title: Using 2D and 3D landmarks to solve the correspondence problem in cognitive robot mapping

authors: Jefferies, Margaret E.

subjects: computer science

abstract: We present an approach which uses 2D and 3D landmarks for solving the correspondence problem in Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM) in cognitive robot mapping. The nodes in the topological map are a representation for each local space the robot visits. The 2D approach is feature based – a neural network algorithm is used to learn a landmark signature from a set of features extracted from each local space representation. Newly encountered local spaces are classified by the neural network as to how well they match the signatures of the nodes in the topological network. The 3D landmarks are computed from camera views of the local space. Using multiple 2D views, identified landmarks are projected, with their correct location and orientation into 3D world space by scene reconstruction. As the robot moves around the local space, extracted landmarks are integrated into the ASR s scene representation which comprises the 3D landmarks. The landmarks for an ASR scene are compared against the landmark scenes for previously constructed ASRs to determine when the robot is revisiting a place it has been to before.

text: Using 2D and 3D landmarks to solve the correspondence problem in cognitive robot mapping We present an approach which uses 2D and 3D landmarks for solving the correspondence problem in Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM) in cognitive robot mapping. The nodes in the topological map are a representation for each local space the robot visits. The 2D approach is feature based – a neural network algorithm is used to learn a landmark signature from a set of features extracted from each local space representation. Newly encountered local spaces are classified by the neural network as to how well they match the signatures of the nodes in the topological network. The 3D landmarks are computed from camera views of the local space. Using multiple 2D views, identified landmarks are projected, with their correct location and orientation into 3D world space by scene reconstruction. As the robot moves around the local space, extracted landmarks are integrated into the ASR s scene representation which comprises the 3D landmarks. The landmarks for an ASR scene are compared against the landmark scenes for previously constructed ASRs to determine when the robot is revisiting a place it has been to before.

year: 2005

title: Youth sport in Trinidad and Tobago: Extending the possibilities and pathways for post-secondary school participation

authors: Lawrence-Ince, Karen

subjects: youth

abstract: Sport in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) emerged out of centuries of occupation by different colonisers becoming more entrenched through the influences of the British. Continued but intermittent successes at the international level have led to increasing attention being directed to youth sport development within recent times. Whilst this has been unfolding at the national level, schools have been utilising resources within their command to keep youth involved in sport.  
This study primarily focused on youth sport practices in the senior comprehensive schools (SCS), a school type that was created and continuously reconfigured to meet the changing demands of education. In spite of a series of transitions, sport arose and persisted within these institutions carrying greater and greater significance as time elapsed. Whereas the SCS contributed to youth sport engagement at schools, community sport clubs and their respective National Governing Bodies (NGBs) working within the framework of a new service company, The Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SPORTT), which operated under the aegis of the Ministry of Sport (MOS), provided additional opportunities for sport engagement. Efforts at these two levels however, appeared not to have produced maximum or prolonged benefits. Attrition rates in youth sport engagement at both school and community levels appeared to be sufficiently high, especially after students completed secondary schooling.   
The study therefore reports on research that investigated sport provision for youth in T&T, and specifically addressed coherence in provision across school, club, community and representative contexts. It followed the qualitative tradition and utilised an interpretative approach that bore a critical edge. Data was generated from investigations in three regional SCS school sites, and from participants in their homes and work places. Data collection involved conducting interviews with sport students past and present, as well as teachers, principals and professionals in the field of physical education and sport, and the collection of documents from the different sites. Analysis utilised a thematic approach within an iterative process.  
Findings revealed notable tensions and fragmentation in provision, particularly relating to (i) NGBs’ continued focus on elite development to the detriment of mass participation and capacity building; (ii) a relative lack of support in the community (with the exception of cricket); and (iii) pedagogical experiences and opportunities for young people within and beyond school characterised by disconnections. Discussion focuses on insights arising from an engagement with data and literature on education and sport policy, youth sport practices and physical education and sport pedagogy internationally. Recommendations arising from the research draw attention to actions needed to achieve coherence in sport provision for young people with a view to maximising pathways for sustained participation at all levels.

text: Youth sport in Trinidad and Tobago: Extending the possibilities and pathways for post-secondary school participation Sport in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) emerged out of centuries of occupation by different colonisers becoming more entrenched through the influences of the British. Continued but intermittent successes at the international level have led to increasing attention being directed to youth sport development within recent times. Whilst this has been unfolding at the national level, schools have been utilising resources within their command to keep youth involved in sport.  
This study primarily focused on youth sport practices in the senior comprehensive schools (SCS), a school type that was created and continuously reconfigured to meet the changing demands of education. In spite of a series of transitions, sport arose and persisted within these institutions carrying greater and greater significance as time elapsed. Whereas the SCS contributed to youth sport engagement at schools, community sport clubs and their respective National Governing Bodies (NGBs) working within the framework of a new service company, The Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SPORTT), which operated under the aegis of the Ministry of Sport (MOS), provided additional opportunities for sport engagement. Efforts at these two levels however, appeared not to have produced maximum or prolonged benefits. Attrition rates in youth sport engagement at both school and community levels appeared to be sufficiently high, especially after students completed secondary schooling.   
The study therefore reports on research that investigated sport provision for youth in T&T, and specifically addressed coherence in provision across school, club, community and representative contexts. It followed the qualitative tradition and utilised an interpretative approach that bore a critical edge. Data was generated from investigations in three regional SCS school sites, and from participants in their homes and work places. Data collection involved conducting interviews with sport students past and present, as well as teachers, principals and professionals in the field of physical education and sport, and the collection of documents from the different sites. Analysis utilised a thematic approach within an iterative process.  
Findings revealed notable tensions and fragmentation in provision, particularly relating to (i) NGBs’ continued focus on elite development to the detriment of mass participation and capacity building; (ii) a relative lack of support in the community (with the exception of cricket); and (iii) pedagogical experiences and opportunities for young people within and beyond school characterised by disconnections. Discussion focuses on insights arising from an engagement with data and literature on education and sport policy, youth sport practices and physical education and sport pedagogy internationally. Recommendations arising from the research draw attention to actions needed to achieve coherence in sport provision for young people with a view to maximising pathways for sustained participation at all levels.

year: 2016

title: Maori preservice primary teachers’ responses to mathematics investigations

authors: Hāwera, Ngārewa

subjects: mathematics

abstract: There has been concern for some years about the low mathematics achievement of Maori students in New Zealand. This case study reports on the responses of 18 Maori preservice teachers to investigative approaches to learning mathematics during their compulsory Year 1 mathematics education course, as a possible aid towards helping improve the achievement level of Maori in mathematics.

text: Maori preservice primary teachers’ responses to mathematics investigations There has been concern for some years about the low mathematics achievement of Maori students in New Zealand. This case study reports on the responses of 18 Maori preservice teachers to investigative approaches to learning mathematics during their compulsory Year 1 mathematics education course, as a possible aid towards helping improve the achievement level of Maori in mathematics.

year: 2006