Dance interrogations

A site-specific solo dance work created and performed by Dianne Reid. The work interacts directly with the audience who must move in and around the dance action in intimate and non-traditional performance locations. The dancer creates the performance in real-time, improvising her movement and text in response to the location and the particular audience members she encounters there. The work also incorporates projected video imagery using the skin as projection screen, and a unique soundscape is created for each performance drawn from the music and effects library of SA composer Stuart Day.

Dance interrogations

A site-specific solo dance work created and performed by Dianne Reid. The work interacts directly with the audience who must move in and around the dance action in intimate and non-traditional performance locations. The dancer creates the performance in real-time, improvising her movement and text in response to the location and the particular audience members she encounters there. The work also incorporates projected video imagery using the skin as projection screen, and a unique soundscape is created for each performance drawn from the music and effects library of SA composer Stuart Day.

The more things change, the more they stay the same : the 2012 alternative film/video festival

The Alternative Film/Video Festival in Belgrade has historically been one of a triumvirate of critical festivals, with Pula’s MAFAF (1965-1990) and Zagreb’s initiating GEFF (1963-70), servicing experimental, exploratory, avant-garde, personal film in the former Yugoslavia, at Belgrade’s Academic Film Center (AFC) within the Student City Cultural Centre (DKSG). Initiated in 1982 it was resurrected in 2003 with a dual regional and international focus after a hiatus due to the collapse of the socialist states of the former Yugoslavia. As well as a series of curated and retrospective programs each competition program is now split into international and regional halves, selected by Greg de Cuir and Zoran Saveski with production support by Milan Milosavljević. Two film workshops were also available. One on scratch film by Ivan Ladislav Galeta, the other on filming and processing led by Vassily Bourakis. Initiated by de Cuir the first Alternative Film/Video Research Forum was part of the festival this year bringing together research on alternative/ experimental/ avant-garde/ underground film and video. Although I participated in this side-bar I will concentrate here more on discussions from the festival roundtable and contextualise a small number of films, a couple from competition but mainly regional work that I would find difficult to encounter without attendance here.

Multi-modal abnormality detection in video with unknown data segmentation

This paper examines a new problem in large scale stream data: abnormality detection which is localized to a data segmentation process. Unlike traditional abnormality detection methods which typically build one unified model across data stream, we propose that building multiple detection models focused on different coherent sections of the video stream would result in better detection performance. One key challenge is to segment the data into coherent sections as the number of segments is not known in advance and can vary greatly across cameras; and a principled way approach is required. To this end, we first employ the recently proposed infinite HMM and collapsed Gibbs inference to automatically infer data segmentation followed by constructing abnormality detection models which are localized to each segmentation. We demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed framework in a real-world surveillance camera data over 14 days.

Projection-pursuit-based method for blind separation of nonnegative sources

This paper presents a projection pursuit (PP) based method for blind separation of nonnegative sources. First, the available observation matrix is mapped to construct a new mixing model, in which the inaccessible source matrix is normalized to be column-sum-to-1. Then, the PP method is proposed to solve this new model, where the mixing matrix is estimated column by column through tracing the projections to the mapped observations in specified directions, which leads to the recovery of the sources. The proposed method is much faster than Chan's method, which has similar assumptions to ours, due to the usage of optimal projection. It is also more advantageous in separating cross-correlated sources than the independence- and uncorrelation-based methods, as it does not employ any statistical information of the sources. Furthermore, the new method does not require the mixing matrix to be nonnegative. Simulation results demonstrate the superior performance of our method.

Parents' and children's views on whether active video games are a substitute for the 'real thing'

Background:
Research has examined the energy cost associated with playing seated and active video games (AVGs), but not whether AVGs may benefit fundamental movement skills (FMS) in typically developing children. Improving FMS proficiency is a priority given its association with physical activity. This study aimed to identify children’s and parents’ perceptions of: (1) AVGs as a tool for developing FMS and (2) whether any skills gained during AVG play had potential to transfer to real life.

Methods:
This qualitative descriptive study included 29 parents of children aged 9–10 years who participated in semi-structured telephone interviews and 34 children who participated in six group discussions at school. Interview and discussion group data were recorded, transcribed and analysed thematically.

Results:
Parents and children had different perspectives on the potential of AVGs for FMS, which largely rested on different views of ‘reality’. Parents felt AVGs were not a substitute for the ‘real thing’, and therefore had limited FMS benefits. Overall, parents thought any FMS gained through AVGs would have poor transferability to ‘real life’. In contrast, children had a more fluid and expansive view of reality which incorporated both ‘real life’ and ‘virtual’ space. Whilst children could articulate limitations of AVGs for skill learning, they still reported extensive use of AVGs as a learning tool for movement skill, and considered that skill acquisition was highly transferable.

