Description:
Online handwritten recognition is gaining more interest due to the increasing popularity of hand-held computers, digital notebooks and advanced cellular phones. The large number of writing styles and the variability between them makes the handwriting recognition problem a very challenging area for researchers. Many previous efforts have utilized many different approaches for recognition in online handwriting using various ANN classifier-modeling techniques. Different types of feature extraction techniques have also been used. It has been observed that, beyond a certain point, the inclusion of additional features leads to a worse rather than better performance. Moreover, the choice of features to represent the patterns affects several aspects of pattern recognition problems such as accuracy, required learning time and a necessary number of samples. A common problem with the multi-category feature classification is the conflict between the categories. None of the feasible solutions allow simultaneous optimal solution for all categories. In order to find an optimal solution the search space can be divided based on an individual category in each sub region and finally merging them through decision spport system. In this paper we propose a canonical GA based modular feature selection approach combined with standard MLP for multi category feature selection in online handwriting recognition.
Description:
Building detection in complex scenes is a non-trivial exercise due to building shape variability, irregular terrain, shadows, and occlusion by highly dense vegetation. In this research, we present a graph based algorithm, which combines multispectral imagery and airborne LiDAR information to completely delineate the building boundaries in urban and densely vegetated area. In the first phase, LiDAR data is divided into two groups: ground and non-ground data, using ground height from a bare-earth DEM. A mask, known as the primary building mask, is generated from the non-ground LiDAR points where the black region represents the elevated area (buildings and trees), while the white region describes the ground (earth). The second phase begins with the process of Connected Component Analysis (CCA) where the number of objects present in the test scene are identified followed by initial boundary detection and labelling. Additionally, a graph from the connected components is generated, where each black pixel corresponds to a node. An edge of a unit distance is defined between a black pixel and a neighbouring black pixel, if any. An edge does not exist from a black pixel to a neighbouring white pixel, if any. This phenomenon produces a disconnected components graph, where each component represents a prospective building or a dense vegetation (a contiguous block of black pixels from the primary mask). In the third phase, a clustering process clusters the segmented lines, extracted from multispectral imagery, around the graph components, if possible. In the fourth step, NDVI, image entropy, and LiDAR data are utilised to discriminate between vegetation, buildings, and isolated building's occluded parts. Finally, the initially extracted building boundary is extended pixel-wise using NDVI, entropy, and LiDAR data to completely delineate the building and to maximise the boundary reach towards building edges. The proposed technique is evaluated using two Australian data sets: Aitkenvale and Hervey Bay, for object-based and pixel-based completeness, correctness, and quality. The proposed technique detects buildings larger than 50 m2 and 10 m2 in the Aitkenvale site with 100% and 91% accuracy, respectively, while in the Hervey Bay site it performs better with 100% accuracy for buildings larger than 10 m2 in area.
Description:
Building detection in complex scenes is a non-trivial exercise due to building shape variability, irregular terrain, shadows, and occlusion by highly dense vegetation. In this research, we present a graph based algorithm, which combines multispectral imagery and airborne LiDAR information to completely delineate the building boundaries in urban and densely vegetated area. In the first phase, LiDAR data is divided into two groups: ground and non-ground data, using ground height from a bare-earth DEM. A mask, known as the primary building mask, is generated from the non-ground LiDAR points where the black region represents the elevated area (buildings and trees), while the white region describes the ground (earth). The second phase begins with the process of Connected Component Analysis (CCA) where the number of objects present in the test scene are identified followed by initial boundary detection and labelling. Additionally, a graph from the connected components is generated, where each black pixel corresponds to a node. An edge of a unit distance is defined between a black pixel and a neighbouring black pixel, if any. An edge does not exist from a black pixel to a neighbouring white pixel, if any. This phenomenon produces a disconnected components graph, where each component represents a prospective building or a dense vegetation (a contiguous block of black pixels from the primary mask). In the third phase, a clustering process clusters the segmented lines, extracted from multispectral imagery, around the graph components, if possible. In the fourth step, NDVI, image entropy, and LiDAR data are utilised to discriminate between vegetation, buildings, and isolated building's occluded parts. Finally, the initially extracted building boundary is extended pixel-wise using NDVI, entropy, and LiDAR data to completely delineate the building and to maximise the boundary reach towards building edges. The proposed technique is evaluated using two Australian data sets: Aitkenvale and Hervey Bay, for object-based and pixel-based completeness, correctness, and quality. The proposed technique detects buildings larger than 50 m2 and 10 m2 in the Aitkenvale site with 100% and 91% accuracy, respectively, while in the Hervey Bay site it performs better with 100% accuracy for buildings larger than 10 m2 in area.
