A framework for event detection in field-sports video broadcasts based on SVM generated audio-visual feature model. Case-study: soccer video

In this paper we propose a novel audio-visual feature-based framework, for event detection in field sports broadcast video. The system is evaluated via a case-study involving MPEG encoded soccer video. Specifically, the evidence gathered by various feature detectors is combined by means of a learning algorithm (a support vector machine), which infers the occurrence of an event, based on a model generated during a training phase, utilizing a corpus of 25 hours of content. The system is evaluated using 25 hours of separate test content. Following an evaluation of results obtained, it is shown for this case, that both high precision and recall statistics are achievable

Audio processing for automatic TV sports program highlights detection

In today’s fast paced world, the time available to watch long sports programmes is decreasing, while the number of sports channels is rapidly increasing. Many viewers desire the facility to watch just the highlights of sports events. This paper presents a simple, but effective, method for generating sports video highlights summaries. Our method detects semantically important events in sports programmes by using the Scale Factors in the MPEG audio bitstream to generate an audio amplitude profile of the program. The Scale Factors for the subbands corresponding to the voice bandwidth give a strong indication of the level of commentator and/or spectator excitement. When periods of sustained high audio amplitude have been detected and ranked, the corresponding video shots may be concatenated to produce a summary of the program highlights. Our method uses only the Scale Factor information that is directly accessible from the MPEG bitstream, without any decoding, leading to highly efficient computation. It is also rather more generic than many existing techniques, being particularly suitable for the more popular sports televised in Ireland such as soccer, Gaelic football, hurling, rugby, horse racing and motor racing

Audio and video processing for automatic TV advertisement detection

As a partner in the Centre for Digital Video Processing, the Visual Media Processing Group at Dublin City University conducts research and development in the area of digital video management. The current stage of development is demonstrated on our Web-based digital video system called Físchlár [1,2], which provides for efficient recording, analyzing, browsing and viewing of digitally captured television programmes. In order to make the browsing of programme material more efficient, users have requested the option of automatically deleting advertisement breaks. Our initial work on this task focused on locating ad-breaks by detecting patterns of silent black frames which separate individual advertisements and/or complete ad-breaks in most commercial TV stations. However, not all TV stations use silent, black frames to flag ad-breaks. We therefore decided to attempt to detect advertisements using the rate of shot cuts in the digitised TV signal. This paper describes the implementation and performance of both methods of ad-break detection

Refining regional organization of services in the UK to improve outcomes of pregnancies delivering at extremely low gestational age

Care for pregnant women and their infants at extremely low gestational ages challenges clinical teams. The continuing rise in survival at gestational ages below 25 weeks has prompted re-evaluation of practice guidelines within the UK and other countries. This paper describes the background data that have guided our practice, the approach that has been taken to deliver optimal outcomes for pregnancies delivering at extremely low gestational age in the UK, mainly through centralising care, and discusses the research and audit data that support our practice. In particular, we emphasize the importance of a coordinated perinatal approach to both mother and infant, and careful assessment of the risks to both, to ensure that we develop the highest quality personalized care for each family, supported by national quality improvement and research evidence

Impact of Extraordinary Experiences on Teachers Science Identity

Experiential science learning is all about personal close encounters with the content, processes, and emotions of science. It is a philosophy that emphasizes learning from direct first-person experience and a holistic perspective that includes the self-construction of knowledge as well as emotions, attitudes and beliefs that combine to form a learner’s “science identity.” The Experiential Science Education Research Collaborative (XSci) at the University of Colorado Denver provides extraordinary experiences, internship and professional opportunities in collaboration with a large number of community, academic and government partners. Activities include local, regional and international field studies, internships, conference group presentations and science identity research. Although many organizations offer such experiential learning opportunities, there is little in the literature about the value of science learning professional development approaches as lived experiences, how they are interpreted by educators, how meaning is made and communicated, how such experiences are integrated into the identities and practice of those who choose to participate in them, and the impact on student perceptions and outcomes. If a teacher goes to Africa and climbs Mount Kilimanjaro, how does it matter to them as professional educators? Does it impact their personal and/or professional identity and practice in ways that are meaningful to their students? If so, how is that meaning made? What is the role of a cohort in making such experiences valuable? What is the essence of these experiences that makes them extraordinary for the participants? The research agenda for XSci examines educators engaged in extraordinary professional development experiences in order to understand the processes that make them extraordinary and valuable as well as how they contribute to improved classroom practice and student outcomes. This approach considers the larger picture surrounding such experiences, including: the complete design process; pre-journey, journey, and post-journey components; and the formation of durable educator cohorts that extend into the future. The session will discuss the various components of this program, both real and virtual experiences, the use of documentary filmmaking in the research and how we link the range of experiences