published_or_final_version / Community Medicine / Master / Master of Philosophy

Recognizing activities in real-world videos is a difficult problem exacerbated by background clutter, changes in camera angle & zoom, occlusion and rapid camera movements. Large corpora of labeled videos can be used to train automated activity recognition systems, but this requires expensive human labor and time. This thesis explores how closed captions that naturally accompany many videos can act as weak supervision that allows automatically collecting 'labeled' data for activity recognition. We show that such an approach can improve activity retrieval in soccer videos. Our system requires no manual labeling of video clips and needs minimal human supervision. We also present a novel caption classifier that uses additional linguistic information to determine whether a specific comment refers to an ongoing activity. We demonstrate that combining linguistic analysis and automatically trained activity recognizers can significantly improve the precision of video retrieval. / text

Because of increased commuter traffic volume on rural roadways collisions between motor vehicles and farm equipment have increased in frequency and severity over the last several years. This study investigated the effects of a multimedia narrative simulation program that taught hazard recognition and promoted defensive driving on rural roadways shared by farm equipment. A companion animated driving game allowed users to practice reaction/stopping time distances with a simulated automobile on a simulated highway when objects appeared suddenly in the path of the automobile. The program and game were delivered by an objective-oriented client/server computer program that also recorded and stored student pre-test, performance, and posttest data. Prior to the main study a user test and pilot study were conducted. Fifteen instructional systems design graduate students completed the user test to evaluate the study procedures and debug the program. Then, a pilot study sample of 17 rural high school students completed the narrative simulation exercise, the reaction/stopping time game, and the study measures that included a demographic survey, pre- and post measures of predicted reaction/stopping time, recognition of collisions hazard cues, numerical performance scores for the simulation exercise, and tracking logs of each student's performance during the animated raction/stopping time game. The main study sample included 123 students age 16 years and older who attended four rural and suburban county high schools. The schools were randome assigned to the four treatment conditions, one control and three treatment groups. The treatment group students completed either (a) the multimedia narrative simulation only, (b) the animated reaction time/stopping time game only, or (c) both the multimedia simulation and the reaction time/stopping time game. As hypothezised, students in the groups that completed the hazard recognition and defensive driving skills performed significantly better on posttests of those skills than students in groups that did not complete the simulation. Compared to students that did not complete the reaction/stopping time game, significantly more students that did complete the game became aware that they could not stop the simulated automobile before hitting an object in its pathway. Yet there was nodifference across the four groups in students' estimates of reaction/stopping time distances. Limitations of the study are noted and discussed. Recommendations for future studies are proposed.

We are at a point in the history of higher education in South Africa when radical changes are occurring in instructional delivery system models. Of increasing significance is a mixed mode of traditional and distance delivery (i.e. Telematic Learning Systems at the PU for CHE). In this changing environment, language lecturers, the persons responsible for developing language modules within various Telematic programmes, remain a key element in the teaching and learning process. However, these lecturers are suddenly expected to make appropriate decisions in terms of distance education technology classification, evaluation, and consequent selection without the necessary knowledge and/or capacity to make effective technological decisions. The purpose of this article is to assist "Lone Ranger" language lecturers, in making pedagogically sound decisions when classifying, evaluating and selecting distance education technologies by: (a) considering technology selection as part of the instructional design process, (b) referring to some reasons for using technology for language learning, (c) focusing on criteria for classifying and evaluating distance education technologies, and by (d) reviewing selected studies in order to indicate the application possibilities of technologies for language teaching and learning. / Thesis (M.A. (English))--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2002

Outside Looking In (OLI) is a youth development through recreation program for Aboriginal peoples in Canada. Through the analysis of semi-structured interviews, fieldnotes, and archival documents, in this thesis I examine OLI staff and Board members’ description of OLI’s creation and implementation processes. This thesis is written in the stand alone format and is comprised of two papers. The first paper shows that OLI staff and Board members describe OLI’s creation and implementation as relatively predetermined. At the same time, however, OLI incorporates collaborative approaches to various aspects of program design. While OLI facilitates collaborative processes that can contribute to Aboriginal self-determination, Eurocentric influences and broader colonial forces make efforts to achieve Aboriginal self-determination challenging. The second paper illustrates that OLI’s approach to Aboriginal youth development through recreation creates a hybrid third space that challenges colonial discourses. Together, this thesis not only describes the creation and implementation processes of a youth development through recreation program for Aboriginal peoples, but also how the tensions associated with Aboriginal self-determination and colonial relations of power can permeate such programs.

