Two-way text messaging: an interactive mobile learning environment in higher education

Short messaging service (SMS) is perhaps the most popular mobile technology prevalent among students in higher education due to its ubiquitous nature and the capability of two-way communication. However, a major limitation in two-way text messaging is sending back a part of received data with the reply message. This limitation results in users of a mobile learning environment being unable to reply back to the correct destination. This article presents a two-way text messaging system that can be integrated into a learning management system (LMS) to provide an interactive learning experience to the user community. Initially, a database is integrated into the LMS that holds message information such as recipient's phone number, message body and user data header. A specific port associated with the SMS is used to conceal and exchange data of a particular course unit. Subsequently, software in the student's mobile device captures this message and sends back the reply message to the appropriate course unit allowing both teachers and students to view messages sent and replies received pertaining to a particular course. Results indicate the educational impact of the proposed system in improving the learning environment and benefits it offers to the community in a campus-wide implementation

Real-Time Subtitle Generator for Sinhala Speech

In today’s digital era, the significance of speech recognition technology cannot be overstated as it plays a pivotal role in enabling human-computer interaction and supporting various applications. This paper focuses on the development of a real-time subtitle generator for Sinhala speech using speech recognition techniques. The CMUSphinx toolkit, an open-source toolkit based on the Hidden Markov Model (HMM), is employed for the implementation of the application. Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC) are utilized for feature extraction from the given ’wav’ format recordings. The paper places significant emphasis on the importance of a real-time subtitle generator for Sinhala speech and explores the existing literature in the field. It outlines the objectives of the research and discusses the achieved outcomes. By fine-tuning hyperparameters to enhance the recognition accuracy of the system, impressive results of 88.28% training accuracy and 11.72% Word Error Rate (WER) are attained. Thesignificance of this research is underscored by its methodological advancements, robust performance metrics, and the potential impact on facilitating seamless interactions and applications in the Sinhala speech domain. Keywords: Speech recognition, Real-time, Subtitle, CMUSphinx, Open source, Hidden Markov Model, Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients, ’wav’, Accuracy, Word Error Rat

Single Chip Solution with1-Wire Communication Protocol to Interface Digital Transducers to Sensor Networks

A virtual laboratory application setup is used to control and monitorremotely the operation of several sensor nodes placed at different geographicallocations. In this paper, we present the design of a generalized, low-cost and reconfigurablesmart sensor node using a Zigbee with a Field-Programmable Gate Array(FPGA) that embeds all processing and communication functionalities based on theIEEE 1451 family of standards with communication taking place through a 1-wireprotocol. The architecture of the sensor node is based on the single chip concept thatincludes communication, processing and transducer control functionalities. Theproposed architecture reduces the physical size, power and increases speedup ofprocessing due to inter-module communication. Results indicate the accuracy of theproposed system is tested with a temperature sensor which has 1-wire protocol

A novel predictive model for capturing threats for facilitating effective social distancing in COVID-19

Social distancing is one of the simple and effective shields for every individual to control spreading of virus in present scenario of pandemic coronavirus disease (COVID-19). However, existing application of social distancing is a basic model and it is also characterized by various pitfalls in case of dynamic monitoring of infected individual accurately. Review of existing literature shows that there has been various dedicated research attempt towards social distancing using available technologies, however, there are further scope of improvement too. This paper has introduced a novel framework which is capable of computing the level of threat with much higher degree of accuracy using distance and duration of stay as elementary parameters. Finally, the model can successfully classify the level of threats using deep learning. The study outcome shows that proposed system offers better predictive performance in contrast to other approaches

Literacy, education and health development Annotated bibliography

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/23990/1/0000239.pd

Curating the Christian arts of Asia: global art histories at the Asian civilisations museum

This essay examines the transformation of the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) into a global art histories museum. An analysis of the new Christian Art Gallery and its objects that date from the eighth through the twentieth century illuminates the ways in which the ACM engages with global art histories in a permanent gallery and not only through special exhibitions. This essay begins with a history of the ACM and its transition from a museum for the “ancestral cultures of Singapore” to one with a new mission focusing on multicultural Singapore and its connections to the wider world. Hence, taking a thematic approach, the ACM's new galleries question how museums generally display objects along national lines or regional boundaries. This essay also brings attention to the multiple mediums and functions of Christian art from both the geographical locations that usually are associated with Asian art and also from cultures that are rarely taught or exhibited, such as TimorLeste, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. While showcasing the diferent moments that Christianity came to Asia, the museum also emphasizes the agencies of Asian artistic practitioners in those global encounters. Although appreciative of the ways in which the ACM's Christian Art Gallery reveal the various tensions within global art histories and break down hegemonic constructions of Christian art from Asia, this essay also ofers a critique. Highlighting this unusual engagement with Christian art by an Asian art museum, the new gallery reveals that museums and exhibitions can add to the conversations on global art histories

From Kovils to Devales: Patronage and "Influence" at Buddhist and Hindu Temples in Sri Lanka

