadership (Australian and French) of Telopea Park School Lycée Franco-Australien de Canberra, located in Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Australia. The school is a binational, bicultural and bilingual school. The study sought to understand some of the conceptual, professional and practical aspects of leadership development and practice with regard to the distinctive phenomena of leadership in a binational, bicultural and bilingual school. Further, the study aimed to generate theoretical ideas and practical recommendations for further research and practice relevant to the exercise of leadership in a binational, bicultural and bilingual school. Evolutionary epistemology, qualitative and interpretive theory and a grounded theory approach to data collection and analysis formed the research framework for the study. Qualitative data sources included archival documents, artefacts, and semi-structured interviews which gathered the perceptions of those who had held senior leadership positions and who were, or had been, close to critical episodes in the school’s history. Others associated with the school including teachers and parents, participated in focus group interviews. Observation and journaling were used by the participant–researcher in documenting her experiences in, and of leadership in the school. Data were analysed using grounded theory methods. The findings of the study into the nature of leadership in a binational, bicultural and bilingual school confirmed that the school was multifaceted and complex. The findings indicated that two key categories of dynamics were central to the development and practice of leadership in the school. The first category of dynamics was classified as general dynamics, those dynamics which might be found in schools in general: time, savoir-être (knowing how to be), communication and problem-solving. The second category of dynamics was classified as specific dynamics, those derived from the particular nature of the school: the dynamic of duple and the dynamic of diplomacy. The thesis chose an Indigenous Australian concept of “ganma” as a metaphor that might illustrate the various dimensions of the leadership culture in the binational, bicultural and bilingual school and the ways in which the dynamics and their constant, multi-dimensional interactions within this complex and multi-faceted leadership context might be conceptualised. The thesis concluded by making a number of recommendations for future research into leadership in binational, bicultural and bilingual schools and for the practice of leadership in these complex international, intercultural endeavours

The Hybrid Practitioner

The practice of architecture manifests in myriad forms and engagements. Overcoming false divides, this volume frames the fertile relationship between the cultural and scholarly production of academia and the process of designing and building in the material world. It proposes the concept of the hybrid practitioner, who bridges the gap between academia and practice by considering how different aspects of architectural practice, theory, and history intersect, opening up a fascinating array of possibilities for an active engagement with the present. The book explores different, interrelated roles for practicing architects and researchers, from the reproductive activities of teaching, consulting and publishing, through the reflective activities of drawing and writing, to the practice of building. The notion of the hybrid practitioner will appeal strongly to students, teachers and architectural practitioners as part of a multifaceted professional environment. By connecting academic interests with those of the professional realm, The Hybrid Practitioner addresses a wider readership embracing landscape design, art theory and aesthetics, European history, and the history and sociology of professions