Identifying music documents in a collection of images

Digital libraries and search engines are now well-equipped to find images of documents based on queries. Many images of music scores are now available, often mixed up with textual documents and images. For example, using the Google “images” search feature, a search for “Beethoven” will return a number of scores and manuscripts as well as pictures of the composer. In this paper we report on an investigation into methods to mechanically determine if a particular document is indeed a score, so that the user can specify that only musical scores should be returned. The goal is to find a minimal set of features that can be used as a quick test that will be applied to large numbers of documents. A variety of filters were considered, and two promising ones (run-length ratios and Hough transform) were evaluated. We found that a method based around run-lengths in vertical scans (RL) that out-performs a comparable algorithm using the Hough transform (HT). On a test set of 1030 images, RL achieved recall and precision of 97.8% and 88.4% respectively while HT achieved 97.8% and 73.5%. In terms of processor time, RL was more than five times as fast as HT

Design and Prototyping of a Variable Geometry Extrusion Die to Exhibit Significant Alteration of Shape

Extruded parts are conventionally made by forcing melted plastic through a steel die having a fixed opening that matches the shape of the part. Plastic parts made by extrusion include weather stripping, PVC pipe, and composite lumber. Variable geometry dies can change their opening shape during the extrusion process. Developing shape-changing dies technology offers the possibility of making parts with varying cross-sections that currently need to be made through injection molding. This is desirable as, compared to molding, extrusion tends to be faster and less expensive. Variable geometry extrusion dies have been designed and prototyped by the University of Dayton research team that confirms the validity of the concept. This research explores the limits of this new technology by creating a die that has substantial movement of components that form the die opening

Accuracy of Retrospective Reports of Family Environment

Retrospective reports of family environments are often the only way to collect data concerning the influence of a child's experience in the family on later development. However, the accuracy of retrospective measures can be problematic because of social desirability or potential failures of memory. The purpose of this study is to compare retrospective and prospective measures of family environment. In this unique study, 198 parents and 241 adolescent children (mean age 15.7) described their family environment, and then 25 years later completed retrospective reports. We test the effects of memory, positivity, gender, and generation on retrospective reports, as well as testing the ability of prospective and retrospective measures to predict adult well-being and adult-child/elder-parent relationships. Results show moderate correlations of .30 - .45 between prospective and retrospective measures. In examining the relative effectiveness of prospective and retrospective measures to predict later life outcomes, we find that retrospective reports of the family environment most validly capture influences on the child in domains of strong emotional content but are less successful in cognitive domains

The development, implementation and evaluation of an academic research scaffold to support trainee teachers in classroom based research.

This paper presents findings of the second phase of an impact study originating from the authorsʼ need to improve the ability of Professional Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) design and technology teacher trainees to research at postgraduate level. The work emanates from observations that many talented trainee teachers who are excellent classroom practitioners frequently struggle to disseminate research work based on traditional academic formats. The methodological approach adopted throughout the study is grounded theory. This has been selected as it enables the simultaneous gathering of data which, following analysis, allows the findings to inform subsequent phases of research. In the second phase of this work, twelve trainee teachers engaged with the study and the work conducted here set out to explore their perceptions, perspectives and experiences in relation to their adoption and implementation of the ʻscaffoldʼ as a tool to improve their ability to work successfully at post graduate levels of study. Data gathered was designed to elicit further information in relation to their perceptions of the suitability of the scaffold and in the evaluation of its use. The focus for the semi-structured interviews focused on two primary lines of questioning: Did the trainees find the alternative methodological approach ʻhelpfulʼ and if so how? Could they (trainees) identify any areas for improvement? Preliminary findings indicate that through engagement with the research scaffold attainment of trainees is raised. Findings strongly suggest that the scaffold is a useful tool in supporting trainees to structure their Level 7 (L7) work and of the trainee teachers utilising the scaffold in this phase of the study each achieved L7 in the production of their research work. Drawing on this, the paper also discusses issues about the validity and value of the ʻpractitioner basedʼ educational research which could well be of significance to the wider educational community

