4,193 research outputs found

    Humour in fifteenth-century France: a study of visual evidence

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    Humour in Fifteenth-Century France: A Study of Visual Evidence is an investigation of the development of humour in late medieval France, as expressed in the visual arts. The research identifies and examines comic themes in Valois visual culture through analysis of three case studies. The first is the new iconography for the comedies of Terence, created in the early fifteenth century for the Duke of Berry and the Valois Princes (BnF Lat. 7907A and Arsenal Ms-664 rĂ©serve). The second is the manuscript of RenĂ© d’Anjou’s Livre du Coeur d’Amour Épris (ÖNB Cod. Vind. 2597). The third is the only extant fifteenth-century illuminated manuscript of the Cent Nouvelles Nouvelles (GUL Ms Hunter 252 [U.4.10]). The special emphasis on the arts of the book allows for a discussion of the illuminations in relation to the text they intend to illustrate. Each of these works offers a distinct contribution to the topic by presenting a rich variety of material and different shades, types and forms of humour expressed pictorially. Their nature as manuscripts involves a personal dimension, which narrows their intended audience to specific and well researched historic personalities, facilitating the reconstruction of their tastes, pleasures and sense of humour. Thus, these works permit insights into how humour was expressed, understood and appreciated, and they allow for a nuanced discussion on the comedic and the nature of visuality in late medieval France. Each of the investigated manuscripts has been studied previously, yet their visual humour has not been addressed as an independent and intentional artistic creation with the specific function of provoking amusement and laughter. This thesis is the first such investigation of humour in visual culture for this period, addressing the lacuna in scholarship and showing that there is a rich diversity of visual material that merits analysis. It argues that pictorial expressions of humour became an important focus for leading creative artists in France through the course of the fifteenth century, and it contextualises this art historical phenomenon within the intellectual, social and political history that surrounded it. The reconstruction of the circumstances in which works of art were made, displayed and understood highlights the changes in the prospective audiences for these works, and the ways different viewers engaged and appreciated humour expressed visually. As well as providing new insights into the patrons, this thesis discusses the artists’ approach towards their text of reference, their inventions, innovations and creative impulses. In doing so, the investigation highlights a close connection with theatre and performance, and it identifies the printing industry as a contributing factor for the diffusion of comic iconography. Studying humour is important because it determines social boundaries and functions as a barometer of social, political, sexual and ethical sensibilities. Humour in Fifteenth-Century France: A Study of Visual Evidence addresses a variety of media and permits a closer reading of the role of humour and its functions in Valois France and in Western Europe in the later Middle Ages, expanding our understanding of late medieval concepts of visuality and appreciation of the image

    Graduate Catalog of Studies, 2023-2024

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    Southern Adventist University Undergraduate Catalog 2023-2024

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    Southern Adventist University\u27s undergraduate catalog for the academic year 2023-2024.https://knowledge.e.southern.edu/undergrad_catalog/1123/thumbnail.jp

    Graduate Catalog of Studies, 2023-2024

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    Une méthode de mesure du mouvement humain pour la programmation par démonstration

