A Discriminative Representation of Convolutional Features for Indoor Scene Recognition

Indoor scene recognition is a multi-faceted and challenging problem due to the diverse intra-class variations and the confusing inter-class similarities. This paper presents a novel approach which exploits rich mid-level convolutional features to categorize indoor scenes. Traditionally used convolutional features preserve the global spatial structure, which is a desirable property for general object recognition. However, we argue that this structuredness is not much helpful when we have large variations in scene layouts, e.g., in indoor scenes. We propose to transform the structured convolutional activations to another highly discriminative feature space. The representation in the transformed space not only incorporates the discriminative aspects of the target dataset, but it also encodes the features in terms of the general object categories that are present in indoor scenes. To this end, we introduce a new large-scale dataset of 1300 object categories which are commonly present in indoor scenes. Our proposed approach achieves a significant performance boost over previous state of the art approaches on five major scene classification datasets

APPLICATION OF OUTCOME BASED CURRICULUM DESIGN STRATEGY AS AN EFFECTIVE MECHANISM FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Purpose: Outcome based curriculum one of the fastest implementing curriculum approach in the field of curriculum development process all over the world today. The purpose of this study is to examine the factors affect the intention to use SOLO taxonomy in the development of outcome based curriculum model in the secondary level school education. Method: This study applied SOLO Taxonomy model and input-process-outcome model to develop the conceptual framework for the study. Data is collected through questionnaires filled Accounting teachers in secondary schools, Accounting lecturers, academic staff of Ministry of Education and senior lecturers worked in curriculum development workshops in National Institute in Education (NIE) in Sri Lanka. Findings: It is found that there is a positive, strong and significant relationship between curriculum development inputs and outcome based curriculum development decision making process. Furthermore, there is a moderating effect of age, teaching experience and experience in curriculum development process on the relationship between curriculum development inputs and outcome based curriculum development decision making process. Value: The study addresses the need for curriculum decision making process. The study contributes to the curriculum policy making process. Findings of the study provide necessary guidance for curriculum policy makers and the policy makers in the general education field. Moreover, findings of this study contribute to the area of curriculum development that was beneficial to arrive at the proper decision making in constructing our own curriculum. Finally, the guidelines of this study will fulfill the requirement of the secondary school curriculum development program.  Article visualizations

TEACHERS PERCEPTIONS OF CLASSROOM PRACTICES BASED ON SOLO TAXONOMY IN SECONDARY SCHOOL SYSTEM

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the conceptual awareness of accounting teachers in their teaching learning process based on SOLO Taxonomy curriculum approach in secondary level schools. Further, the study explored the relationship between the curriculum development inputs and the SOLO based curriculum development process. The curriculum development inputs are teacher effectiveness, school community, school environment and technology availability. Method: Data was collected through questionnaires survey administration of accounting teachers in secondary level school in Sri Lanka. The respondent was selected on the basis of their subject and their experience. The data obtained from the teachers was input into the program Statistical Package for Social Sciences software package. Multiple Regression Analysis was applied to examine the relationship between Dependent variable and Independent variable to interpret the among curriculum development inputs and SOLO based curriculum development process. On the other hand, the study was analyzed moderating effect of individual factors between the relationship curriculum development inputs and SOLO based curriculum development process. Findings: The result indicates that the teacher’s attitudes and availability of SOLO based curriculum materials will exert the most influence upon the teaching leaning process in the secondary level schools. The results further incited that the moderating effect of age, teaching experience and experience in curriculum development process to the relationship between curriculum development inputs to the SOLO based curriculum development process. According to the analysis the gender does not moderate the relationship curriculum development inputs and the SOLO based curriculum development process. Value: The study will be applicable for curriculum development process to accounting curriculum and improve the performance of student competency level not only students who learnt accountancy but also throughout all other students in secondary level schools. The study assists curriculum policy makers in the field of curriculum development process in general education system to understand the issues related to outcome based curriculum development process in current era. Hence, findings of this study could be used to guide them in enhancing curriculum reforms and implementing new curriculum approach to enhance and overcome the current issues. The findings of this study will inform curriculum policy makers and educationists who wish to apply new curriculum approach on how they can develop SOLO based curriculum for the current education system. Thus, the findings of this study contribute to the area of curriculum development that was beneficial to arrive at the proper decision making in constructing our own curriculum. The guidelines of this study will fulfill the requirement of the secondary school curriculum development program.  Article visualizations

