3 research outputs found
Multiscale Convolutional Neural Networks for Hand Detection
Unconstrained hand detection in still images plays an important role in many hand-related vision problems, for example, hand tracking, gesture analysis, human action recognition and human-machine interaction, and sign language recognition. Although hand detection has been extensively studied for decades, it is still a challenging task with many problems to be tackled. The contributing factors for this complexity include heavy occlusion, low resolution, varying illumination conditions, different hand gestures, and the complex interactions between hands and objects or other hands. In this paper, we propose a multiscale deep learning model for unconstrained hand detection in still images. Deep learning models, and deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) in particular, have achieved state-of-the-art performances in many vision benchmarks. Developed from the region-based CNN (R-CNN) model, we propose a hand detection scheme based on candidate regions generated by a generic region proposal algorithm, followed by multiscale information fusion from the popular VGG16 model. Two benchmark datasets were applied to validate the proposed method, namely, the Oxford Hand Detection Dataset and the VIVA Hand Detection Challenge. We achieved state-of-the-art results on the Oxford Hand Detection Dataset and had satisfactory performance in the VIVA Hand Detection Challenge.</jats:p
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Spirituality, educational policy and leadership : a study of headteachers
If a state education system, like that of England, is required to promote pupils' spiritual development, educational policy needs to deal with the question of what spirituality is about and whether a shared idea of it is possible in a diverse society. The study seeks to offer a contribution to meeting this need.
At the heart of the study is the setting out of an experientially grounded theoretical perspective on human spirituality, based in a tradition of research into spiritual experiences. A conceptual distinction is drawn between a core type of spiritual experience and other types. The study concentrates on how the former relate to the process of policy mediation by school leaders.
Its focus is headteachers, with the aim of learning more about their spiritual experiences and views on spirituality, how far they are likely to be open to ideas from the theoretical perspective, and the relationship between spirituality and leadership. These issues were investigated through a postal survey of primary, middle and secondary headteachers, followed up by a small number of interviews with headteachers who had completed the questionnaire.
The main conclusions are that spiritual experiences of the core type are widespread amongst headteachers and that the awareness they gain through these experiences contributes to their leadership and the meaning with which they imbue spirituality in their role as policy mediators. However, there are significant variations in headteachers' views on spirituality, according to religious belief for instance, which suggests that caution should be exercised in considering the potential of the theoretical perspective to be part of a shared understanding.
Implications are suggested. These include facilitation in continuing professional development of dialogue around the spiritual and greater efforts (including research) to enhance recognition and understanding of the experiential aspect of spirituality and its relevance to educational policy and leadership