Restoration and Domain Adaptation for Unconstrained Face Recognition

Face recognition (FR) has received great attention and tremendous progress has been made during the past two decades. While FR at close range under controlled acquisition conditions has achieved a high level of performance, FR at a distance under unconstrained environment remains a largely unsolved problem. This is because images collected from a distance usually suffer from blur, poor illumination, pose variation etc. In this dissertation, we present models and algorithms to compensate for these variations to improve the performance for FR at a distance. Blur is a common factor contributing to the degradation of images collected from a distance, e.g., defocus blur due to long range acquisition, motion blur due to movement of subjects. For this purpose, we study the image deconvolution problem. This is an ill-posed problem, and solutions are usually obtained by exploiting prior information of desired output image to reduce ambiguity, typically through the Bayesian framework. In this dissertation, we consider the role of an example driven manifold prior to address the deconvolution problem. Specifically, we incorporate unlabeled image data of the object class in the form of a patch manifold to effectively regularize the inverse problem. We propose both parametric and non-parametric approaches to implicitly estimate the manifold prior from the given unlabeled data. Extensive experiments show that our method performs better than many competitive image deconvolution methods. More often, variations from the collected images at a distance are difficult to address through physical models of individual degradations. For this problem, we utilize domain adaptation methods to adapt recognition systems to the test data. Domain adaptation addresses the problem where data instances of a source domain have different distributions from that of a target domain. We focus on the unsupervised domain adaptation problem where labeled data are not available in the target domain. We propose to interpolate subspaces through dictionary learning to link the source and target domains. These subspaces are able to capture the intrinsic domain shift and form a shared feature representation for cross domain recognition. Experimental results on publicly available datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach for face recognition across pose, blur and illumination variations, and cross dataset object classification. Most existing domain adaptation methods assume homogeneous source domain which is usually modeled by a single subspace. Yet in practice, oftentimes we are given mixed source data with different inner characteristics. Modeling these source data as a single domain would potentially deteriorate the adaptation performance, as the adaptation procedure needs to account for the large within class variations in the source domain. For this problem, we propose two approaches to mitigate the heterogeneity in source data. We first present an approach for selecting a subset of source samples which is more similar to the target domain to avoid negative knowledge transfer. We then consider the scenario that the heterogenous source data are due to multiple latent domains. For this purpose, we derive a domain clustering framework to recover the latent domains for improved adaptation. Moreover, we formulate submodular objective functions which can be solved by an efficient greedy method. Experimental results show that our approaches compare favorably with the state-of-the-art

The Effect of Same-Sex Grouping Versus Mixed-Sex Grouping on Mathematics Achievement and Attitudes of Academically Gifted Fourth and Fifth Grade Females in the Urban Classroom

Reports of the neglect of gifted students in America\u27s schools and the inadequate mathematics involvement of females have made educators aware of a crisis in public education. Attitudes and opportunities are believed to be major influences in helping females become more involved with mathematics courses and careers. The research project examined the effect of same-sex groups versus mixed-sex groups on mathematics attitudes and achievement in fourth and fifth grade females in a mathematically gifted pilot program at a magnet center. The experimental study was analyzed with Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA), Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Regression Analysis, Post-Hoc tests, and Fishers Exact Test (a version of Chi-square). The General Linear Model was used because the groups were unbalanced (unequal). Achievement was measured in January and May with the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS). The Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitudes Scales was used to assess mathematics attitude in December and in May. Females in the experimental classrooms were grouped with other females for all cooperative work for five months during the experiment. Females in the control group were grouped in traditionally mixed-sex groups for all cooperative group work. All other instruction, requirements, teaching styles, and other classroom activities remained the same. Two teachers, one at fourth and one at fifth grade, taught both the control and experimental groups. No statistically significant differences were found in attitude or achievement and no statistically significant relationships were found between attitudes and achievement. However, significant results were found in the frequency of student responses to the grouping arrangement. Students in the same-sex groups report significantly more positive comments and significantly less negative comments about the grouping arrangements. Students in the mixed-sex groups report significantly less positive comments and significantly more negative comments about the grouping arrangement. This finding is significant at the.005 level and supports the need to have same-sex grouping for females in mathematics classes. Boys do not have the same social problems and are more likely to accelerate themselves through course selection (Brody & Fox, 1980; Campbell, 1986; M. Sadker & D. Sadker 1994a). Problems do exist for minorities, immigrants, African-Americans, and females in science and mathematics fields (Ascher, 1987; Kamii, 1990; Gordon, 1993). Excelling in mathematics can be enhanced through same-sex groups for students. The mathematics program and the same-sex groups provide an environment in which females are challenged to actively participate and excel. The program provides females opportunities appropriate to their abilities, cognitive development, learning style, and achievement. Positive attitudes and high achievement scores provide evidence that the advanced mathematics program for mathematically gifted females has successfully addressed factors in the environment that can affect participation in mathematics, enjoyment of mathematics, and confidence in learning mathematics

Conflict within Special Education for Mothers of Children with Invisible Disabilities: A Case Study

In the United States, children with disabilities receive special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which provides free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE). Evidence shows that parents of children who receive special education (SPED) experience conflict within the school system. Invisible disabilities (NVD) are unseen but affect learning or behavior in school, include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and learning disabilities, are eligible for special education. There is evidence that parents of children with NVD experience conflict while accessing the system and receiving services and mothers are often the primary advocate for SPED services for their child. What is not fully understood is how NVD influences the conflict process and influences the experiences for mothers. This study explored the experience of mothers of children with NVD who experienced conflict in the special education system using a qualitative case study methodology. Interviews and Kawa River Model drawings of the conflict experiences provided insight into the conflict experience, using Deutsch’s model of conflict as the primary theoretical framework. The findings included the following themes: Square Peg in a Round Hole, Bear the Brunt, Adding Insult to Injury, Game Changer, and Sea Change. Key findings include NVD-related conflicts involve identification and eligibility, the conflict experiences evolve from intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural level conflicts, which influence their advocacy, and the paradoxical experience of being both a professional in the workplace and a mother advocating for her child in special education, and how that influences conflict