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    Programming by demonstration (PbD) is an intuitive approach to impart a task to a robot from one or several demonstrations by the human teacher. The acquisition of the demonstrations involves the solution of the correspondence problem when the teacher and the learner differ in sensing and actuation. Kinesthetic guidance is widely used to perform demonstrations. With such a method, the robot is manipulated by the teacher and the demonstrations are recorded by the robot's encoders. In this way, the correspondence problem is trivial but the teacher dexterity is afflicted which may impact the PbD process. Methods that are more practical for the teacher usually require the identification of some mappings to solve the correspondence problem. The demonstration acquisition method is based on a compromise between the difficulty of identifying these mappings, the level of accuracy of the recorded elements and the user-friendliness and convenience for the teacher. This thesis proposes an inertial human motion tracking method based on inertial measurement units (IMUs) for PbD for pick-and-place tasks. Compared to kinesthetic guidance, IMUs are convenient and easy to use but can present a limited accuracy. Their potential for PbD applications is investigated. To estimate the trajectory of the teacher's hand, 3 IMUs are placed on her/his arm segments (arm, forearm and hand) to estimate their orientations. A specific method is proposed to partially compensate the well-known drift of the sensor orientation estimation around the gravity direction by exploiting the particular configuration of the demonstration. This method, called heading reset, is based on the assumption that the sensor passes through its original heading with stationary phases several times during the demonstration. The heading reset is implemented in an integration and vector observation algorithm. Several experiments illustrate the advantages of this heading reset. A comprehensive inertial human hand motion tracking (IHMT) method for PbD is then developed. It includes an initialization procedure to estimate the orientation of each sensor with respect to the human arm segment and the initial orientation of the sensor with respect to the teacher attached frame. The procedure involves a rotation and a static position of the extended arm. The measurement system is thus robust with respect to the positioning of the sensors on the segments. A procedure for estimating the position of the human teacher relative to the robot and a calibration procedure for the parameters of the method are also proposed. At the end, the error of the human hand trajectory is measured experimentally and is found in an interval between 28.528.5 mm and 61.861.8 mm. The mappings to solve the correspondence problem are identified. Unfortunately, the observed level of accuracy of this IHMT method is not sufficient for a PbD process. In order to reach the necessary level of accuracy, a method is proposed to correct the hand trajectory obtained by IHMT using vision data. A vision system presents a certain complementarity with inertial sensors. For the sake of simplicity and robustness, the vision system only tracks the objects but not the teacher. The correction is based on so-called Positions Of Interest (POIs) and involves 3 steps: the identification of the POIs in the inertial and vision data, the pairing of the hand POIs to objects POIs that correspond to the same action in the task, and finally, the correction of the hand trajectory based on the pairs of POIs. The complete method for demonstration acquisition is experimentally evaluated in a full PbD process. This experiment reveals the advantages of the proposed method over kinesthesy in the context of this work.La programmation par dĂ©monstration est une approche intuitive permettant de transmettre une tĂąche Ă  un robot Ă  partir d'une ou plusieurs dĂ©monstrations faites par un enseignant humain. L'acquisition des dĂ©monstrations nĂ©cessite cependant la rĂ©solution d'un problĂšme de correspondance quand les systĂšmes sensitifs et moteurs de l'enseignant et de l'apprenant diffĂšrent. De nombreux travaux utilisent des dĂ©monstrations faites par kinesthĂ©sie, i.e., l'enseignant manipule directement le robot pour lui faire faire la tĂąche. Ce dernier enregistre ses mouvements grĂące Ă  ses propres encodeurs. De cette façon, le problĂšme de correspondance est trivial. Lors de telles dĂ©monstrations, la dextĂ©ritĂ© de l'enseignant peut ĂȘtre altĂ©rĂ©e et impacter tout le processus de programmation par dĂ©monstration. Les mĂ©thodes d'acquisition de dĂ©monstration moins invalidantes pour l'enseignant nĂ©cessitent souvent des procĂ©dures spĂ©cifiques pour rĂ©soudre le problĂšme de correspondance. Ainsi l'acquisition des dĂ©monstrations se base sur un compromis entre complexitĂ© de ces procĂ©dures, le niveau de prĂ©cision des Ă©lĂ©ments enregistrĂ©s et la commoditĂ© pour l'enseignant. Cette thĂšse propose ainsi une mĂ©thode de mesure du mouvement humain par capteurs inertiels pour la programmation par dĂ©monstration de tĂąches de ``pick-and-place''. Les capteurs inertiels sont en effet pratiques et faciles Ă  utiliser, mais sont d'une prĂ©cision limitĂ©e. Nous Ă©tudions leur potentiel pour la programmation par dĂ©monstration. Pour estimer la trajectoire de la main de l'enseignant, des capteurs inertiels sont placĂ©s sur son bras, son avant-bras et sa main afin d'estimer leurs orientations. Une mĂ©thode est proposĂ©e afin de compenser partiellement la dĂ©rive de l'estimation de l'orientation des capteurs autour de la direction de la gravitĂ©. Cette mĂ©thode, appelĂ©e ``heading reset'', est basĂ©e sur l'hypothĂšse que le capteur passe plusieurs fois par son azimut initial avec des phases stationnaires lors d'une dĂ©monstration. Cette mĂ©thode est implĂ©mentĂ©e dans un algorithme d'intĂ©gration et d'observation de vecteur. Des expĂ©riences illustrent les avantages du ``heading reset''. Cette thĂšse dĂ©veloppe ensuite une mĂ©thode complĂšte de mesure des mouvements de la main humaine par capteurs inertiels (IHMT). Elle comprend une premiĂšre procĂ©dure d'initialisation pour estimer l'orientation des capteurs par rapport aux segments du bras humain ainsi que l'orientation initiale des capteurs par rapport au repĂšre de rĂ©fĂ©rence de l'humain. Cette procĂ©dure, consistant en une rotation et une position statique du bras tendu, est robuste au positionnement des capteurs. Une seconde procĂ©dure est proposĂ©e pour estimer la position de l'humain par rapport au robot et pour calibrer les paramĂštres de la mĂ©thode. Finalement, l'erreur moyenne sur la trajectoire de la main humaine est mesurĂ©e expĂ©rimentalement entre 28.5 mm et 61.8 mm, ce qui n'est cependant pas suffisant pour la programmation par dĂ©monstration. Afin d'atteindre le niveau de prĂ©cision nĂ©cessaire, une nouvelle mĂ©thode est dĂ©veloppĂ©e afin de corriger la trajectoire de la main par IHMT Ă  partir de donnĂ©es issues d'un systĂšme de vision, complĂ©mentaire des capteurs inertiels. Pour maintenir une certaine simplicitĂ© et robustesse, le systĂšme de vision ne suit que les objets et pas l'enseignant. La mĂ©thode de correction, basĂ©e sur des ``Positions Of Interest (POIs)'', est constituĂ©e de 3 Ă©tapes: l'identification des POIs dans les donnĂ©es issues des capteurs inertiels et du systĂšme de vision, puis l'association de POIs liĂ©es Ă  la main et de POIs liĂ©es aux objets correspondant Ă  la mĂȘme action, et enfin, la correction de la trajectoire de la main Ă  partir des paires de POIs. Finalement, la mĂ©thode IHMT corrigĂ©e est expĂ©rimentalement Ă©valuĂ©e dans un processus complet de programmation par dĂ©monstration. Cette expĂ©rience montre l'avantage de la mĂ©thode proposĂ©e sur la kinesthĂ©sie dans le contexte de ce travail