Description:
We consider the problem of security in wireless multicasting for a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) relay-aided system. The network suffers from a group of adaptive eavesdroppers who can act as both simple eavesdroppers and hostile jammers. This paper formulates the impact of friendly jammers to improve secured communication. We derived the expressions for secrecy multicast capacities considering the absence and presence of friendly jammers. The best relay for transmission is chosen from a group of relays that aids to achieve the maximum secrecy capacity while the best jammer is selected based on competitive interference price. Numerical results show that the achievable secrecy multicast capacity increases significantly in the presence of jammer to nullify the effect of adversaries. Results under different scenarios of varying jamming and relay powers demonstrate the efficacy of friendly jammers in providing physical layer security.
Description:
We consider the problem of security in wireless multicasting for a
Description:
Culturally, philosophically and religiously diverse medical systems including Western medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurvedic Medicine and Homeopathic Medicine, once situated in places and times relatively unconnected from each other, currently co-exist to a point where patients must choose which system to consult. These decisions require comparative analyses, yet the divergence in key underpinning assumptions is so great that comparisons cannot easily be made. However, diverse medical systems can be meaningfully juxtaposed for the purpose of making practical decisions if relevant information is presented appropriately. Information regarding privacy provisions inherent in the typical practice of each medical system is an important element in this juxtaposition. In this paper the information needs of patients making decisions regarding the selection of a medical system, are examined.
Description:
It has been observed that the seeds of Chilean needle grass (Nassela neesiana) can be spread by the use of machinery to slash or mow roadsides that are infested with this weed. Modification of slashers by the addition of a cover or deck fans that can prevent seed and/or seed heads settling on the top of the slasher appears to be effective. This project compared the relative effectiveness of each type in a Chliean needle grass infestation at a demonstration day held at Greenvale, Victoria, Australia in November 2009.
Description:
Place-based education attempts to position the individual in relationship with the human and non-human elements of the life-world, at a place that is welcoming of educational experience and a knowledge base from which to construct a more ecologically sustainable culture. Food gardens, along with ecological restoration projects within schools are experiencing a significant renaissance and are important sites for place-based education. Many of these places are located in and around the immediate environment of a school ground and become significant educational portals through which children explore their world. This paper reports on the literature reviewed for a study on how a pedagogy of place is cultivated within garden experiences. There is limited research about the use of school gardens as an educational tool and the specific pedagogies that support learning in this context. A number of themes emerge from various bodies of literature that provide a conceptual framework for the study of food garden pedagogies. These themes include placebased education, ecological literary, and nature as teacher. It is useful to think about primary school gardens in the light of this literature because it helps frame a research question for a study into how pedagogies of place can be cultivated within food gardens. [Author abstract, ed]
Description:
Place-based education attempts to position the individual in relationship with the human and non-human elements of the life-world, at a place that is welcoming of educational experience and a knowledge base from which to construct a more ecologically sustainable culture. Food gardens, along with ecological restoration projects within schools are experiencing a significant renaissance and are important sites for place-based education. Many of these places are located in and around the immediate environment of a school ground and become significant educational portals through which children explore their world. This paper reports on the literature reviewed for a study on how a pedagogy of place is cultivated within garden experiences. There is limited research about the use of school gardens as an educational tool and the specific pedagogies that support learning in this context. A number of themes emerge from various bodies of literature that provide a conceptual framework for the study of food garden pedagogies. These themes include placebased education, ecological literary, and nature as teacher. It is useful to think about primary school gardens in the light of this literature because it helps frame a research question for a study into how pedagogies of place can be cultivated within food gardens. [Author abstract, ed]
Description:
Mobile games are a fast growing industry, overtaking all other video game platforms with year on year increases in revenue. Many studies have been conducted to explore the motivations of why video games players play their selected games. However very little research has focused on mobile gamers. In addition, Australian studies on the topic are sparse. This paper aimed to discover what motivates a mobile gamer from the perspective of the initial motivational factors attracting them to a mobile game, and the motivational factors that provide interest to continue playing and thereby increase game longevity. A survey was conducted online for Australian participants, which attracted 123 respondents. The survey was formulated by focusing on the 12 key subcomponents as motivational factors of the Gamer Motivational Profile v2 model devised by Quantic Foundry. It was discovered that mobile gamers are a completely different breed of gamer in contrast to the general video gamer. Strategy and challenge which are subcomponents of mastery proved popular among all mobile gamers, while destruction and excitement, subcomponents of action, were often the least motivating factors of all. With the newly discovered data, perhaps mobile game developers can pursue the correct avenues of game design when catering to their target audience.
