title: Improving robustness of image recognition through artificial image augmentation

authors: Herbert, Callum

subjects: Deep learning

abstract: Deep learning based computer vision technologies can offer a number of advantages over manual labour inspection methods such as reduced operational costs and efficiency improvements. However, they are known to be unreliable in certain situations, especially when input images contain augmentations such as occlusion or distortion that computer vision models have not been trained on. While augmentations can be mitigated by controlling some situations, this is not always possible, especially in outdoor environments.

To address this issue, one common approach is supplemental robustness training using augmented training data, which involves training models on images containing the expected augmentations to improve performance. However, this approach requires collection of a substantial volume of augmented images for each expected augmentation, making it time-consuming and costly depending on the difficulty involved in reproducing each augmentation.
This thesis explores the viability of using artificially rendered augmentations on unaugmented images as a substitute for the manual collection and preparation of naturally augmented data for image recognition and object detection models. Specifically, this thesis recreates nine environmental augmentations that commonly occur within outdoor environments and evaluates their impact on model performance on three datasets.
The findings of this thesis indicate potential for using artificially generated augmentations as substitutes for naturally occurring augmentations. It is anticipated that further research in this area will enable more reliable image recognition and object detection in less controllable environments, thus improving the results of these technologies in uncertain situations.

text: Improving robustness of image recognition through artificial image augmentation Deep learning based computer vision technologies can offer a number of advantages over manual labour inspection methods such as reduced operational costs and efficiency improvements. However, they are known to be unreliable in certain situations, especially when input images contain augmentations such as occlusion or distortion that computer vision models have not been trained on. While augmentations can be mitigated by controlling some situations, this is not always possible, especially in outdoor environments.

To address this issue, one common approach is supplemental robustness training using augmented training data, which involves training models on images containing the expected augmentations to improve performance. However, this approach requires collection of a substantial volume of augmented images for each expected augmentation, making it time-consuming and costly depending on the difficulty involved in reproducing each augmentation.
This thesis explores the viability of using artificially rendered augmentations on unaugmented images as a substitute for the manual collection and preparation of naturally augmented data for image recognition and object detection models. Specifically, this thesis recreates nine environmental augmentations that commonly occur within outdoor environments and evaluates their impact on model performance on three datasets.
The findings of this thesis indicate potential for using artificially generated augmentations as substitutes for naturally occurring augmentations. It is anticipated that further research in this area will enable more reliable image recognition and object detection in less controllable environments, thus improving the results of these technologies in uncertain situations.

year: 2023

title: Exploring school governance in the context of local values and political influences in Lalitpur, Nepal: A narrative inquiry

authors: Adhikari, Devendra

subjects: school governance

abstract: Nepal is a surreal land of stunning Himalayas, Eastern mystics, and human civilisation rich in
culture, traditions, and architecture. In the country, Hindu values have been predominant in
shaping people's lives, including respect for schooling education. People are keen to manage
schooling education through community effort by joining School Management Committees.
After the implementation of Nepal’s 2015 Constitution, public schools came under the
jurisdiction and management of local governments. As a local in Lalitpur, Nepal, a Hindu
believer, and a former public-school teacher and administrative assistant, I became
interested in researching how people’s local values and the influence of politics build public
school governance. My curiosity was further driven by the literature review related to
school governance in Nepal where I found limited research and scholarship of areas such as
the adoption of Hindu cultural values in school governance in secular Nepal, and the
exercise of power to bring about positive reforms in school management. I formulated the
research questions: What cultural and social values of groups and communities in Lalitpur
encourage working for school governance? How do political influences shape group and
community involvement in school governance in Lalitpur?
For my methodology, I choose narrative research, which lies within a social
constructionist worldview whereby social reality is conceived as the co-creation of human
relations and interactions. I used in-depth interviews and observations of participant
engagement related to school governance, during which I interviewed 43 participants
involved in school-communities and local governments in Lalitpur. These schools were
situated in three local government units in urban, semi-urban, and rural areas with diverse
geographies and socio-cultural settings. I developed a method of thematic analysis to
interpret the participants’ stories by referencing Localism-Eastern Philosophy and New
Public Management-Global Governance theories.
I found that Hinduism connected Nepali communities and schools through religious
sentiments and made the school environments sacred and peaceful. People’s culture of care
prepared the foundation for establishing and developing schools in Nepali communities.
This caring culture has been passed on as a philanthropic value to the present generation,
which aligns with the karma theory in Hinduism. Concerning the political influences in
school governance, exercise of power has brought knowledgeable people into SMCs to
contribute to the managerial reforms and has facilitated decentralised school governance
through local governments. Findings show that locals with conservative values and some
stakeholders in schools have misused political authority to take benefits and hinder the
growth of school education.
Decentralised education governance is a new practice in Nepal, and in 2025 the
country is in a federal transition stage. New education policies are being developed, and my
research findings support the establishment of policies that incorporate people’s values and
the exercise of political authority and power.