    Gait Analysis and Rehabilitation Using Web-Based Pose Estimation

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    Gait abnormalities are one of the most common health conditions in the elderly population, with almost one in three people over 60 experiencing symptoms that disrupt their movement [1]. These symptoms can cause disability [2] and present an increased fall risk [3] [4]. Detecting these abnormalities early is, therefore, crucial as it reduces the likelihood of injuries and accidents. Current treatments for gait abnormalities depend on the condition, but many treatment plans commonly incorporate some form of physiotherapy. Clinicians typically deliver physiotherapy in the form of gait assessments and targeted exercises or therapies. Recent research has also shown that virtual reality (VR) treadmill walking, using motion capture technology, can be an effective method of treating certain gait abnormalities [5] [6] [7]. This thesis covers the development of a web-based VR treadmill walking system to make VR physiotherapy cheaper and more accessible. The system uses convolutional neural networks to assess the patient’s gait from an RGB webcam feed and provides them with live feedback on their body position within a VR environment. The system’s gait assessment capabilities are validated by comparing it to a gold standard – the OptiTrack motion capture system. The results demonstrate that the system’s percentage error (ϔ˜%) was much less for temporal gait metrics (0.24 < ϔ˜< 12.40) than it was for spatial ones (70.90 < ϔ˜% < 79.72). Four out of five spatial metrics also had a “very strong correlation” (0.74 < r < 0.86) when compared to the OptiTrack’s metrics, meaning the accuracy could be increased using a gain factor. These findings establish the basis for a similar study with a larger sample size. They also raise the possibility that this system could analyse gait in the clinic and the home without specialist motion capture equipment or facilities