For my creative thesis project I authored an interactive tour of the Ball State Department of Art. Many underlying factors go into this project. My desire to learn multimedia design, the departments desire to develop a new information tool and having the necessary hardware and software to do such a project were all key to its sucess.In the summer of 1994 I came to Ball State to learn multimedia authoring while getting a master's degree in art. Unknown to me at that time, the department had set a goal of increasing visibility both within and beyond the Ball State community. Faculty members Professor Phil Repp and Professor Christine Paul were collaborating on a promotional identity campaign. From these collaborations grew the idea of a departmental publication to promote the mission and programs of the Department of Art. With the rapid advancement of technology, it seemed appropriate to use computers as part of this promotional campaign.As Professors Paul and Repp researched the possible ways in which computers could be incorporated into this project, many questions remained. Exactly what form should a project like this take and who could do it? Careful discussion and planning also followed over what physical form the project should take (i.e. video tape, a computer disk, or printed material). Eventually the decision was made that an interactive tour of the Department of Art on CD-ROM was the most appropriate solution. For the amount of information that needed to be included and to engage the end user in a dynamic, interactive way, this medium was also the most logical.My decision to return to school coincides perfectly with the departments needs. Professor Paul’s and Professor Repp’s collaboration led to the conclusion that a third person would be needed. Someone who was already literate in advanced computer graphics and had the desire for such an undertaking. Therefore, my goals of advancing my understanding of Macintosh based digital imagery learning multimedia are significant on two levels; my career as a teacher and a professional artist would realize significant gains and this project is an outstanding addition to my portfolio.For the past several years, the primary area of artistic study for me has been in the area of computer graphics and I came to Ball State last summer with some very specific goals. One of them being to learn Macromedia Director (the authoring package I used to create the project). Director is nationally recognized by professionals in this field as the top program for this type of work. Therefore, this was both an opportunity to reach personal goals and to create a thesis project that could be used as an important part of the Department of Arts identity campaign. My thesis project is the result of my own goals and the Department of Arts goals to utilize cutting edge technology for designing innovative computer programs.I’m sure at the onset of this project that I did not understand the full magnitude of an undertaking such as this. However, it is very rewarding to look back and see both how far I’ve come personally and how the piece has progressed into a dynamic information tool. / Department of Art

Through interrelating the Acoustic Communication concepts of soundscape with contemporary collective memory studies, this research project explores the relationship between commuters and the London Underground (LU) soundscape in order to create an interactive sonic environment on the Internet. The methodology combines fieldwork and artistic work, focusing on commuters’ perceptions of time and space, and on their sonic memories, as elements through which to interpret the space. The objective of the fieldwork is to investigate commuters’ aural memories of the LU soundscape, including the feelings and sensations that it stimulates. The artistic objective is to facilitate the interaction between the soundscape and its users through an interface that allows a creative combination of sounds to assemble aural memories into a sound-driven multimedia experience. Twenty-four commuters participated in the ethnographic study during the three phases of the research; they followed the researcher’s model, which combines the processes of listening and remembering. The researcher thus developed an interactive sonic environment where commuters can experience a non-linear virtual journey through the soundscape of LU, then apply this as a means of reflecting on the original commuting experience. The interactive nature of the process makes it possible for individual memories to be linked in a creative shared experience; it fosters the development of on-line sound-driven narratives.