Conclusions:
Despite contrasting beliefs from parents and children, children used AVGs for FMS learning. Future research needs to determine whether actual FMS benefits are gained through AVGs.

The use of video recording in professional development of teachers and teacher educators in Indonesia

Design-based research has gained currency in educational research over the past decade due to its strength to bridge the divide between theoretical research and educational practice in naturalistic settings. Design based approaches involve a process of designing mathematical tasks, observing the enacted design in classrooms and reflecting on the process from analysing the classroom artifacts. Video plays a central role in supporting teachers and teacher educators to study and reflect on students’ mathematical thinking and in capturing the dynamic of classroom teaching and learning process.

This chapter will examine and analyse practitioner’s lenses in capturing the dynamic and complexity of classroom mathematical learning using video segments, and classroom artifacts including digital photos of classroom moments and students’ work. Practitioners’ lenses are taken as a window to capture key teaching and learning moments from the lessons. Analysis of this selection of these video segments along with other classroom artifacts based on practitioners’ lenses provide insights into practitioners’ views on key teaching and learning moments in mathematics lessons.

Video driven traffic modelling in ParamicsTM

With urbanization and vehicle availability, there exist many traffic problems including congestion, environmental impact and safety. In order to address these problems, we propose a video driven traffic modelling system in this paper. The system can simulate real-world traffic activities in a computer, based on traffic data recorded in videos. Video processing is employed to estimate metrics such as traffic volumes. These metrics are used to update the traffic system model, which is then simulated using the Paramics™ traffic simulation platform. Video driven traffic modelling has widespread potential application in traffic systems, due to the convenience and reduced costs of model development and maintenance. Experiments are conducted in this paper to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed system.

Impact of an active video game on healthy children’s physical activity

OBJECTIVE: This naturalistic study tests whether children receiving a new (to them) active video game spontaneously engage in more physical activity than those receiving an inactive video game, and whether the effect would be greater among children in unsafe neighborhoods, who might not be allowed to play outside.

METHODS: Participants were children 9 to 12 years of age, with a BMI >50th percentile, but <99th percentile; none of these children a medical condition that would preclude physical activity or playing video games. A randomized clinical trial assigned children to receiving 2 active or 2 inactive video games, the peripherals necessary to run the games, and a Wii console. Physical activity was monitored by using accelerometers for 5 weeks over the course of a 13-week experiment. Neighborhood safety was assessed with a 12 item validated questionnaire.

RESULTS: There was no evidence that children receiving the active video games were more active in general, or at anytime, than children receiving the inactive video games. The outcomes were not moderated by parent perceived neighborhood safety, child BMI z score, or other demographic characteristics.

CONCLUSIONS: These results provide no reason to believe that simply acquiring an active video game under naturalistic circumstances provides a public health benefit to children.

Active video games for youth : a systematic review

Background: A population level increase in physical activity (PA) is critical to reduce obesity in youth. Video games are highly popular and active video games (AVGs) have the potential to play a role in promoting youth PA.

Method: Studies on AVG play energy expenditure (EE) and maintenance of play in youth were systematically identified in the published literature and assessed for quality and informational value.

Results: Nine studies measuring AVG play EE were identified. The meta-analytic estimates of average METs across these studies were 3.1 (95% CI: 2.6, 3.6) to 3.2 (95% CI: 2.7, 3.7). No games elicited an average EE above the 6 MET threshold for vigorous EE. Observed differences between studies were likely due to the different types of games used, rather than age or gender. Four studies related to maintenance of play were identified. Most studies reported AVG use declined over time. Studies were of low-to-medium quality.

Conclusion: AVGs are capable of generating EE in youth to attain PA guidelines. Few studies have assessed sustainability of AVG play, which appears to diminish after a short period of time for most players. Better-quality future research must address how AVG play could be maintained over longer periods of time.

Video driven traffic modelling

We propose Video Driven Traffic Modelling (VDTM) for accurate simulation of real-world traffic behaviours with detailed information and low-cost model development and maintenance. Computer vision techniques are employed to estimate traffic parameters. These parameters are used to build and update a traffic system model. The model is simulated using the Paramics traffic simulation platform. Based on the simulation techniques, effects of traffic interventions can be evaluated in order to achieve better decision makings for traffic management authorities. In this paper, traffic parameters such as vehicle types, times of starting trips and corresponding origin-destinations are extracted from a video. A road network is manually defined according to the traffic composition in the video, and individual vehicles associated with extracted properties are modelled and simulated within the defined road network using Paramics. VDTM has widespread potential applications in supporting traffic decision-makings. To demonstrate the effectiveness, we apply it in optimizing a traffic signal control system, which adaptively adjusts green times of signals at an intersection to reduce traffic congestion.