En aquesta tesi es solucionen problemes de visibilitat i proximitat sobre superfícies triangulades considerant elements generalitzats. Com a elements generalitzats considerem:punts, segments, poligonals i polígons. Les estrategies que proposem utilitzen algoritmesde geometria computacional i hardware gràfic. Comencem tractant els problemes de visibilitat sobre models de terrenys triangulats considerant un conjunt d'elements de visió generalitzats. Es presenten dos mètodes per obtenir, de forma aproximada, mapes de multi-visibilitat. Un mapa de multi-visibilitat és la subdivisió del domini del terreny que codifica la visibilitat d'acord amb diferents criteris. El primer mètode, de difícil implementació, utilitza informació de visibilitat exacte per reconstruir de forma aproximada el mapa de multi-visibilitat. El segon, que va acompanyat de resultats d'implementació, obté informació de visibilitat aproximada percalcular i visualitzar mapes de multi-visibilitat discrets mitjançant hardware gràfic. Coma aplicacions es resolen problemes de multi-visibilitat entre regions i es responen preguntessobre la multi-visibilitat d'un punt o d'una regió. A continuació tractem els problemes de proximitat sobre superfícies polièdriques triangulades considerant seus generalitzades. Es presenten dos mètodes, amb resultats d'implementació, per calcular distàncies des de seus generalitzades sobre superfícies polièdriques on hi poden haver obstacles generalitzats. El primer mètode calcula, de forma exacte, les distàncies definides pels camins més curts des de les seus als punts del poliedre. El segon mètode calcula, de forma aproximada, distàncies considerant els camins més curts sobre superfícies polièdriques amb pesos. Com a aplicacions, es calculen diagrames de Voronoi d'ordre k, i es resolen, de forma aproximada, alguns problemes de localització de serveis. També es proporciona un estudi teòric sobre la complexitat dels diagrames de Voronoi d'ordre k d'un conjunt de seus generalitzades en un poliedre sense pesos. / In this thesis, we solve visibility and proximity problems on triangulated surfaces concerning generalized elements. As generalized elements, we consider: points, segments, polygonal chains and polygonal regions. The proposed strategies use algorithms of Computational Geometry and Graphics Hardware. We start by studying multi-visibility problems on triangulated terrain models concerning a set of generalized view elements. We present two methods to obtain approximate multi-visibility maps. A multi-visibility map is a subdivision of the terrain domain encoding visibility according to different criteria. The first method, of complex implementation, uses exactly computed visibility information to approximately reconstruct the unknown multi-visibility map. The second, from which implementation results are provided, uses approximate visibility information to compute and visualize discrete multi-visibility maps by exploiting graphics hardware capabilities. As applications, we compute multi-visibility maps, solve inter-region multi-visibility problems and approximately answer point and polygonal region multi-visibility queries. Next, we tackle proximity problems on triangulated polyhedral surfaces, where generalized obstacles are allowed, considering generalized sources. We present two methods, with implementation results, to compute distances on polyhedral surfaces from a generalized source. The first method computes exact shortest path distances from generalized sources. The second provides approximate weighted shortest path distances from generalized sites on weighted polyhedral surfaces. Both methods are posteriorly extended to handle the multiple-site problem where the corresponding distance field is obtained. As applications, we compute discrete order-k Voronoi diagrams and approximately solve some facility location problems. We also provide a theoretical study on the order-k Voronoi diagram complexity of a set of generalized sources for the non-weighted case.

Aquesta tesi tracta del disseny, implementació i discussió d'algoritmes per resoldre problemes de visibilitat i bona-visibilitat utilitzant el hardware gràfic de l'ordinador. Concretament, s'obté una discretització dels mapes de multi-visibilitat i bona-visibilitat a partir d'un conjunt d'objectes de visió i un conjunt d'obstacles. Aquests algoritmes són útils tant per fer càlculs en dues dimensions com en tres dimensions. Fins i tot ens permeten calcular-los sobre terrenys. / In this thesis we design, implement and discuss algorithms that run in the graphics hardware for solving visibility and good-visibility problems. In particular, we compute a discretization of the multi-visibility and good-visibility maps from a set of view objects (points or segments) and a set of obstacles. This computation is carried out for two-dimensional and three-dimensional spaces and even over terrains, which in computational geometry are defined as a 2.5D space.