The Partner Study: Sexual Risks

poster abstractThe Partner Study is a five-year, NIH-Funded research project focused on the potential sexual transmission of HIV from those with the disease to their partners without the disease and on to other sex partners. The project interviewed 114 people with HIV (HIV+), 114 of their sex partners without HIV (HIV-), and also 146 HIV- persons without an HIV+ partner. The project focuses on the reasons why people protect themselves and others. It thus examines such factors as knowledge of HIV, concern about getting or giving the disease, the impact of social norms, partners’ disclosure of HIV status, and ability to communicate with one’s sex partner(s). The findings to be presented include: • A test of the AIDS Risk Reduction Model that is designed to identify the critical factors that determine the activation of a person’s self protection motivation. • An examination of the relevance of social norms to HIV-protection behaviors. Though social scientists have relied on social norms as explanations for behavior since Durkheim, in these findings (1) social norms appear to have a modest effect on behavior even in areas where norms of protection had been thought to be strong and (2) enforcement of social norms is unrelated to eventual behavior. • An examination of multiple reasons people give for using or not using condoms and what those reasons say about their motivations and actual condom use. • An examination of how privacy rules regulate the disclosure of information about HIV to sex partners. Using the Communication Privacy Management perspective (Petronio, 2002), this study examines the privacy boundary surrounding information about HIV status by both the HIV+ partner and the HIV- partner

The Legacy of MTL

The aim of the roundtable is to provide a forum that will facilitate and encourage discussion between colleagues from a range of backgrounds to engage in lively debate around the session’s title and focus question; Is teaching still going to become a Masters level profession

Reducing the practice gap between the design and technology curriculum and the needs of the textile design/manufacturing industry.

This paper discusses the potential practice gap between design and technology needs for a progressive creative society and the perceptions of teachers who work within it. The study, based on work carried out in North West England, compares the viewpoints of two sources; textile technology industrialists who are expert in the fields of high performance textiles, medical textiles, geo-textiles and apparel manufacturing, design and technology teachers who have responsibility for the delivery and content of textile technology within schools and sixth form colleges. Previous work in this ongoing study has examined the changing nature of textile technology in modern industrial societies and the perceptions practising teachers have about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) applications within the textile technology field, and how these relate to their own ʻtheories-in-useʼ about design and technology teaching and learning. Constructivist grounded theory has been chosen for the research as a whole because its concurrent data gathering and analysis approach allows outcomes from each phase of the study to define the purpose and direction of subsequent research. Thus, this research has been informed by findings from previous work on the role of textile technology and its relationship to modern industrial and design practices (see Hughes et al. 2010; Hughes et al. 2011). This paper describes the purpose of the work and its relationship to design and technology factors such as the needs of modern industry and STEM issues. Details of the constructivist grounded theory approach are briefly discussed and outcomes considered in terms of data gathering methods. Data from the two groups of respondents i.e. industrialists and textile technology teachers are compared to identify the practice gap that may exist between the needs of a progressive, creative textile technology industrial sector and aspects of the technological curriculum which are delivered at the school level. Findings indicate that there is a shift away from textiles teaching based on technologically oriented applications to one predominantly based on art and design. However, it is argued that STEM aspects should underpin design aspects of the textile curriculum to make it applicable to the needs of an advanced and sustainable textile industrial base

Sensing gestures for business intelligence

The combination of sensor data with analytic techniques is growing in popularity for both practitioners and researchers as an Internet of Things (IoT) offers new opportunities and insights. Organisations are trying to use sensor technologies to derive intelligence and gain a competitive edge in their industries. Obtaining data from sensors might not pose too much of a problem, however subsequent utilisation in meeting an organisation’s decision making can be more problematic. Understanding how sensor data analytics can be undertaken is the first step to deriving business intelligence from front line retail environments. This paper explores the use of the Microsoft Kinect sensor to provide intelligence by identifying and sensing gestures to better understand customer behaviour in the retail space

Social Norms: Do We Love Norms Too Much?

Social norms are often cited as the cause of many social phenomena, especially as an explanation for prosocial family and relationship behaviors. And yet maybe we love the idea of social norms too much, as suggested by our failure to subject them to rigorous test. Compared to the detail in social norms theoretical orientations, there is very little detail in tests of normative theories. To provide guidance to researchers who invoke social norms as explanations, we catalog normative orientations that have been proposed to account for consistent patterns of action. We call on researchers to conduct tests of normative theories and the processes such theories assert

Underpinning The STEM Agenda Through Technological Textiles? An exploration of design technology teachers’ attitudes.

This paper discusses ongoing research into the role of design and technology education in emerging post industrial economies. Previous work (Hughes et al., 2010) focused on the changing characteristics of textiles technology in modern times and discussed how this could inform a design and technology curriculum related to the needs of a modern textile technology workforce. This current paper reports on the second stage of the grounded theory programme in which theoretically sampled data from the first phase provides the direction and purpose for the work presented here. Within this context, this research explores practising teachers’ perceptions of textile technology associated with the emergent STEM agenda. Data gathered supports the view that technological aspects of design and technology closely linked to the STEM agenda are needed to provide a firm foundation for the design aspects of the subject. Without a STEM focus, the subject may lose its hard won importance in the UK schools and colleges’ curriculum. This is especially the case in an economic climate in which curriculum design stakeholders may be forced to review the content of the national curriculum across all key stages as a whole