Currently, many educators are focusing on the development of Web-based material and the quality of such material needs to be evaluated. Expert review, as a formative evaluation method, is an important method to evaluate the material prior to release. Other studies have described the use of Subject-Matter Experts (SMEs) and also domain students, with enough knowledge in the subject area, as a way of enhancing the quality of the reviewed material. In addition to the SMEs and domain students a lecturer and graduate student, both in the subject discipline area, were used to review Web-based lectures on Advanced Computer Architectures. Both additional reviewers had sufficient knowledge of the discipline. The research investigates three main hypotheses: I) whether a review conducted by domain reviewers (SME and domain student) or discipline reviewers improves the quality of material, 2) whether using discipline reviewers improves the quality of the material more than domain reviewers and 3) whether there are differences in the quality of the material resulting from students' and lecturers' review. Five versions of the material were developed and used as inputs to an experiment that was designed to test the hypotheses by using questionnaires and tests. In summary, the findings of the research were that: SME reviewer and discipline reviewers were effective in producing higher quality than the unreviewed material. However, rather interestingly, the domain student was shown to be the least effective in enhancing the material. The investigation also found that there was no significant difference in the quality of the material resulting from students' and lecturers' review. Furthermore, it was found that the media used to present the material was more useful when the quality of that media was perceived to be high. Finally 90% of the subjects were willing to study Web-based lectures as part of the course.

Each year more than 44,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 12,000 of these die from the disease. These mortality rates are relatively high compared to the rest of Europe (Berrino et al., 2007; Mayor, 2003), which in part is due to the advanced stage of the disease at first presentation (McCready et al., 2005; Sant et al., 2003). Regular breast self-examination (BSE) can facilitate early detection (Cancer Research UK, 2008), yet it is not widespread. Identifying the motivational and contextual factors is likely to lead to the development of effective interventions as part of being ‘breast-aware’. This is particularly important given that mammography screening may not be effective (Crossing & Mansezewicz, 2003) or recommended for younger women (Cancer Research UK, 2008) and that BSE may be beneficial in offering women the opportunity to create a positive relationship with their body. This study considered the utility of a proposed Extended Health Belief Model (E-HBM) as a framework for understanding women’s knowledge, beliefs and behaviour. It sought to develop a new way to provide guidance and to encourage BSE by investigating the effect of autobiographical accounts of breast-cancer patients and a multimedia BSE support programme comparing video-enhanced or static guided instructions. The study adopted a 2x2 mixed methods design and 60 white British women aged between 19 and 67 participated. Analysis of Covariance revealed an interaction effect of autobiographical accounts and BSE support on BSE frequency and proficiency and regression analyses examined the utility of the E-HBM, with confidence being the main predictor. Moreover, thematic analysis elicited five themes; Previous Experience, BSE Irregularity, Perceived Susceptibility, Coping Style and The Usability of the 5 Step Model of BSE. The study concludes that the 5-step technique encourages BSE through creating a more pleasant experience, as women form an improved relationship with their breasts. Both the video-enhanced and static BSE supports are effective in terms of encouraging BSE and the effect of autobiographical accounts appears to be dependent on the type support. The practical implications and direction for future BSE interventions are discussed.

The explosive demand for multimedia and fast transmission of continuous media on wireless networks means the simultaneous existence of traffic requiring different qualities of service (QoS). In this thesis, several efficient algorithms have been developed which offer several QoS to the end-user. We first look at a request TDMA/CDMA protocol for supporting wireless multimedia traffic, where CDMA is laid over TDMA. Then we look at a hybrid push-pull algorithm for wireless networks, and present a generalized performance analysis of the proposed protocol. Some of the QoS factors considered include customer retrial rates due to user impatience and system timeouts and different levels of priority and weights for mobile hosts. We have also looked at how customer impatience and system timeouts affect the QoS provided by several queuing and scheduling schemes such as FIFO, priority, weighted fair queuing, and the application of the stretch-optimal algorithm to scheduling.