Short utterance PLDA speaker verification using SN-WLDA and variance modelling techniques

This paper proposes a combination of source-normalized weighted linear discriminant analysis (SN-WLDA) and short utterance variance (SUV) PLDA modelling to improve the short utterance PLDA speaker verification. As short-length utterance i-vectors vary with the speaker, session variations and phonetic content of the utterance (utterance variation), a combined approach of SN-WLDA projection and SUV PLDA modelling is used to compensate the session and utterance variations. Experimental studies have found that a combination of SN-WLDA and SUV PLDA modelling approach shows an improvement over baseline system (WCCN[LDA]-projected Gaussian PLDA (GPLDA)) as this approach effectively compensates the session and utterance variations.

A comparison of techniques for the reconstruction of leaf surfaces from scanned data

The foliage of a plant performs vital functions. As such, leaf models are required to be developed for modelling the plant architecture from a set of scattered data captured using a scanning device. The leaf model can be used for purely visual purposes or as part of a further model, such as a fluid movement model or biological process. For these reasons, an accurate mathematical representation of the surface and boundary is required. This paper compares three approaches for fitting a continuously differentiable surface through a set of scanned data points from a leaf surface, with a technique already used for reconstructing leaf surfaces. The techniques which will be considered are discrete smoothing D2-splines [R. Arcangeli, M. C. Lopez de Silanes, and J. J. Torrens, Multidimensional Minimising Splines, Springer, 2004.], the thin plate spline finite element smoother [S. Roberts, M. Hegland, and I. Altas, Approximation of a Thin Plate Spline Smoother using Continuous Piecewise Polynomial Functions, SIAM, 1 (2003), pp. 208--234] and the radial basis function Clough-Tocher method [M. Oqielat, I. Turner, and J. Belward, A hybrid Clough-Tocher method for surface fitting with application to leaf data., Appl. Math. Modelling, 33 (2009), pp. 2582-2595]. Numerical results show that discrete smoothing D2-splines produce reconstructed leaf surfaces which better represent the original physical leaf.

An improved method for undertaking limiting dilution assays for in vitro cloning of Plasmodium falciparum parasites

Background Obtaining single parasite clones is required for many techniques in malaria research. Cloning by limiting dilution using microscopy-based assessment for parasite growth is an arduous and labor-intensive process. An alternative method for the detection of parasite growth in limiting dilution assays is using a commercial ELISA histidine-rich protein II (HRP2) detection kit. Methods Detection of parasite growth was undertaken using HRP2 ELISA and compared to thick film microscopy. An HRP2 protein standard was used to determine the detection threshold of the HRP2 ELISA assay, and a HRP2 release model was used to extrapolate the amount of parasite growth required for a positive result. Results The HRP2 ELISA was more sensitive than microscopy for detecting parasite growth. The minimum level of HRP2 protein detection of the ELISA was 0.11ng/ml. Modeling of HRP2 release determined that 2,116 parasites are required to complete a full erythrocytic cycle to produce sufficient HRP2 to be detected by the ELISA. Under standard culture conditions this number of parasites is likely to be reached between 8 to 14 days of culture. Conclusions This method provides an accurate and simple way for the detection of parasite growth in limiting dilution assays, reducing time and resources required in traditional methods. Furthermore the method uses spent culture media instead of the parasite-infected red blood cells, enabling culture to continue.

Non-invasive techniques for imaging in-vivo human corneal sub basal nerve mapping and migration rate in diabetic neuropathy