In a heteronormative society where hegemonic masculinity prevails, beauty is often synonymous with, and presented as, feminine. For example, pictures of tall, thin women with perfect teeth and perfect skin gloss the covers of magazines and other forms of media as representative of some beauty ideal. This “ideal” is the barometer by which, on many levels, all women are judged. While some women may choose to ignore these messages, few women can always escape comparison. Our society constantly informs us that appearance matters. More specifically for women, a feminine physical appearance is often considered “ideal.” But what exactly does this construct, feminine, signify? Fundamentally, femininity is not static. To speak of it as a logical, simple construct is problematic for it means different things and is expressed in different ways in different environments. Furthermore, to assert one definition by which all others will be measured is difficult in that it presumes a homogenous population and/or idealizes one specific representation. In this research project I conducted in-depth interviews with 43 non-heterosexual women to discern how they constructed “femininity.” What did it look like? What meanings did it connote? When was it important and how was it negotiated? Applying a cognitive sociological lens and using grounded theory methods, I describe what femininity, or arguably femininities, look(s) like within this subpopulation. This project contributes to and extends the literature on gender, sexuality, and appearance. It does this by demonstrating the importance of analyzing non-heterosexual women’s experiences and understandings of femininity within a patriarchal society that valorizes hegemonic masculinity. Most literature contemplating appearance and related misogynistic messages emphasizes a heteronormative perspective. However, feminine and femininity uniquely impact non-heteronormative women. Non-heterosexual women must negotiate both misogynistic and heterosexist messages concurrently. By simultaneously addressing this “double” subordination or marginalization, this research endeavors to provide a more comprehensive overview of meanings and ramifications of appearance choices.

The main purpose of the study was to investigate the role of Big Five personality dimensions (Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Openness to Experience, Neuroticism and Agreeableness) and justice perceptions (procedural, distributive, informational and interactional justice) on social loafing in a field setting. Another purpose was to explore potential moderation effects of personality and justice dimensions on social loafing. Data was gathered both from employees and their supervisors working in three leading software companies in Ankara, Turkey. The study was conducted in two phases. In the pilot study, social loafing and perceived coworker social loafing scales were developed. Task visibility scale was adapted to Turkish. The internal consistency reliabilities of the scales were tested by a pilot study with a sample of 53 employees. In the main study, hypothesis and potential moderation effects were tested by gathering data from 156 participants. Results supported only two hypotheses proposing positive relations between extraversion &amp / social loafing and neuroticism &amp / social loafing. Investigating potential moderators, distributive justice turned out to be moderator on the relation between extraversion and social loafing. Moreover, conscientiousness had moderation effect on the relation between informational justice and social loafing. The results were discussed along with practical implications, limitations of the study and future directions.

This is a study of the spatial affordances of buildings that allow them to organize and transmit cultural ideas and to support the performance of organizational roles. The particular affordances under consideration are those that arise from the manner in which buildings structure the visual fields that are potentially available to a situated observer. In studying directed visibility patterns, supported by the development of appropriate analytical tools, we focus on a previously specified set of visual targets and ask how many become visible from each occupiable location. Parametric restrictions concerning the direction into which a subject faces and the viewing angle sustained by the target object are also taken into consideration. The aim is to demonstrate how such refinements of visibility analysis, lead to more precise and penetrating insights as to how building users tune their behavior to the spatial affordances of environment, and how the environment impacts their understanding in turn. Three different studies were presented. The fist used directed visibility measures to evaluate the affordances of different nursing-unit designs relative to how well nurses are able to survey patients in different rooms as they go about their duties. The second study focuses on the manner in which nurses and physicians position themselves in a Neuro Intensive Care Unit (ICU), particularly when interacting. The third study investigates how aware exhibition visitors become of the visual structure of environment and how the visibility structure of exhibitions affects the ability of visitors to conceptually group paintings according to their thematic content. The case studies support the following conclusions. 1) The way in which people position themselves in an environment as they perform their assigned tasks is tuned to the way in which visual fields are structured. 2) The visual structure of environment is contingent upon the interaction between the underlying structure of visual fields and paths of movement. 3) Directed visibility analysis leads to stronger correlations with behavior and performance than generic visibility analysis. This implies that environments are layered. Their underlying spatial structure is charged by the distribution of the contents that are programmatically primary.

We propose a real-time system to visualize multi-viewpoint visibility information for terrains, supporting flight path optimization for view coverage or vehicle exposure to ground. A volume rendered display and a haptic interface assist the user in selecting, assessing, and refining the computed flight path. We construct a three-dimensional scalar field representing the visibility of a point above the terrain, describe an efficient algorithm to compute visibility, and develop visual and haptic schemes to interact with the visibility field. Given the origin and destination, the desired flight path is computed using an efficient simulation of an articulated rope under the influence of the visibility gradient. The simulation framework also accepts user input, via the haptic interface, thereby allowing manual refinement of the flight path.