Description:
Mobile games are a fast growing industry, overtaking all other video game platforms with year on year increases in revenue. Many studies have been conducted to explore the motivations of why video games players play their selected games. However very little research has focused on mobile gamers. In addition, Australian studies on the topic are sparse. This paper aimed to discover what motivates a mobile gamer from the perspective of the initial motivational factors attracting them to a mobile game, and the motivational factors that provide interest to continue playing and thereby increase game longevity. A survey was conducted online for Australian participants, which attracted 123 respondents. The survey was formulated by focusing on the 12 key subcomponents as motivational factors of the Gamer Motivational Profile v2 model devised by Quantic Foundry. It was discovered that mobile gamers are a completely different breed of gamer in contrast to the general video gamer. Strategy and challenge which are subcomponents of mastery proved popular among all mobile gamers, while destruction and excitement, subcomponents of action, were often the least motivating factors of all. With the newly discovered data, perhaps mobile game developers can pursue the correct avenues of game design when catering to their target audience.
Description:
The Macquarie Marshes (NSW, Australia) cover approximately 200 square km of the Macquarie River flood-plains. The marshes are one of the largest remaining inland semi-permanent wetlands in southeastern Australia. Diversity of fauna and flora has decreased in the wetlands while the flood-drought cycles controlling these ecosystems have been affected by recent human activity. An Electrical Resistivity Tomography survey has been carried out to provide insight into the surface water/ groundwater interactions occurring at the north-western part of the marshes and to identify potential recharge areas of the aquifer systems. In the resistivity sections three main units can be identified: 1. A top unit of low-resistivity (1 to 6 ohm.m) with about 5 meter thick on average. 2. A middle unit of higher electrical resistivity (6 to 20 ohm.m) that continues to a depth of approximately 20 metres and is discontinuous laterally. 3. A bottom unit below a depth of 20 to 25 metres with resistivity decreasing to values similar to those of the top unit. The resistivity results has allowed to identify clay dominated and sand dominated materials. The groundwater is recharged from surface water following sandy windows in the clay created by modern channels on the surface of the marshes.
Description:
22nd European Meeting of Environmental and Engineering Geophysics, Near Surface Geoscience 2016
Description:
In this paper, ways of improving planning, execution and management of complex engineering projects using design structure matrix (DSM) methods: path searching, powers of the adjacency matrix, and reachability matrix are presented. This is done by identifying loops or circuits in the project. The application of the DSM methods to minimize loops or circuits is discussed. As a case study, these methods are implemented to reduce design iterations or rework in a complex engineering project. By applying the DSM methods, the project duration can be minimized and hence the total cost of the project is reduced significantly.
Description:
The modern wireless technology exploiting the full potential of 5G IoT is the future for healthcare sector. In the healthcare sector, the 5G technology will maximize the performance and will reduce the chances of damage to the patient by providing careful and advance activity monitoring scenarios. We have proposed the idea of monitoring different body posture in Huntington disease by exploiting the low cost wireless devices operating at 4.8 GHz frequency. The system captures the wireless channel information for three body motions and classification of these motions was performed by using support vector machine. The SVM used 10 time-domain features for the classification process by using three main kernel functions, such as, Linear, Polynomial and Radial basis function. The system minimizes all the external noise by using the microwave absorbing materials. This increases the performance and feasibility of sensing body motions.