The Show Must Go On: New York DIY as Cultural Practice in The Changing City

The New York DIY scene is situated in a long history of social, political, and musical movements across the nation. Coming from this tradition of “do it yourself” politics, this community has adapted over the years to combat the forces of gentrification and capitalism which constantly threaten DIY music scenes. Over the last two years, this community has faced one of the most unexpected challenges to the continuation of the scene; The COVID-19 pandemic. In this ethnographically inflected analysis of the New York City DIY scene, I will be looking at the ways in which this musical community has been affected by the pandemic and gentrification. Furthermore, through an ethnographic investigation of how DIY has persisted throughout the pandemic, I will be looking at what this might mean for the creation and continuation of this youth subculture. Theoretical and historical conceptualizations of gentrification are applied to these encounters to analyze the sonic qualities of gentrification, as well as what it means to people in the scene to be from New York. In applying a historical framework, this study also looks at the cyclical nature of youth reactionary politics, as well as consumer capitalism’s ability to co-opt aesthetics of youth counterculture. A transgender studies lens is also applied to DIY, as a way to understand how this community defines what DIY is, and locates the act of “doing” as the practice which counters the sounds of gentrification in the scene. Through this hybrid of ethnographic, theoretical and historical analysis, I aim to situate the New York DIY scene in traditions of DIY and punk aesthetics in order to think about what is possible for the future of this community in the face of adversity

A Case Study Exploring Organizational Development and Performance Management in the Operational Infrastructure of a Professional Working Organization, Using Academic Constructs

Curriculum, as a concept, has been historically associated with traditional schooling, but the reality is that its application extends to many arenas beyond academia. Through the case study lens, this dissertation utilized the ideologies of curricular theorists John Dewey, John Franklin Bobbitt, and Ralph Tyler to explore how intended, enacted, and assessed curricula phases can integrate into a professional working organization’s comprehensive functionality and materialize into the planning and implementation of its operational infrastructure. Following content analysis of a selected institution’s operational system, using closed codes, a descriptive comprehensive curriculum was designed to address the research purpose of understanding employee performance and organizational outcomes. Findings indicated that curricular phases are inherently embedded into the organizational development and performance management of nonacademic spaces; moreover, the framework of an organization’s operational infrastructure consists largely of curriculum elements. The primary research implication invokes being able to manage the efficiency and effectiveness levels of (a) personnel unit performance and (b) the workplace environment, through curriculum analysis and prescription

An Empirical Investigation of Successful, High Performing Turnaround Professionals: Application of the Dynamic Capabilities Theory

ABSTRACT This research is about identifying the characteristics or success profiles of professionals working in the turnaround industry. The turnaround industry possesses a number of dynamic capabilities in processes, positions, resources and paths that are unique to its industry. The firms that compete in the turnaround industry serve their clients, the dying organizations, by using a mix of these dynamic capabilities. While these dynamic capabilities are seen as the turnaround firms’ “secrets of success,” they have over time evolved into “best practices.” This commoditization of best practices in the turnaround industry has created a need for turnaround firms to search for a competitive advantage. Specifically, this advantage is identified in the literature as the skills, knowledge, and experience of the turnaround professional. These unique characteristics of the turnaround management professional (TMP), see appendix C for a complete definitions of terms, have been accounted for in the Turnaround Management Association (TMA) certification process called the Certified Turnaround Professional, or CTP. One of the TMA’s goals is to establish professional work standards and guidelines and to regulate the industry. While a noble effort, this focus takes the “competitive advantage” away from the turnaround organization and standardizes it into the “best practices” arena via “certified” professionals leaving these organizations to compete on size and location alone. Evidence from a focus group, case research interviews, and two different surveys, suggests that there is a profound difference in the effectiveness of TMPs beyond the knowledge, skill, and experience levels identified as one of the core components of dynamic capabilities theory. This evidence led to the investigation of psychometric profiling as a method to measure the distinct success profiles of these “highly successful” TMPs, or Most Valuable players (MVP). Measuring the thinking style (cognitive reasoning ability), work motivation, personality behaviors, and occupational interests of MVP s, has led to the discovery of a success composite. The findings of this research suggest that MVP s score higher on this composite than do other TMPs who were identified as “low performers”, or Least Valuable Players (LVP), as well as non-turnaround managers, executives, and business professionals in general. It is postulated that by using this composite score in hiring, training, and promoting turnaround professionals, a turnaround firm will obtain a competitive advantage in their industry and generate higher success for all stakeholders. Resultantly, the researchers have uncovered a critical gap in the dynamic capability theory surrounding the construct of human capital. Evidence suggests that psychometric profiling is an acceptable and, indeed, important measure of the value of human capital

Engineering data compendium. Human perception and performance, volume 3

The concept underlying the Engineering Data Compendium was the product of a research and development program (Integrated Perceptual Information for Designers project) aimed at facilitating the application of basic research findings in human performance to the design of military crew systems. The principal objective was to develop a workable strategy for: (1) identifying and distilling information of potential value to system design from existing research literature, and (2) presenting this technical information in a way that would aid its accessibility, interpretability, and applicability by system designers. The present four volumes of the Engineering Data Compendium represent the first implementation of this strategy. This is Volume 3, containing sections on Human Language Processing, Operator Motion Control, Effects of Environmental Stressors, Display Interfaces, and Control Interfaces (Real/Virtual)