2011-uosius metus Europos Komisija paskelbė Savanorystės metais. Savanorystė jau tapo tarptautiniu reiškiniu, kurio nauda pastebima ne tik visuomenės ir nevyriausybinių organizacijų, bet ir paties žmogaus besiimančio šios veiklos asmenybės tobulėjimui. Europos savanorių centras išleido manifestą, kuriuo skelbiama apie savanorystės svarbą bei siūlomi konkretūs veiksmai, kuriais remiantis būtų ugdoma savanorišką veiklą šalyje gerbianti visuomenė. Taip pat šį rudenį Lietuvos Prezidentė nutarė steigti darbo grupę, kuri siūlys savanorystės problemų sprendimus. Tai yra aktuali šiomis dienomis nagrinėjama tema, kurios efektyvinimui didinti jau yra imamasi įvairiausių priemonių (pvz.:. dažniausiai žiniasklaidoje minimas rengiamas savanoriškos veiklos įstatymo projektas ar vykdomos įvairios savanorystę paremti programos). Tyrimo objektas – nevyriausybinių organizacijų savanorių pasitelkimo galimybių plėtra. Tyrimo tikslas - ištyrus savanoriško darbo paplitimo tendencijas Lietuvoje ir Belgijoje pateikti vadybos gerąją praktika grįstas organizacines priemones motyvuojančias Lietuvos gyventojus tapti savanoriais. Tyrimo uždaviniai: 1. Apžvelgti nevyriausybinių organizacijų veiklos aplinką, nustatyti teorines prielaidas pasitelkti savanorius NVO veikloje; 2. Nustatyti ir ištirti organizacijų požymių rinkinį, kuriam esant savanorystė gali būti plėtojama geriausiu būdu. Nustatyti, kaip nevyriausybinių organizacijų žinomumas ir aktyvumas daro įtaką savanorių pritraukimui. 3. Nustatyti... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The European Commission declared 2011 as the year of volunteering. Volunteering is a common and international phenomena and it is useful for the society, nongovernmental organizations and development of persons undertaking these activities. The European volunteering centre issued a manifesto stressing the importance of volunteering and offering specific actions on developing the society that respects volunteers. Moreover, in this autumn the Lithuanian President ordered to constitute a work group that would find the solutions on volunteering problems. It is a relevant topic, and in order to enhance effectiveness, various methods are undertaking: e.g. the draft law on volunteering activities and programs on volunteering support. Research object development of volunteering capacities in nongovernmental organizations. Research purpose – after analysis of volunteering tendencies in Lithuania and Belgium, suggest some good-practice management organization measures on motivating Lithuanian residents to volunteer. Research objectives: 1. To overview the environment of NGO activities, to establish the theoretic presumptions on the use on volunteers in NGO performance; 2. To indicate and analyze the organizational features for the most effective use of volunteering and establish the effect of visibility of organization on attracting volunteers. 3. To establish the effect of motivation methods for development of volunteering. 4. To construct the organizational measures on... [to full text]

Competition for seats in Canadian medical schools has driven many Canadians to seek medical education abroad. Systematic barriers make it necessary for internationally educated physicians (IEPs) hoping to practice in Canada to complete postgraduate residencies. To do so, they must transition into new medical education systems. The transitional experiences of internationally educated physicians are not well understood. This phenomenological qualitative study reveals the perspectives of twenty recent graduates from the University of Manitoba Family Medicine residency program. Canadians Studying Abroad constituted the majority of participants. Participant interviews revealed the presence of clinical practice gaps, created by curricular differences in the timing of graduated clinical responsibility between the Canadian and international medical education systems. Participants also shared their experiences of being singled out (visibility and invisibility), rejected and mistreated. They perceived that IEP residents were assigned low status in resident hierarchies. Their experiences are conceptualized as stigmatization.