    Fictocritical Cyberfeminism: A Paralogical Model for Post-Internet Communication

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    This dissertation positions the understudied and experimental writing practice of fictocriticism as an analog for the convergent and indeterminate nature of “post-Internet” communication as well a cyberfeminist technology for interfering and in-tervening in metanarratives of technoscience and technocapitalism that structure contemporary media. Significant theoretical valences are established between twen-tieth century literary works of fictocriticism and the hybrid and ephemeral modes of writing endemic to emergent, twenty-first century forms of networked communica-tion such as social media. Through a critical theoretical understanding of paralogy, or that countercultural logic of deploying language outside legitimate discourses, in-volving various tactics of multivocity, mimesis and metagraphy, fictocriticism is ex-plored as a self-referencing linguistic machine which exists intentionally to occupy those liminal territories “somewhere in among/between criticism, autobiography and fiction” (Hunter qtd. in Kerr 1996). Additionally, as a writing practice that orig-inated in Canada and yet remains marginal to national and international literary scholarship, this dissertation elevates the origins and ongoing relevance of fictocriti-cism by mapping its shared aims and concerns onto proximal discourses of post-structuralism, cyberfeminism, network ecology, media art, the avant-garde, glitch feminism, and radical self-authorship in online environments. Theorized in such a matrix, I argue that fictocriticism represents a capacious framework for writing and reading media that embodies the self-reflexive politics of second-order cybernetic theory while disrupting the rhetoric of technoscientific and neoliberal economic forc-es with speech acts of calculated incoherence. Additionally, through the inclusion of my own fictocritical writing as works of research-creation that interpolate the more traditional chapters and subchapters, I theorize and demonstrate praxis of this dis-tinctively indeterminate form of criticism to empirically and meaningfully juxtapose different modes of knowing and speaking about entangled matters of language, bod-ies, and technologies. In its conclusion, this dissertation contends that the “creative paranoia” engendered by fictocritical cyberfeminism in both print and digital media environments offers a pathway towards a more paralogical media literacy that can transform the terms and expectations of our future media ecology

    La traduzione specializzata all’opera per una piccola impresa in espansione: la mia esperienza di internazionalizzazione in cinese di Bioretics© S.r.l.

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    Global markets are currently immersed in two all-encompassing and unstoppable processes: internationalization and globalization. While the former pushes companies to look beyond the borders of their country of origin to forge relationships with foreign trading partners, the latter fosters the standardization in all countries, by reducing spatiotemporal distances and breaking down geographical, political, economic and socio-cultural barriers. In recent decades, another domain has appeared to propel these unifying drives: Artificial Intelligence, together with its high technologies aiming to implement human cognitive abilities in machinery. The “Language Toolkit – Le lingue straniere al servizio dell’internazionalizzazione dell’impresa” project, promoted by the Department of Interpreting and Translation (ForlĂŹ Campus) in collaboration with the Romagna Chamber of Commerce (ForlĂŹ-Cesena and Rimini), seeks to help Italian SMEs make their way into the global market. It is precisely within this project that this dissertation has been conceived. Indeed, its purpose is to present the translation and localization project from English into Chinese of a series of texts produced by Bioretics© S.r.l.: an investor deck, the company website and part of the installation and use manual of the Aliquis© framework software, its flagship product. This dissertation is structured as follows: Chapter 1 presents the project and the company in detail; Chapter 2 outlines the internationalization and globalization processes and the Artificial Intelligence market both in Italy and in China; Chapter 3 provides the theoretical foundations for every aspect related to Specialized Translation, including website localization; Chapter 4 describes the resources and tools used to perform the translations; Chapter 5 proposes an analysis of the source texts; Chapter 6 is a commentary on translation strategies and choices

    2023-2024 Catalog

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    The 2023-2024 Governors State University Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog is a comprehensive listing of current information regarding:Degree RequirementsCourse OfferingsUndergraduate and Graduate Rules and Regulation
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