Detection and classification of road signs in natural environments

An automatic road sign recognition system first locates road signs within images captured by an imaging sensor on-board of a vehicle, and then identifies the detected road signs. This paper presents an automatic neural-network-based road sign recognition system. First, a study of the existing road sign recognition research is presented. In this study, the issues associated with automatic road sign recognition are described, the existing methods developed to tackle the road sign recognition problem are reviewed, and a comparison of the features of these methods is given. Second, the developed road sign recognition system is described. The system is capable of analysing live colour road scene images, detecting multiple road signs within each image, and classifying the type of road signs detected. The system consists of two modules: detection and classification. The detection module segments the input image in the hue-saturation-intensity colour space, and then detects road signs using a Multi-layer Perceptron neural-network. The classification module determines the type of detected road signs using a series of one to one architectural Multi-layer Perceptron neural networks. Two sets of classifiers are trained using the Resillient-Backpropagation and Scaled-Conjugate-Gradient algorithms. The two modules of the system are evaluated individually first. Then the system is tested as a whole. The experimental results demonstrate that the system is capable of achieving an average recognition hit-rate of 95.96% using the scaled-conjugate-gradient trained classifiers.

John Kerry and Pakistan : the road ahead

The nomination of John Kerry as the new US Secretary of State will be generally welcomed in Pakistan.  But the US-Pakistan bilateral relationship will continue to be difficult.

Do the numbers and locations of road-killed anuran carcasses accurately reflect impacts of vehicular traffic?

Road-killed animals are easy and inexpensive to survey, and may provide information about species distributions, abundances, and mortality rates. As with any sampling method, however, we need to explore methodological biases in such data. First, how does an animal's behavior (e.g., use of the center vs. periphery of the road) influence its vulnerability to vehicular traffic? Second, how rapidly do post-mortem processes (scavenging by other animals, destruction or displacement by subsequent vehicles) change the numbers and locations of roadkills? Our surveys of anurans on a highway in tropical Australia show that different anuran species are distributed in different ways across the width of the road, and that locations of live versus dead animals sometimes differ within a species. Experimental trials show that location on the road affects the probability of being hit by a vehicle, with anurans in the middle of the road begin hit 35% more often than anurans on the edges; thus, center-using species are more likely to be hit than edge-using taxa. The magnitude of post-mortem displacement and destruction by subsequent vehicles depended on anuran species and body size. The mean parallel displacement distance was 122.7 cm, and carcasses of thin-skinned species exhibited greater post-mortem destruction. Scavenging raptors removed 73% of carcasses, most within a few hours of sunrise. Removal rates were biased with respect to size and species. Overall, our studies suggest that investigators should carefully evaluate potential biases before using roadkill counts to estimate underlying animal abundances or mortality rates.

Ambiguities and inconsistencies in relation to the obligations of proxies under corporations law: a model for reform

This article reconsiders the important question which came to light as a result of the controversial 2002 Coles Myer annual general meeting: do directors that are appointed as proxy have an obligation to vote as directed (and indeed should they)? A recent decision of the New South Wales Supreme Court, which was subsequently approved on appeal, stands for the proposition that proxy holders are agents of the shareholders that appointed them. However, currently the Corporations Act only requires a Chairman appointed as proxy to vote as directed — not an ordinary director. This article briefly explains the present state of the law in Australia on this issue, and then explores some interesting recent judicial remarks which may suggest that ordinary directors appointed as proxy must vote as directed in order to satisfy their director’s duties (both common law and statutory) to the company. We finally outline a proposed statutory reform initiative which seeks to remove the present uncertainty in the law by introducing a blanket requirement that all proxy holders must vote as directed.

A tale of action, suspense and drama : Village Roadshow’s buy-back scheme

The experience of Village Roadshow, in its two failed attempts to have a share buy-back scheme approved by the Supreme Court, sounds a warning to companies and their legal advisers about the pitfalls in presentation of such schemes to shareholders.