Purpose Corneal confocal microscopy (CCM) is a rapid non-invasive ophthalmic technique, which has been shown to diagnose and stratify the severity of diabetic neuropathy. Current morphometric techniques assess individual static images of the subbasal nerve plexus; this work explores the potential for non-invasive assessment of the wide-field morphology and dynamic changes of this plexus in vivo. Methods In this pilot study, laser scanning CCM was used to acquire maps (using a dynamic fixation target and semi-automated tiling software) of the central corneal sub-basal nerve plexus in 4 diabetic patients with and 6 without neuropathy and in 2 control subjects. Nerve migration was measured in an additional 7 diabetic patients with neuropathy, 4 without neuropathy and in 2 control subjects by repeating a modified version of the mapping procedure within 2-8 weeks, thus facilitating re-identification of distinctive nerve landmarks in the 2 montages. The rate of nerve movement was determined from these data and normalised to a weekly rate (µm/week), using customised software. Results Wide-field corneal nerve fibre length correlated significantly with the Neuropathy Disability Score (r = -0.58, p < 0.05), vibration perception (r = -0.66, p < 0.05) and peroneal conduction velocity (r = 0.67, p < 0.05). Central corneal nerve fibre length did not correlate with any of these measures of neuropathy (p > 0.05 for all). The rate of corneal nerve migration was 14.3 ± 1.1 µm/week in diabetic patients with neuropathy, 19.7 ± 13.3µm/week in diabetic patients without neuropathy, and 24.4 ± 9.8µm/week in control subjects; however, these differences were not significantly different (p = 0.543). Conclusions Our data demonstrate that it is possible to capture wide-field images of the corneal nerve plexus, and to quantify the rate of corneal nerve migration by repeating this procedure over a number of weeks. Further studies on larger sample sizes are required to determine the utility of this approach for the diagnosis and monitoring of diabetic neuropathy.

Digital culture : blurred boundaries and ethical considerations

The Weberian sense of work and life suggests that working is something around which the rest of life flows. Moreover, work life and domestic life have been defined as separate for most people based on physical structures. That is, being physically in a building at work limited your ability to interact with those who are not nearby – not part of work. As such, social conventions regarding the uses of media at work have become part of our cultural sensibilities – we “know” it is not proper to have romantic discourse over the office phone, much less romance during work! Doing so becomes news. Yet, despite the construction of such distinctions, these workspaces and places have always been difficult to render as such. For example, one might consider the relatively recent development of teleworking from the 1980s or the “putting out system”[1] which dates back to the 1400s – both requiring work in the home. The papers in this special issue draw our attention to some of the ethical issues raised by the growing pervasiveness of information and communications technologies (ICTs) in our everyday lives and the fact that it is becoming increasingly difficult to make distinctions between being somewhere (like work) and being away from some things (like one’s friends, social interests and other parts of life that are not integrated into this space or place [2] )...

Grading : A Workbook of Manual Land Grading Techniques [Revised Edition]

Grading is basic to the work of Landscape Architects concerned with design on the land. Gradients conducive to easy use, rainwater drained away, and land slope contributing to functional and aesthetic use are all essential to the amenity and pleasure of external environments. This workbook has been prepared specifically to support the program of landscape construction for students in Landscape Architecture. It is concerned primarily with the technical design of grading rather than with its aesthetic design. It must be stressed that the two aspects are rarely separate; what is designed should be technically correct and aesthetically pleasing - it needs to look good as well as to function effectively. This revised edition contains amended and new content which has evolved out of student classes and discussion with colleagues. I am pleased to have on record that every delivery of this workbook material has resulted in my own better understanding of grading and the techniques for its calculation and communication.

Joy fear and poetry

Joy Fear and Poetry is an original performance work written, designed and directed by Natasha Budd in collaboration with 15 performers aged 7-12 years. It was performed in Brisbane as part of La Boite Theatre’s 2013 Indie Season. The production employs contemporary performance, postdramatic and constructivist methodologies to make an intervention into habituated patterns of positioning children in society. It embodies a model of practice that moves beyond participant empowerment toward a more nuanced process of co-artists creating intersubjective ‘composite texts’ (McCall 2011) for mainstream audiences. Joy Fear and Poetry experiments with techniques for performance making that create conditions conducive to authentic theatre making with children. These focus on dramaturgical, directorial and design strategies harnessed to maintain the performers’ focus, motivation and cognitive engagement within a reflexive, collaborative process.

Organisational culture, change readiness and retention : a human services perspective

The Third Sector is experiencing unprecedented change as nonprofit organisations pursue their mission, organisational excellence and sustainability. This research collected data from employees of Australian nonprofit human service organisations. Instruments to measure organisational culture and change readiness were validated. The relationships between perceptions of organisational cultures, change readiness, job satisfaction and intentions to leave were explored. Findings indicate flexible organisational cultures influence employee attitudes more positively than control cultures. It identified that leaders have a significant role to play in developing and fostering change readiness and job satisfaction. This improves employees' adaptation to change, increases staff retention and organisational sustainability.