Description:
Exercise and sports science (E&SS) is an umbrella term that encompasses a range of career outcomes including; strength and conditioning, health promotion and exercise rehabilitation. Universities delivering E&SS programs provide work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities to enable students to integrate theoretical knowledge into the workplace and assist students to make decisions about their future careers. Research in other disciplines indicates influential relationships exist between WIL and career choice. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of WIL experiences on the future career choice of E&SS students and to identify the reasons students would or would not remain at the WIL agency for future employment. An online survey was distributed to final year E&SS students at Federation University Australia who were completing their 80-hour WIL placement. The survey explored WIL experiences and the impact on career aspirations (n=20). Chi-squared analysis showed positive WIL experiences significantly influenced a student to pursue a career in the same field (p=0.049) with WIL agencies playing a leading role in providing an inspiring and supportive atmosphere. However, negative experiences did not discourage students from choosing a career in the same field (p=0.093). Reasons for not pursuing employment within the field were lack of interest in the work and lack of full-time employment. These findings suggest that E&SS students should not be deterred when experiencing a negative WIL placement. Rather, students should use all WIL experiences to assist with decisions on subject choice, future WIL placements and, more importantly, future career options.
Description:
Exercise and Sports Science (E&SS) programs at Federation University Australia provide work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities for students to develop, apply and consolidate theoretical knowledge in the workplace. This study aimed to determine the influence of WIL experiences on achieving common graduate attributes for E&SS students. From a larger study cohort (N=80), semi-structured interviews (n=4) delved into participant perceptions of graduate attributes and the impact of positive and negative WIL experiences. Using constant comparative analysis, interviews were coded and arranged into lower and higher order themes using the Graduate Employability Skills publication as a framework and the process validated by a WIL colleague. Results showed three out of four essential graduate attributes were developed during all WIL experiences regardless of whether they were positive or negative. These findings have implications for E&SS higher education providers and WIL agencies in ensuring the development of key graduate attributes during all WIL experiences.
Description:
Exercise and Sports Science (E&SS) programs at Federation University Australia provide work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities for students to develop, apply and consolidate theoretical knowledge in the workplace. This study aimed to determine the influence of WIL experiences on achieving common graduate attributes for E&SS students. From a larger study cohort (N=80), semi-structured interviews (n=4) delved into participant perceptions of graduate attributes and the impact of positive and negative WIL experiences. Using constant comparative analysis, interviews were coded and arranged into lower and higher order themes using the Graduate Employability Skills publication as a framework and the process validated by a WIL colleague. Results showed three out of four essential graduate attributes were developed during all WIL experiences regardless of whether they were positive or negative. These findings have implications for E&SS higher education providers and WIL agencies in ensuring the development of key graduate attributes during all WIL experiences.
Description:
A sampling methodology has been devised to facilitate the selection of a purposeful sample of marine parks and sanctuaries for the investigation of their impacts on tourism, local community and businesses. The methodology is based on multi-attribute utility theory used for comparing complex alternatives in decision making and takes into account those key attributes of Victoria's thirteen marine national parks and eleven marine sanctuaries that have been identified through both published and draft management plans, government policies and relevant strategies. The attributes are: tourism services, activities, community engagement, visitation, values, interpretation, access, location, conservation significance, and regional context. Values of each marine protected area are quantified and establishment of a total attribute value score for a typical area enables the comparison between individual marine parks and sanctuaries. To strengthen the methodology, a panel of independent experts representing tourism, local government and community organisations have been invited to express their views with regard to these attributes, and their responses have been incorporated into the research.
Description:
In this study, a population-based continuous state transition algorithm (STA) is investigated into continuous constrained optimization problems. After an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of two well-known constraint-handling techniques, penalty function method and feasibility preference method, a two-stage strategy is proposed for constrained STA, in which, the feasibility preference method is adopted in the early stage of an iteration process whilst it is changed to the penalty function method in the later stage. Several benchmark tests are given to evaluate the performance of the proposed method, and the experimental results show that the constrained STA with a two-stage strategy outperforms other single strategy in terms of both global search ability and solution precision.