Perceptions of local neighbourhood environments and their relationship to childhood overweight and obesity

OBJECTIVES: To examine associations between parent and child perceptions of the local neighbourhood and overweight/obesity among children aged 5–6 and 10–12 y. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SUBJECTS: In total, 291 families of 5–6-y-old and 919 families of 10–12-y-old children. MEASURES: Parent's perceptions of local neighbourhood and perceived child access to eight local destinations within walking distance of home; 10–12-y-old children's perception of local neighbourhood; socio-demographic characteristics (survey). Children's height and weight (measured). RESULTS: No perceptions of the local neighbourhood were associated with weight status among 5–6-y-old children. Among 10–12-y-old children, those whose parents agreed that there was heavy traffic in their local streets were more likely to be overweight or obese (OR=1.4, 95% CI=1.0–1.8), and those whose parents agreed that road safety was a concern were more likely to be obese (OR=3.9, 95% CI=1.0–15.2), compared to those whose parents disagreed with these statements. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that parental perceptions of heavy traffic on local streets and concern about road safety may be indirect influences on overweight and obesity among 10–12-y-old children. Future work should also consider perceptions of the neighbourhood related to food choice.

Residential proximity to school and the active travel choices of parents

Issue addressed: Walking for transport can contribute significantly to health-enhancing physical activity. We examined the prevalence and duration of walking to and from school, together with perceived influences on doing so, among parents of primary school children. Methods: Questionnaires were completed by parents from four primary schools (one government and three private) located in south-east Queensland (n=559; 40% response rate). Results: Eighteen per cent of parents reported walking for at least 10 minutes during journeys to school. Significantly greater proportions of parents with only one car in their household, with a child who attended a government school, with no driver’s licence, who had less than 11 years of education, and lived within two kilometres of the school walked for at least 10 minutes during the school journey. Factors perceived by parents most strongly to influence walking to school were: being physically active; safety concerns for the child walking alone; not having to park; walking being the child’s preferred option; too much motor vehicle traffic; and their child’s age and level of road sense. Conclusions: Despite the overall low prevalence of walking to school by parents, health-enhancing benefits may be achieved even when other modes of transport are used in conjunction with walking.

The stakeholder debate and directors' fiduciary duties

It is usually said that a company is a legal entity separate from its management and shareholders and that the business and affairs of a company must be managed by or under the direction of its board. This implies various duties and responsibilities for directors.<br>Directors' duties traditionally include onerous fiduciary duties and obligations of care, skill and diligence in terms of the common law, various statutory provisions in the Companies Act 61 of 1973 requiring certain things of directors or preventing them from doing certain things (see, eg, ss 221-227 and 234-246 of the Act), and possible duties imposed by the articles of association or even separate agreements between directors and their companies.

Motorcycle ownership and injury in China

Background. China has made tremendous progress in its economic development in the past two decades. Accompanying this economic development has been an evident shift in the modes of transport, from walking and cycling to the use of motorcycles and, increasingly, four-wheel vehicles. Such changes are likely to have also produced changes in the patterns and numbers of road traffic injuries, including increases in motorcycle injuries. However, such changes have not been well documented. The work described in this paper sought, therefore, to document the changes in motorcycle ownership, motorcyclist mortality and injury rates in China since 1987.
Methods. National traffic ownership and injury data from 1987 to 2001 were obtained from the National Bureau for Traffic Administration. Additionally, traffic ownership and injury records from 1997 to 2001 were collected from local police offices from 20 counties in Guangxi Region. Population data were obtained from the national and county statistics bureaus. Motorcycle ownership, fatality and injury trends over time were calculated.
Results. Nationally, motorcycles accounted for 23.4% of all registered motor vehicles in 1987, increasing to 63.2% in 2001. Motorcyclist fatalities and injuries increased 5.5-fold and 9.3-fold, respectively, between 1987 and 2001. In 1987, 7.5% of all traffic fatalities and 8.8% of all traffic injuries were sustained by motorcyclists, with the corresponding proportions increasing to 18.9% and 22.8%, respectively, in 2001. The changing proportions of both traffic fatalities and injuries sustained by motorcyclists were positively correlated with the change in the proportion of motorcycles among all motor vehicles. In the 20 counties in Guangxi, motorcyclist fatality and injury rates also increased between 1997 and 2001. Moreover, these rates were considerably higher than the national rates.
Conclusions. Motorcyclist injury in China is a serious public health problem. Motorcyclist fatalities and injuries are likely to continue to increase unless appropriate intervention programmes are implemented.