In una realtà sempre più globalizzata e di competizione tra città, ospitare un mega-evento è un’opportunità di accelerazione della trasformazione economica, infrastrutturale, sociale e urbana. Questa tesi si propone di valutare se Torino è stata capace di trasformare l’occasione dei Giochi Olimpici Invernali 2006 in una duratura eredità per la città, separando l’effetto dei Giochi in se' e per se' da quello degli investimenti pubblici e della visibilità. Il primo capitolo evidenzia l’importanza di ospitare un evento per l’economia locale e fornisce un quadro generale d’analisi, presentando la scelta della dinamica dei prezzi immobiliari rispetto ad altri metodi usati in letteratura, assieme a quella della tecnica difference-in-differences. Infine, propone il contesto teorico dell’analisi empirica che viene sviluppata nei due capitoli successivi, spiegando le ragioni dietro la scelta del caso delle Olimpiadi di Torino. Il secondo capitolo mira a separare l’effetto differenziale degli investimenti pubblici locali (introducendo una loro nuova misurazione diretta) sull’attrattività della città, distinto da quello dell’ospitare i Giochi di per sé. Il terzo capitolo amplia l’analisi empirica introducendo il ruolo della visibilità internazionale tramite la creazione di un innovativo indice di visibilità basato sui dati forniti dallo strumento Google Trends. / In a context of increasing globalisation and competition between cities, hosting mega-events is an opportunity to accelerate economic, infrastructural, social and urban transformation. This dissertation aims at analysing if Turin was able to transform the hosting of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in a long-lasting legacy for the city, separating the effect of the Olympics per se from the ones of public investments and visibility. In doing so, the first chapter highlights the importance of event hosting for local economies and provides a general framework of analysis, discussing the choice of housing prices dynamics to evaluate the impact of mega events with respect to other methods used in literature, as well as the one of difference-in-differences technique. Finally, the theoretical background of the empirical analysis that follows in the subsequent chapters is presented along with the choice of the case of Turin’s Olympics. The second paper aims at disentangling the differential effect of local public investments (introducing a new direct measure of them) on city appeal, distinguished from that of hosting the Olympics per se. The third paper extends the empirical analysis introducing the role of international visibility in shaping the legacy of Turin Olympics. In doing so, an innovative index of visibility is constructed using data from the Google Trend Tool.

Cette recherche exploratoire vise à documenter, du point de vue des intervenants, les conditions nécessaires à la mise en place de projets utilisant des outils de narrativité numérique, de même que les principaux apports de ces outils à l’intervention. Ces outils peuvent être des récits numériques qui sont de courtes vidéos (deux à cinq minutes) intégrant images, musique, texte, voix et animation, ou encore de courts fichiers audio, aussi appelés podcasting ou baladodiffusion. Il peut aussi s’agir de jeux vidéo interactifs ou d’un montage vidéo à partir d’extraits de témoignages. Dans un contexte où les pratiques d’intervention, dans les services publics en particulier, sont de plus en plus normées et standardisées, une recherche qui explore des outils d’intervention recourant à la créativité s’avère des plus pertinentes. Par ailleurs, ce champ n’a été que très peu exploré en service social jusqu’à maintenant. Des entrevues semi-dirigées ont été menées auprès de huit intervenants ayant utilisé ces outils dans leur pratique. L’analyse de leurs propos met d’abord en lumière les conditions nécessaires à la réalisation de ce type de projet, de même que les questions éthiques qui les accompagnent. Ensuite, du côté des principaux apports de ces outils, ils se situent, d’une part, dans le processus créatif collaboratif. Celui-ci permet d’enrichir l’intervention en donnant un espace de parole plus libre où intervenants et usagers créent des liens qui modifient le rapport hiérarchique entre aidant et aidé. D’autre part, l’attention professionnelle accordée à la réalisation des produits et à leur diffusion contribue à donner une plus grande visibilité à des personnes souvent exclues de l’espace public. Ainsi, en plus d’explorer les apports d’un outil artistique à l’intervention, cette recherche permet également d’analyser les enjeux de visibilité et de reconnaissance associés à l’utilisation de médias participatifs. / This exploratory study describes, from the viewpoint of social workers and other support workers, the conditions needed to set up a project that makes use of digital storytelling tools, as well as the main contributions of these tools as part of an intervention. The tools may be digital stories in the form of short, two-to-five minute videos (with music, text, voice, and/or animations), or short audio files (i.e., podcasts). They may also be interactive video games or a video montage created from extracts drawn from personal stories. A study exploring intervention tools that encourage creativity becomes all the more pertinent in a context where, particularly in public health and social services, intervention practices are becoming increasingly standardized. As yet, this field has been only minimally explored. Semi-directed interviews were conducted with eight workers who used these tools in their practice. Analysis of their statements sheds light on the conditions necessary to carry out this type of project, as well as the ethical questions that arise in the process. The analysis also reveals that one of the main contributions of these tools lies within the collaborative creative process. The process enriches the intervention by providing a space for freer speech where support workers and the people they help create ties that modify the hierarchical relationship between them. Moreover, the professional attention given to creating and sharing the products helps provide greater visibility to people who are often excluded from the public arena. Thus, in addition to exploring the contributions of an artistic tool to interventions, this study also makes it possible to analyze the issues of visibility and recognition associated with using participatory media.