CURRICULUM POLICY MAKERS PERCEPTIONS OF CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT PROCESS BASED ON SOLO TAXONOMY IN SECONDARY LEVEL SCHOOLS IN SRI LANKA

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the conceptual awareness of curriculum policy makers on curriculum development process based on SOLO Taxonomy curriculum approach in secondary level schools. Further, the study explored the relationship between the curriculum development inputs and the SOLO based curriculum development process. The curriculum development inputs are teacher effectiveness, school community, school environment and technology availability. Method: Data was collected through questionnaires survey administration of curriculum developers in relation to the curriculum of secondary level schools in Sri Lanka. The respondents were selected on the basis of their subject which they are involving and their experience. The obtained data was analysed through SPSS software package. Regression Analysis was applied to examine the relationship between Dependent variable and Independent variable to interpret the among curriculum development inputs and SOLO based curriculum development process. On the other hand, the study was analyzed moderating effect of individual factors between the relationship curriculum development inputs and SOLO based curriculum development process. Findings: The results indicate that the curriculum policy makers attitudes and availability of SOLO based curriculum materials will exert the most influence upon the teaching leaning process in the secondary level schools. The results further incited that the moderating effect of level of education to the relationship between curriculum development inputs to the SOLO based curriculum development process. According to the analysis the job category does not moderate the relationship between curriculum development inputs and the SOLO based curriculum development process. Value: The study will be applicable for curriculum development process to accounting subject and improve the performance of student competency level not only students who are learning accountancy but also all other students in secondary level schools. The study assists curriculum policy makers in the field of curriculum development process in general education system to understand the issues related to outcome based curriculum development process in current era. Hence, findings of this study could be used to guide them in enhancing curriculum reforms and implementing new curriculum approach to enhance and overcome the current issues. The findings of this study will inform curriculum policy makers and educationists who wish to apply new curriculum approach on how they can develop SOLO based curriculum for the current education system. Thus, the findings of this study contribute to the area of curriculum development that was beneficial to arrive at the proper decision making in constructing our own curriculum. The guidelines of this study will fulfill the requirement of the secondary school curriculum development program

Martian Magma Evolution from Olivine-Hosted Melt Inclusions in Shergottites Using MELTS Models

Shergottites, the largest martian meteorite group, come from at least two geochemically different source reservoirs i.e. incompatible trace element (ITE)-depleted and enriched. The depleted shergottites are thought to be derived from an ITE-depleted mantle reservoir, while enriched shergottites are thought to be derived from an ITE-enriched mantle reservoir that represents late stage residual melt from a magma ocean or interaction with martian crust. Moreover, the martian crust is distinct from shergottites, by being highly oxidized, distinctly ITE-enriched, and older. The link between the crust and shergottite compositions is poorly understood. Here we model shergottite differentiation to resolve the origin of enriched shergottites and why the bulk martian crust is compositionally distinct from shergottites. Early formed olivine-hosted melt inclusions can provide primary melt composition from which the parental magma had crystallized and also information at different stages of crystallization during parent magma differentiation that leads to shergottite magma evolution as well as crustal contribution assessment. We analyzed olivine-hosted melt inclusions of two enriched poikilitic shergottites for their major, minor and trace element concentrations using electron microprobe and laser ablation ICP-MS. We corrected the melt inclusion compositions for post-entrapment re-equilibration with their host olivine. To comprehend the crystallization sequence of these rocks and whether the melt entrapment is consistent with the crystallization, we use MELTS models for equilibrium and fractional crystallization. The results of these models suggest that all the melts were trapped in a closed system progressive crystallization at 1150-1210 C within 1 kbar to 1 bar pressure that is equivalent to <8.5 km, implying melt entrapment without any additional exogenous materials

Applying a small doable action behaviour change approach to address monumental challenges in S.W. Bangladesh

CLTS focuses on trigger commitment to ending open defecation. But what do you do when communities practice fixed point defecation, yet almost NONE of it is hygienic and it leaks into the environment??This paper will first generally describe the USAID WASHplus/Bangladesh activity, and continue to highlight some of the innovative behaviour change approaches we are applying to a particularly challenging area of Southwestern Bangladesh. Our approach to increasing the practice of WASH behaviours is both theory-based and grounded in established best practice, and focuses on making change possible and sustainable by addressing both essential ‘supply’ of key WASH products and negotiating a menu of “small doable actions” that are both feasible and effective for resource constrained households

Basaltic Shergottite NWA 856: Differentiation of a Martian Magma

NWA 856 or Djel Ibone, is a basaltic shergottite discovered as a single stone of 320 g in South Morocco in April, 2001. This meteorite is fresh, i.e. shows minimal terrestrial weathering for a desert find. No shergottite discovered in North Africa can be paired with NWA 856. The purpose of this study is to constrain its crystallization history using textural observations, crystallization sequence modeling and in-situ trace element analysis in order to understand differentiation in shergottite magmatic systems

Trace Element Abundances of Olivine-Hosted Melt Inclusions in Shergottites Northwest Africa 7397 and Robert Massif 04262

Olivine-hosted melt inclusions (MIs) may retain trapped parent magma compositions as well as record progressive differentiation while magmas crystallize and ascend towards the surface [1,2 and references therein]. Major element compositions of the MIs, especially Fe and Mg, can be affected by post-entrapment re-equilibration with their host olivine [1,2]. Therefore, Fe/Mg ratio correction is required to obtain MI bulk compositions following equilibrium with their host olivine. Partition coefficients of most of the trace elements in olivine are very low (i.e. DOL/melt<0.001). Thus, ratios of trace elements of olivine-hosted MIs are unlikely to be affected by post-entrapment re-equilibration and no correction is necessary [2]. Hence, tracking trace element behavior in MIs may constrain the composition of the parent magma and its evolution yielding insights on magma differentiation of shergottites. However, analyzing MIs for chemical compositions is a challenging task due to their low abundances and small sizes. Using a highly sensitive and precise micro-beam technique is essential to examine olivine-hosted MIs in order to measure trace element abundances. For this purpose, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is an excellent tool due to its wide range of laser spot sizes (1-150 m), ability to obtain raster analysis (several mm2) and lower detection limits (0.1 ppb) [3]

Optimal design for epoxy polymer concrete based on mechanical properties and durability aspects

Polymer concrete has shown a number of promising applications in building and construction, but its mix design process remains arbitrary due to lack of understanding of how constituent materials influence performance. This paper investigated the effect of resin-to-filler ratio and matrix-to-aggregate ratio on mechanical and durability properties of epoxy-based polymer concrete in order to optimise its mix design. A novel combination of fire-retardant, hollow microsphere and fly ash fillers were used and specimens were prepared using resin-to-filler ratios by volume from 100:0 to 40:60 at 10% increment. Another group of specimens were prepared using matrix-to-aggregate ratios from 1:0 decreasing to 1:0.45, 1:0.90 and 1:1.35 by weight at constant resin-to-filler ratio. The specimens were inspected and tested under compressive, tensile and flexural loading conditions. The epoxy polymer matrix shows excellent durability in air, water, saline solution, and hygrothermal environments. Results show that the resin-to-filler ratio has significant influence on the spatial distribution of aggregates. Severe segregation occurred when the matrix contained less than 40% filler while a uniform aggregate distribution was obtained when the matrix had at least 40% filler. Moreover, the tensile strength, flexural strength and ductility decreased with decrease in matrix-to-aggregate ratio. Empirical models for polymer concrete were proposed based on the experimental results. The optimal resin-to-filler ratio was 70:30 and 60:40 for non-uniform and uniform distribution of aggregates, respectively, while a matrix-to-aggregate ratio of 1:1.35 was optimal in terms of achieving a good balance between performance and cost