AbstractFrom Kovils to Devales : Patronage and "Influence" at Buddhist and Hindu Temples in Sri LankaBy Sujatha Arundathi MeegamaDoctor of Philosophy in History of ArtUniversity of California, BerkeleyProfessor Joanna Williams, ChairThis dissertation examines two types of temples--kovils and devales--dedicated to deities associated with the two main ethnic groups in Sri Lanka: Tamil Hindus and Sinhalese Buddhists, respectively. It studies the relationships between these two temple spaces, as well as their respective histories in medieval and early-modern Sri Lanka, by examining patterns of patronage and visual dialogues between artisan workshops. The patronage of such temples by multiple patrons, such as kings, local rulers, monks, ministers, merchants, and ordinary people, suggests that people of diverse ethnic, religious, and social background were all key players in the negotiation of cultural and religious boundaries in medieval Sri Lanka. The wall ornamentation, pillars, basement moldings, and doorways of these temples indicate the presence of multiple workshops, which appropriated and transformed South Indian temple building practices; hence, this study also highlights the role of South Indian and local artisans, who negotiated cultural difference by engaging in dialogs across artistic boundaries.However, kovils and devales have long been viewed in scholarship and popular writings as dichotomous religio-ethnic spaces. Studied in isolation, they have also not been seen as part of the Sri Lankan art historical canon, which is dominated by the standard narrative on the Sinhalese Buddhist majority. My dissertation questions the oppositional binaries of South Indian and Sri Lankan, Hindu and Buddhist, Dravidian and Sinhalese, and invader and native that have heretofore framed the scholarship on Sri Lankan art. Drawing on the deeply connected art-historical approaches of patronage and appropriation, which focus on specific people and their actions, I argue for a more nuanced understanding of these religious monuments, and for a more inclusive Sri Lankan art-historical canon. The first chapter examines the Hindu temples of Polonnaruva and suggests that Sri Lankan kings, starting as early as the eleventh century, adopted a new ideal of kingship in which the patronage of temples to pan-Indic deities played a central role. The second chapter studies the incorporation of local and pan-Indic deities inside Buddhist temples in the fourteenth century by Buddhist monks and secular elites, and their appropriation of Dravida-style architecture. The third chapter investigates the patronage of a Saivite temple by a Sri Lankan king and its plunder at the hands of the Portuguese in the sixteenth century--it provides an alternative narrative in understanding the accusations of heresy against this king. Amidst the apparent hardening in early-modern Sri Lanka of the fluid religious boundaries that existed in earlier periods, the fourth chapter examines the localization of the pan-Indic deity Skanda Kumara (the son of Siva), who is known locally as Kataragama, by analyzing the patronage and ornamentation of temples to him in peripheral and non-elite contexts. In the epilogue, bringing together the four case studies I presented, I offer a narrative that attempts to map out the shifting identities of kovils and devales in medieval, early modern, and contemporary Sri Lanka

From Kovils to Devales: Patronage and "Influence" at Buddhist and Hindu Temples in Sri Lanka

AbstractFrom Kovils to Devales : Patronage and "Influence" at Buddhist and Hindu Temples in Sri LankaBy Sujatha Arundathi MeegamaDoctor of Philosophy in History of ArtUniversity of California, BerkeleyProfessor Joanna Williams, ChairThis dissertation examines two types of temples--kovils and devales--dedicated to deities associated with the two main ethnic groups in Sri Lanka: Tamil Hindus and Sinhalese Buddhists, respectively. It studies the relationships between these two temple spaces, as well as their respective histories in medieval and early-modern Sri Lanka, by examining patterns of patronage and visual dialogues between artisan workshops. The patronage of such temples by multiple patrons, such as kings, local rulers, monks, ministers, merchants, and ordinary people, suggests that people of diverse ethnic, religious, and social background were all key players in the negotiation of cultural and religious boundaries in medieval Sri Lanka. The wall ornamentation, pillars, basement moldings, and doorways of these temples indicate the presence of multiple workshops, which appropriated and transformed South Indian temple building practices; hence, this study also highlights the role of South Indian and local artisans, who negotiated cultural difference by engaging in dialogs across artistic boundaries.However, kovils and devales have long been viewed in scholarship and popular writings as dichotomous religio-ethnic spaces. Studied in isolation, they have also not been seen as part of the Sri Lankan art historical canon, which is dominated by the standard narrative on the Sinhalese Buddhist majority. My dissertation questions the oppositional binaries of South Indian and Sri Lankan, Hindu and Buddhist, Dravidian and Sinhalese, and invader and native that have heretofore framed the scholarship on Sri Lankan art. Drawing on the deeply connected art-historical approaches of patronage and appropriation, which focus on specific people and their actions, I argue for a more nuanced understanding of these religious monuments, and for a more inclusive Sri Lankan art-historical canon. The first chapter examines the Hindu temples of Polonnaruva and suggests that Sri Lankan kings, starting as early as the eleventh century, adopted a new ideal of kingship in which the patronage of temples to pan-Indic deities played a central role. The second chapter studies the incorporation of local and pan-Indic deities inside Buddhist temples in the fourteenth century by Buddhist monks and secular elites, and their appropriation of Dravida-style architecture. The third chapter investigates the patronage of a Saivite temple by a Sri Lankan king and its plunder at the hands of the Portuguese in the sixteenth century--it provides an alternative narrative in understanding the accusations of heresy against this king. Amidst the apparent hardening in early-modern Sri Lanka of the fluid religious boundaries that existed in earlier periods, the fourth chapter examines the localization of the pan-Indic deity Skanda Kumara (the son of Siva), who is known locally as Kataragama, by analyzing the patronage and ornamentation of temples to him in peripheral and non-elite contexts. In the epilogue, bringing together the four case studies I presented, I offer a narrative that attempts to map out the shifting identities of kovils and devales in medieval, early modern, and contemporary Sri Lanka

Active NURBS modeling of human brain surface

The aim of this research is to obtain a computational model of the human brain sur-face from Magnetic Resonance (MR) images for visualization, peeling and quantitative studies. Many clinical applications, exploiting brain imaging techniques, often require to view the brain surface patterns prior to reaching important conclusions. A typical MR image contains all the anatomical structures in the human head and therefore, a method is required to separate the brain matter from other external structures and display its surface patterns accurately. The present research attempts to achieve this task by peeling the brain from raw MR head scans and extracting the variations in brain surface patterns between healthy individuals.Doctor of Philosophy (SCE