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Utilisation of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNS) in the Automated Diagnosis of Covid-19 from Chest X-Ray
Get PDFThe Theological Power of Film
No full textThis book explores the theological power of film and seeks to render a properly theological account of cinematic art. It considers: What theology and theological practice does cinematic art give rise to? What are the perceptual and affective potentials of film for theology, and what, if anything, is theological about the cinematic medium itself? The author argues that film is a fundamentally embodied art form, a haptic and somatic medium of perception-cum-expression. This, combined with the distinct temporal aesthetic of film, invests cinema with profound theological potentials. The chapters explore these potentials through theological-cinematic analysis, emphasising the themes of encounter, embodiment, time, and contemplation, as well as three intimately connected doctrines of Christian theology: creation, incarnation, and eschatology. Throughout the book, the films and writings of the Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky emerge as a singular illustration of the theological power of film, becoming a crucial resource for theological-cinematic analysis
Medical Image Character Recognition Using Attention-Based Siamese Networks for Visually Similar Characters with Low Resolution
Get PDFThe emergence of optical character recognition (OCR) has been adopted in many domains in automating various tasks. Still, recognising visually similar characters (VSCs) remains a challenging problem in the general OCR domain. Applying conventional class probability predictions by deep learning techniques may be difficult due to the limited datasets in some domains, such as medical imaging modalities. VSCs recognition becomes more complicated with the problem of low resolution and background interference in the image. With advancements in computing power and numerical methods, techniques such as the few-shot method have been proposed to tackle the limited sample problems in training deep learning models. Still, very little work has been done regarding designing an OCR solution to deal with tiny textual data on low-resolution images with background interference while training on limited samples per class. In this study, we propose an Attention-based Siamese Network to accurately recognise VSCs by efficiently learning the semantic similarities between the extracted embeddings from the input images. The learned similarities and attention-focused feature extraction layer enable the proposed model to discriminate between different character classes efficiently, with only limited samples available. Bayesian optimisation is used to determine optimal network parameters. We further aim to set a benchmark for the performance of the Siamese network in OCR in medical image character recognition in terms of reduced parameter size and accuracy at a determined sample size
Burnt-in Text Recognition from Medical Imaging Modalities: Existing Machine Learning Practices
Get PDFIn recent times, medical imaging has become a significant component of clinical diagnosis and examinations to detect and evaluate various medical conditions. The interpretation of these medical examinations and the patient’s demographics are usually textual data, which is burned in on the pixel content of medical image modalities (MIM). Example of these MIM includes Ultrasound and X-ray imaging. As artificial intelligence advances for medical applications, there is a high demand for the accessibility of these burned-in textual data for various needs. This paper aims to review the significance of burned-in textual data recognition in MIM and recent research regarding the machine learning approach, challenges, and open issues for further investigation on this application. The paper describes the significant problems in this study area as low resolution and background interference of textual data. Finally, the paper suggests applying more advanced deep learning ensemble algorithms as possible solutions
Virtual football violence: exploring the resurgence of football’s deviant leisure cultures in England
No full textThis paper examines the resurgence of deviant leisure cultures in football, with a focus on virtual football violence. Despite advancements in curbing violence in UK football stadiums, new challenges emerge online. By analysing social media discourse from three English Premier League matches in 2022, the study reveals the prevalence of several forms of virtual violence, including threats of physical and sexual violence, emotional violence, and discriminatory violence. The research highlights the resurgence of ‘traditional’ norms of masculinity, aggression, and misogyny facilitated by anonymity in online spaces. Paradoxically, the results show that fans engage in derogatory language while simultaneously condemning similar actions by others. This phenomenon is particularly evident in the category of discriminatory violence, where comments are frequently challenged, indicating a ‘raising of consciousness’ and a growing intolerance to certain forms of discriminatory language. However, despite some evidence of social consciousness and pushback against discriminatory language, the prevalence of virtual violence remains concerning on multiple levels. This underscores the need for continued efforts to promote respectful discourse and foster inclusive environments online
Innovative bedding materials for compost bedded pack barns: enhancing dairy cow welfare and sustainable dairy farming
Get PDFCompost bedded pack (CBP) barns are an innovative housing system that improves the comfort and welfare of dairy cows, compared to cubicle style housing or free stalls with artificial surfaces, such as rubber or concrete. This type of bedding system also has the potential to improve lameness scores, overall health, welfare, and productivity of dairy cows. In CBP barns, carbon materials or organic materials are composted in the barn while being used as bedding for livestock. The animals pass manure on these surfaces providing the nitrogen, microorganisms, and moisture necessary for the composting process. Historically, dry sawdust originating from mills, furniture and pallets have been used as a substrate for compost. However, due to these materials becoming increasingly expensive and hard to source, other materials have been trailed as potential substitutes. Furthermore, there is an increasing interest in making dairy production more environmentally friendly by reducing carbon footprint. This review summarises and highlights appropriate alternative materials that, subject to their management, can be successfully used in the CBP barn system. This will act as an aid for farmers and decision makers when choosing materials to be incorporated in CBP barns. Using alternative materials to sawdust, wood chips and wood shavings, which are the current industry standard, will contribute to a more circular economy and sustainable dairy production, while simultaneously contributing to sustainable development goals, and improved animal health and welfare
The use of action learning sets in developing a multiple lens view model with a charity’s leadership team. An account of practice
Get PDFThis paper outlines the outcomes from three rounds of action learning sets with a charity that supports vulnerable adults and those with learning disabilities in supported living and residential care. The action learning sets focused on safeguarding cases and how they had been managed by 11 leaders at various levels of the charity (the team). The findings demonstrate that using a reflective process and the ‘fishbowl’ model of action learning sets in this context is effective in evaluating the actions taken by the team in the safeguarding case, but also the awareness of the perspectives – or lenses – the team had used when reflecting on the roles of the various stakeholders included. We outline the development and application of the Multiple Lens View Model (Table 1) which was designed during the research and which helps to analyse the perspectives the participants were taking when focusing on the issues in each case. We conclude with an exploration of how this charity can more critically engage in debate around assumptions made in safeguarding incidents. We discuss how The Multiple Lens View Model can be developed further as a conceptual framework for this charity and for critical action learning in other institutions
"Like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic"? Feasibility, Fairness, and Ethical Concerns of a Citizen Carbon Budget for Reducing CO2 Emissions
No full textRadical and disruptive interventions are needed to reach "Net Zero" by 2050 to avert the climate catastrophe. Although governments, companies, cities, and institutions have pledged to take action and reduce their carbon emissions, the idea of personal carbon allowances or budgets for individuals has also been proposed as a potential national policy in the UK. In this paper, we employ a Research through Design approach to explore the notion of a carbon budget. We present combined results from two studies: firstly a workshop with members of environmental organisations (industry, charity, and policymaking) discussing the concept of a Citizen Carbon Budget (CCB) and app, from the wide perspective of societal desirability drawn from Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI); and secondly, a one-month deployment of a CCB mobile app with twelve members of the public based in the UK. Key findings from the combination of these approaches showed that the CCB app was fruitful in supporting awareness of personal carbon emissions and reflections about people’s lifestyles. However, several concerns were raised, including the unfairness of treating all people equally in environmental policy, regardless of their background and context. We provide considerations for policymaking and design, including intertwined perspectives drawn from the differing approaches of individual and collective action
