Improved speaker independent lip reading using speaker adaptive training and deep neural networks

Recent improvements in tracking and feature extraction mean that speaker-dependent lip-reading of continuous speech using a medium size vocabulary (around 1000 words) is realistic. However, the recognition of previously unseen speakers has been found to be a very challenging task, because of the large variation in lip-shapes across speakers and the lack of large, tracked databases of visual features, which are very expensive to produce. By adapting a technique that is established in speech recognition but has not previously been used in lip-reading, we show that error-rates for speaker-independent lip-reading can be very significantly reduced. Furthermore, we show that error-rates can be even further reduced by the additional use of Deep Neural Networks (DNN). We also find that there is no need to map phonemes to visemes for context-dependent visual speech transcription

Advanced hypersonic aircraft design

The objective of this design project is to develop the hypersonic reconnaissance aircraft to replace the SR-71 and to complement existing intelligence gathering devices. The initial design considerations were to create a manned vehicle which could complete its mission with at least two airborne refuelings. The aircraft must travel between Mach 4 and Mach 7 at an altitude of 80,000 feet for a maximum range of 12,000 nautical miles. The vehicle should have an air breathing propulsion system at cruise. With a crew of two, the aircraft should be able to take off and land on a 10,000 foot runway, and the yearly operational costs were not to exceed $300 million. Finally, the aircraft should exhibit stealth characteristics, including a minimized radar cross-section (RCS) and a reduced sonic boom. The technology used in this vehicle should allow for production between the years 1993 and 1995

Survey of the needs of patients with spinal cord injury: impact and priority for improvement in hand function in tetraplegics\ud

Objective: To investigate the impact of upper extremity deficit in subjects with tetraplegia.\ud \ud Setting: The United Kingdom and The Netherlands.\ud \ud Study design: Survey among the members of the Dutch and UK Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Associations.\ud \ud Main outcome parameter: Indication of expected improvement in quality of life (QOL) on a 5-point scale in relation to improvement in hand function and seven other SCI-related impairments.\ud \ud Results: In all, 565 subjects with tetraplegia returned the questionnaire (overall response of 42%). Results in the Dutch and the UK group were comparable. A total of 77% of the tetraplegics expected an important or very important improvement in QOL if their hand function improved. This is comparable to their expectations with regard to improvement in bladder and bowel function. All other items were scored lower.\ud \ud Conclusion: This is the first study in which the impact of upper extremity impairment has been assessed in a large sample of tetraplegic subjects and compared to other SCI-related impairments that have a major impact on the life of subjects with SCI. The present study indicates a high impact as well as a high priority for improvement in hand function in tetraplegics.\ud \u

Religion and Politics in America: The Prospects for Civility

Harvey Cox examines ways in which the categories of religious and moral reflection be brought to bear in political life in a pluralistic democracy in such a way that an American polity can be restored to democratic vigor

Computational environment for modeling and enhancing community resilience: Introducing the center for risk-based community resilience planning

The resilience of a community is defined as its ability to prepare for, withstand, recover from and adapt to the effects of natural or human-caused disasters, and depends on the performance of the built environment and on supporting social, economic and public institutions that are essential for immediate response and long-term recovery and adaptation. The performance of the built environment generally is governed by codes, standards, and regulations, which are applicable to individual facilities and residences, are based on different performance criteria, and do not account for the interdependence of buildings, transportation, utilities and other infrastructure sectors. The National Institute of Standards and Technology recently awarded a new Center of Excellence (NIST-CoE) for Risk-Based Community Resilience Planning, which is headquartered at Colorado State University and involves nine additional universities. Research in this Center is focusing on three major research thrusts: (1) developing the NIST-Community Resilience Modeling Environment known as NIST-CORE, thereby enabling alternative strategies to enhance community resilience to be measured quantitatively; (2) developing a standardized data ontology, robust data architecture and data management tools in support of NIST-CORE; and (3) performing a comprehensive set of hindcasts on disasters to validate the data architecture and NIST-CORE

Perfectionism and attitudes toward cognitive enhancers (“smart drugs”)

Perfectionism is a personality disposition characterized by exceedingly high standards of performance and pressure to be perfect which may incline students to take cognitive enhancers (“smart drugs”) to boost their academic performance. So far, however, no study has investigated the relationships of multidimensional perfectionism and attitudes toward cognitive enhancers. The present study investigated these relationships in 272 university students examining different dimensions of perfectionism. Results showed that socially prescribed perfectionism, perfectionist concerns and doubts, and perceived parental pressure to be perfect showed positive correlations with attitudes favoring the use of cognitive enhancers. In contrast, self-oriented perfectionism, perfectionist personal standards, and organization showed negative correlations. The findings suggest that perfectionism may play a role as both a risk factor for and a protective factor against using cognitive enhancers depending on what dimensions of perfectionism are regarded

The meaning of materiality: reconsidering the materiality of Gramscian IR

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H110alpha recombination-line emission and 4.8-GHz continuum emission in the Carina Nebula

We present results from observations of H110alpha recombination-line emission at 4.874 GHz and the related 4.8-GHz continuum emission towards the Carina Nebula using the Australia Telescope Compact Array. These data provide information on the velocity, morphology and excitation parameters of the ionized gas associated with the two bright HII regions within the nebula, Car I and Car II. They are consistent with both Car I and Car II being expanding ionization fronts arising from the massive star clusters Trumpler 14 and Trumpler 16, respectively. The overall continuum emission distribution at 4.8 GHz is similar to that at lower frequencies. For Car I, two compact sources are revealed that are likely to be young HII regions associated with triggered star formation. These results provide the first evidence of ongoing star formation in the northern region of the nebula. A close association between Car I and the molecular gas is consistent with a scenario in which Car I is currently carving out a cavity within the northern molecular cloud. The complicated kinematics associated with Car II point to expansion from at least two different centres. All that is left of the molecular cloud in this region are clumps of dense gas and dust which are likely to be responsible for shaping the striking morphology of the Car II components.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA