Interaction on the Frontier of the 16\u3csup\u3eth\u3c/sup\u3e-17\u3csup\u3eth\u3c/sup\u3e Century World Economy: Late Fort Ancient Hide Production and Exchange at the Hardin Site, Greenup County, Kentucky

This study assesses the organization and intensity of hide processing from sequential occupations at the Late Fort Ancient (A.D. 1400-1680) Hardin Site located in the central Ohio Valley. Historical and archaeological sources were drawn on to develop expectations for production intensification: 1) an increase in production tool quantity, 2) an increase in production debris quantity, and 3) an increase in tool utilization intensity. Many Native groups situated on the periphery of early European colonies intensified hide production to meet demand generated by an emerging global trade in hides. As this economic activity intensified in the 16th and 17th centuries it incorporated and ever greater network of native communities. By documenting production intensification at the Hardin Site, this study evaluates the degree to which global markets incorporated regions beyond the colonial periphery before A.D. 1680. This study also examines the social dimensions of economic activity by asking who processed hides, who may have benefited from the products of this labor, and whether or not either of these were influenced by participation in the tumultuous interaction sphere of the eastern North American Contact Period

Exploring Cognitive Processes with Virtual Environments

The scope of this thesis is the study of cognitive processes with, and within Virtual Environments (VEs). Specifically, the presented work has two main objectives: (1) to outline a framework for situating the applications of VEs to cognitive sciences, especially those interfacing with the medical domain; and (2) to empirically illustrate the potential of VEs for studying specific aspects of cognitive processes. As for the first objective, the sought framework has been built by proposing classifications and discussing several examples of VEs used for assessing and treating disorders of attention, memory, executive functions, visual-spatial skills, and language. Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy was briefly discussed as well, and applications to autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, and pain control were touched on. These applications in fact underscore prerogatives that may extend to non-medical applications to cognitive sciences. The second objective was sought by studying the time course of attention. Two experiments were undertaken, both relying on dual-target paradigms that cause an attentional blink (AB). The first experiment evaluated the effect of a 7-week Tibetan Yoga training on the performance of habitual meditators in an AB paradigm using letters as distractors, and single-digit numbers as targets. The results confirm the evidence that meditation improves the allocation of attentional resources, and extend this conclusion to Yoga, which incorporates also physical exercise. The second experiment compared the AB performance of adult participants using rapid serial presentations of road signs -- hence less abstract stimuli -- under three display conditions: as 2-D images on a computer screen, either with or without a concurrent auditory distraction, and appearing in a 3-D immersive virtual environment depicting a motorway junction. The results found a generally weak AB magnitude, which is maximal in the Virtual Environment, and minimal in the condition with the concurrent auditory distraction. However, no lag-1 sparing effect was observed. == La tesi attiene allo studio dei processi cognitivi in ambiente virtuale (AV). In particolare il lavoro presentato ha due obiettivi principali: (1) proporre un quadro di riferimento per le applicazioni degli AV nelle scienze cognitive, specialmente quando queste rientrano nel settore medico; e (2) illustrare empiricamente il potenziale degli AV per lo studio di specifici aspetti cognitivi. Il quadro di riferimento del primo obiettivo è stato costruito discutendo classificazioni ed esempi di AV usati per valutare e trattare disturbi dell'attenzione, della memoria, esecutivi, delle abilità visuo-spaziali e del linguaggio. Sono stati brevemente discussi anche esempi di applicazioni di Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy, e per i disturbi dello spettro autistico, la schizofrenia, e l'analgesia. Esse sono infatti rappresentative delle prerogative degli AV trasferibili ad aspetti non medici delle scienze cognitive. Per il secondo obiettivo del lavoro si è studiata l'attenzione nel dominio temporale. Sono stati realizzati due esperimenti, entrambi basati su un paradigma sperimentale di doppio-compito tale da indurre il fenomeno dell'attentional blink (AB). Il primo esperimento ha valutato l'effetto di 7 settimane di Yoga tibetano sull'AB di un gruppo di meditatori. La presentazione visiva seriale rapida comprendeva lettere come distrattori e numeri a una cifra come target. I risultati confermano che la meditazione riduce l'AB, ed estendono questa conclusione allo Yoga, che include anche l'esercizio fisico. Il secondo esperimento ha confrontato l'AB di un gruppo di adulti utilizzando presentazioni visive seriali rapide di segnali stradali -- dunque stimoli meno astratti -- in 3 condizioni: immagini 2-D sullo schermo di un computer, essendo simultaneamente presente o assente una distrazione uditiva, e presentazione 3-D in un AV immersivo che simula un incrocio autostradale. I risultati rilevano un AB lieve, che è massimo nell'AV, e minimo nella condizione 2-D con la distrazione uditiva. L'effetto lag-1 sparing non è presente

High-voltage wideband switching amplifier for capacitive loads

Thesis (M.Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2001.Also issued in leaves.Includes bibliographical references (p. 110-111).Why is it that arbitrarily driving imaginary loads has always required lots of power? In this thesis, a highly efficient switching amplifier class is developed that is capable of delivering energy to, as well as taking energy from, a capacitive load in a finely controllable, dissipationless manner. Several control schemes were investigated, and a simple version of the amplifier was then built and tested using both synchronous and asynchronous controllers. The amplifier proved to be capable of driving high voltage, high frequency signals across a capacitive transducer with extremely low total power consumption and very low distortion.by John C. Olsson.M.Eng

Effect of orientation of probabtion workers and a comparison of outcome of probation in Scotland and England

In the first part of this study the development of probation work is traced. It is shown that emphases from the past influence perceptions and aims of workers today. A new analysis of these is presented suggesting that workers' aims can be expressed on a continuum between two ORIENTATIONS, the JUDICIAL and the CLINICAL. In the second part of the study, after description of characteristics of worker and probationer samples, four hypotheses are tested. Firstly changes in the behaviour of probationers subsequent to the making of a probation order are measured not only, as is usual, using reconviction rates, but also utilizing undetected offending rates, changes in the numbers of convictions, in the number of undetected offences, in the seriousness of these, in social stability, in employment stability, in attitudes (to work, law and authority, probation and self) and in social functioning. Little change in the behaviour of probationers is found. Secondly, the outcome of probation in Scotland and England is compared. No consistent differences are found. Thirdly, the existence of ORIENTATIONS and the feasibility of expressing aims of probation workers on the continuum between JUDICIAL and CLINICAL ORIENTATIONS are examined. The concept of ORIENTATIONS receives support; the measurement method devised appears workable. Lastly, there is examination of changes in the behaviour of a subsample of probationers matched with their workers who were categorised using a tripartite division of the JUDICIAL/CLINICAL scale. Those probationers whose workers had a CLINICAL ORIENTATION appear to have fewer reconvictions and to have committed fewer undetected offences. Those probationers whose workers had an INTERMEDIATE ORIENTATION, that is, who fell in the middle of the scale, appear to have made greater change in a positive direction on all the other measures

A modular programming language for engineering design

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2008.Includes bibliographical references (p. 137-142).We introduce a new universal model of computation called MDPL that generalizes other functional models like the lambda calculus and combinatory logic. This model leads naturally to a new type of programming language that combines the key strengths of imperative and functional languages for development and analysis of programs. These strengths have particular relevance for rapid analysis of large-scale engineering design problems. MDPL uses a novel approach to provide not only the flexibility to easily change relationships among elements in a program (as in imperative languages), but also the power to easily reuse and redeploy existing structures of such relationships in new places within a program (as in functional languages). The core formalism of MDPL is highly structured, but can be operated on by a family of formally defined algorithmic transformations that can automatically modify the structure of MDPL programs in useful ways to alter the relationships between essentially arbitrary program elements. These operations change the structure of a program to either change its functional interpretation, or to provide a different representation with the same interpretation, which may be used to make further changes. These algorithmic transformations play a critical role in rapid, incremental development of MDPL programs. We describe a prototype implementation of an MDPL-based graphical programming environment targeted at engineering modeling tasks. This environment is used to conduct an experimental case study comparing the performance of the MDPL-based environment with a mainstream spreadsheet-based environment in the hands of engineers addressing a space systems design analysis task in a time-critical setting. The results of the case study illustrate some of the practical advantages of MDPL and confirm the intuition behind its design.(cont) We also discuss the theoretical capabilities of MDPL in relation to general-purpose computer programming, and explain how it captures or supersedes many of the important features of existing programming languages from multiple paradigms. Finally, we discuss opportunities for future research and development, including: efficient implementation of the MDPL formalism; an effective graphical user interface for programming in MDPL-based languages; and potential extensions to MDPL for specialized application areas.by Thomas Merritt Coffee.S.M

Value management in design planning : a systems-based framework for multi-disciplinary team involvement

This thesis investigates the Value Management processes used by construction project clients that effects project team involvement in VM workshops during the design stage of the projects. It is based on five case studies of the Malaysian international airport construction project packages. The focus of the research is on how issues related to infrastructure design that can improve construction processes on-site are being identified, analysed and resolved through multi-disciplinary team participation. The degrees of interaction, diversity of visualisation aids, certain cultural dimensions and the system thinking approach are found to have significant influence in maximizing participation among project team members during the entire VM workshop process