The associations between attachment style and leadership behaviours

Research has suggested that effective leadership, specifically the use of transformational and transactional leadership behaviours is heavily embedded in a leader’s interpersonal abilities. However, few studies have investigated the interpersonal factors that drive the appropriate use of transformational and transactional leadership behaviour in leader-follower settings. Attachment theory provides an appropriate framework in which to understand the epigenesis of leadership behaviours and the impact of these behaviours on followers. In this preliminary study, 31 manager-non manager dyads recruited from a Victorian education institution and a national telecommunications company (managers – Mean age = 48.32 years, SD = 7.59; non-managers –Mean age = 44.44 years, SD = 9.56) took part in an online questionnaire. As part of the online questionnaire, participants completed self-report measures of attachment, leadership behaviour and employee outcomes. Analyses revealed that managers’ attachment style made a significant contribution to their use of transformational and transactional leadership, which in turn, was associated with follower’s satisfaction and effectiveness ratings of their managers. Correlations between leader and follower ratings revealed that managers and non-managers held distinct perceptions of leadership performance. These findings are discussed within the context of attachment theory and the personal relationships literature.

Performing arts management in a climate of adjustment : case studies from Vietnam and Australia

This paper presents a series of empirical case studies to discuss impacts of economic globalisation on the development of performing arts organisations in Vietnam (Hanoi Youth Theatre and Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra) and Australia (Melbourne Theatre Company and Sydney Symphony Orchestra), and focuses on how Vietnamese organisations have adapted to these changes. The paper also identifies cultural policy implications for the development of the sector; for arts management training in Vietnam so that the sector (and more importantly, the artists) may fully benefit from the open market context. The findings indicate that Vietnamese performing arts organisations have attempted to adapt to the new market context while struggling to balance artistic quality, freedom and financial viability in the new socialist regime. The Australian case studies offered a relevant management model to Vietnamese arts management practice and training.

Strategy and continuous improvement in small-to-medium Australian manufacturers

While Australian firms have generally recognised the value of continuous improvement (CI) in improving performance, many have yet to develop systems to ensure that the efforts of the CI program are focussed on issues of strategic importance to the company. In fact, as recognised in operations management generally, CI activities can have a significant impact on the development of strategy as well as its implementation. The research reported here uses a CI mapping methodology to chart the relationship between CI and strategy in small- to medium-sized manufacturers. Analysis of the link between the firms’ strategies and CI programs indicates that most firms involved in the study made little attempt to link the two and some appear to be unaware of any need to do so. However, such findings seem to be dependent on company size, the maturity of the CI program and the competitive position of the firm. The paper also includes an examination of the role of operations and shopfloor CI in company strategy, particularly as related to SMEs.

Does the choice of neighbourhood supermarket access measure influence associations with individual-level fruit and vegetable consumption? A case study from Glasgow

Background
Previous studies have provided mixed evidence with regards to associations between food store access and dietary outcomes. This study examines the most commonly applied measures of locational access to assess whether associations between supermarket access and fruit and vegetable consumption are affected by the choice of access measure and scale.

Method
Supermarket location data from Glasgow, UK (n = 119), and fruit and vegetable intake data from the 'Health and Well-Being' Survey (n = 1041) were used to compare various measures of locational access. These exposure variables included proximity estimates (with different points-of-origin used to vary levels of aggregation) and density measures using three approaches (Euclidean and road network buffers and Kernel density estimation) at distances ranging from 0.4 km to 5 km. Further analysis was conducted to assess the impact of using smaller buffer sizes for individuals who did not own a car. Associations between these multiple access measures and fruit and vegetable consumption were estimated using linear regression models.

Results
Levels of spatial aggregation did not impact on the proximity estimates. Counts of supermarkets within Euclidean buffers were associated with fruit and vegetable consumption at 1 km, 2 km and 3 km, and for our road network buffers at 2 km, 3 km, and 4 km. Kernel density estimates provided the strongest associations and were significant at a distance of 2 km, 3 km, 4 km and 5 km. Presence of a supermarket within 0.4 km of road network distance from where people lived was positively associated with fruit consumption amongst those without a car (coef. 0.657; s.e. 0.247; p0.008).

Conclusions
The associations between locational access to supermarkets and individual-level dietary behaviour are sensitive to the method by which the food environment variable is captured. Care needs to be taken to ensure robust and conceptually appropriate measures of access are used and these should be grounded in a clear a priori reasoning.