text: Exploring school governance in the context of local values and political influences in Lalitpur, Nepal: A narrative inquiry Nepal is a surreal land of stunning Himalayas, Eastern mystics, and human civilisation rich in
culture, traditions, and architecture. In the country, Hindu values have been predominant in
shaping people's lives, including respect for schooling education. People are keen to manage
schooling education through community effort by joining School Management Committees.
After the implementation of Nepal’s 2015 Constitution, public schools came under the
jurisdiction and management of local governments. As a local in Lalitpur, Nepal, a Hindu
believer, and a former public-school teacher and administrative assistant, I became
interested in researching how people’s local values and the influence of politics build public
school governance. My curiosity was further driven by the literature review related to
school governance in Nepal where I found limited research and scholarship of areas such as
the adoption of Hindu cultural values in school governance in secular Nepal, and the
exercise of power to bring about positive reforms in school management. I formulated the
research questions: What cultural and social values of groups and communities in Lalitpur
encourage working for school governance? How do political influences shape group and
community involvement in school governance in Lalitpur?
For my methodology, I choose narrative research, which lies within a social
constructionist worldview whereby social reality is conceived as the co-creation of human
relations and interactions. I used in-depth interviews and observations of participant
engagement related to school governance, during which I interviewed 43 participants
involved in school-communities and local governments in Lalitpur. These schools were
situated in three local government units in urban, semi-urban, and rural areas with diverse
geographies and socio-cultural settings. I developed a method of thematic analysis to
interpret the participants’ stories by referencing Localism-Eastern Philosophy and New
Public Management-Global Governance theories.
I found that Hinduism connected Nepali communities and schools through religious
sentiments and made the school environments sacred and peaceful. People’s culture of care
prepared the foundation for establishing and developing schools in Nepali communities.
This caring culture has been passed on as a philanthropic value to the present generation,
which aligns with the karma theory in Hinduism. Concerning the political influences in
school governance, exercise of power has brought knowledgeable people into SMCs to
contribute to the managerial reforms and has facilitated decentralised school governance
through local governments. Findings show that locals with conservative values and some
stakeholders in schools have misused political authority to take benefits and hinder the
growth of school education.
Decentralised education governance is a new practice in Nepal, and in 2025 the
country is in a federal transition stage. New education policies are being developed, and my
research findings support the establishment of policies that incorporate people’s values and
the exercise of political authority and power.

year: 2024

title: Conclusion: Relationships of interdependence—Making the difference together

authors: Berryman, Mere

abstract: This chapter begins by taking a brief look at New Zealand history. It then presents two different Māori whakataukī as metaphors, both to reconnect to the beginning of the book and also to make connections throughout the book as a whole. These metaphors are used to bring the chapters together and to consider how inclusion, a term that is often highly contested and poorly understood (Wearmouth, 2009), might begin to be better understood and applied when working with Māori children and young people with disabilities, or special education needs, or both, and with their families.

text: Conclusion: Relationships of interdependence—Making the difference together This chapter begins by taking a brief look at New Zealand history. It then presents two different Māori whakataukī as metaphors, both to reconnect to the beginning of the book and also to make connections throughout the book as a whole. These metaphors are used to bring the chapters together and to consider how inclusion, a term that is often highly contested and poorly understood (Wearmouth, 2009), might begin to be better understood and applied when working with Māori children and young people with disabilities, or special education needs, or both, and with their families.

year: 2015