Listening to the talk of the city: media and urban informatics in community consultation for architectural and urban design

The discipline of architecture focuses on designing the built environment in response to the needs of society, reflecting culture through materials and forms. The physical boundaries of the city have become blurred through the integration of digital media, connecting the physical environment with the digital. In the recent past the future was imagined as highly technological; Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner is set in 2019 and introduces a polluted world where supersized screens inject advertisements in the cluttered urban space. Now, in 2014 screens are central to everyday life, but in a completely different way in respect to what had been imagined. Through ubiquitous computing and social media, information is abundant. Digital technologies have changed the way people relate to urban form supporting discussion on multiple levels, allowing citizens to be more vocal than ever before. Bottom-up campaigns to oppose anticipated developments or to suggest intervention in the way cities are designed, are a common situation in several parts of the world. For some extent governments and local authorities are trying to engage with developing technologies, but a common issue is that social media cannot be controlled or filtered as can be done with more traditional consultation methods. We question how designers can use the affordances of urban informatics to obtain and navigate useful social information to inform architectural and urban design. This research investigates different approaches to engage communities in the debate on the built environment. Physical and digital discussions have been initiated to capture citizens’ opinions on the use and design of public places. Online platforms, urban screens, mobile apps and guerrilla techniques are explored in the context of Brisbane, Australia.

Capital-C culture : the perfect American at the Brisbane Festival

A review of Philip Glass's opera The Perfect American. The Brisbane Festival’s production of Philip Glass’s opera The Perfect American is only the third production of the 2012 work ever to be staged. That’s quite a coup for the Brisbane Festival and Opera Queensland. The Perfect American was commissioned by Madrid’s Teatro Real and London’s English National Opera to mark the American composer’s 75th birthday. Glass’s telling of the Disney myth focuses on the final stages of Walt Disney’s life and career – a high art critique of a popular culture icon...

Experience indigenous culture in Arnhem Land, NT

A travel article about a journey to the Cobourg Peninsula, Arnhem Land. "NOW I know I'm back,'' says our guide David McMahon as the scent of wood smoke makes its way into the 4WD. For McMahon, being back means Kakadu and Arnhem Land, and ultimately our final destination in the Northern Territory's Cobourg Peninsula. In the north, one of the first things you need to adjust is your attitude to fire. The indigenous people have long worked with it. The rangers perform controlled burns. The animals have adapted and know how to escape the flames. The smoke trail leads us down the old Jim Jim Rd, our first stretch of dirt track since leaving Darwin. Our destination is the Venture North campsite at Garig Gunak Barlu National Park...

Human identification from video using advanced gait recognition techniques

The solutions proposed in this thesis contribute to improve gait recognition performance in practical scenarios that further enable the adoption of gait recognition into real world security and forensic applications that require identifying humans at a distance. Pioneering work has been conducted on frontal gait recognition using depth images to allow gait to be integrated with biometric walkthrough portals. The effects of gait challenging conditions including clothing, carrying goods, and viewpoint have been explored. Enhanced approaches are proposed on segmentation, feature extraction, feature optimisation and classification elements, and state-of-the-art recognition performance has been achieved. A frontal depth gait database has been developed and made available to the research community for further investigation. Solutions are explored in 2D and 3D domains using multiple images sources, and both domain-specific and independent modality gait features are proposed.

Travel Journalism : Exploring Production, Impact and Culture

Travel journalism has experienced enormous growth over recent decades, with a record number of media organizations now involved in producing information for tourists in one way or another. Correspondingly, journalism and media scholars have begun to pay more attention to this phenomenon. This book gives a comprehensive overview of the burgeoning field of travel journalism studies. The contributors explore travel journalism in newspapers and magazines, on television and online, across a wide range of national and cultural contexts. Individual chapters provide critical discussions of theoretical approaches, present studies of production, content and impact, and explain how travel journalism can be understood through the lenses of postcolonialism, sustainability and cosmopolitanism. This fascinating account offers a thoroughly international and interdisciplinary perspective on an increasingly important field of journalism scholarship.