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Jorge Luis Borges, a literary figure intimately linked to Argentina's sense of cultural identity, has evoked both veneration and vilification among the country's intellectuals and the general public. Despite the vast amount of work written about his life and work in Argentina and abroad, no comprehensive examination of the construction of the author as an Argentine cultural icon has been produced so far. This thesis focuses on Borges as cultural signifier and it examines the often conflicting facets of the construction of Borges as icon. It argues that the ideas, hopes, fears and demands that Argentine people have placed upon the author - thus constructing the icon - are also those that allow them to define their cultural identity. Thus, the study sheds light on the mechanisms of the ongoing construction of Argentine identity and exposes the complexity of the process by drawing from critical, political and media discourses.The main images and conceptions of Borges examined and contested in the present work include his perceived social, political and intellectual elitism; his perceived positioning as a writer detached from Argentina's socio-political reality; the interpretation of his admiration for English literature as a way of disregarding Argentine culture; and finally the image of the author as a perpetual old blind sage with no links to popular culture. The study of these images and conceptions is elaborated through the analysis of biographies, photographs, comic strips and the promotion of so-called 'Borgesian' spaces in the city of Buenos Aires. These are studied in relation to the socio-political, historical and cultural contexts in which they were produced.This study is based on the view that the intertwined processes of the construction of the icon and of identity formation are fluid and in constant development. In this way, the thesis does not seek to reveal an essence of Borges; it aims to uncover the complexity of the operations that constitute the definition of Argentine cultural identity through Borges, focusing on the process rather than on an end result.

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This thesis measured the mental workload associated with operating a voice activated software application run on wearable computer under five different communication styles (buttons, command line, icon buttons, icon text menus, and text menus). The goal of this thesis was to determine which communication style would be best allow wearable computer users to simultaneously perform other non-computer tasks. Thirty subjects were randomly assigned to using one of five software versions (n = 6), each of which utilized a unique communication style. The mental workload associated with operating each version was assessed by monitoring the performance of secondary tasks. Secondary tasks consisted of completing a block assembly, digit subtraction, and walking along a marked pathway. Each secondary task was performed twice by itself and once while operating one of the software versions, creating a total of nine trials per subject. Block assembly task performance measures included average assembly time, percentage correct blocks, and percentage correct blocks attempted. Digit subtraction measures included percentage of correct digits. And path walking measures included average walking speed. Subjective estimates of mental workload were also collected for those trials in which subjects operated the wearable computer and performed physical tasks using the NASA Task Load Index (TLX). Finally, usability information was collected for each software version via a questionnaire form. Each of the five versions of the experimental software application was operationally identical to the others, but utilized a separate communication style. The button version displayed available functions via sets of labeled buttons in the control screen. The icon button version replaced the appearance of these buttons with labeled icons. The text menu version displayed available functions textually via a pull down main menu. The icon text version displayed appended icons to the left of each main menu item. Finally, the command line version displayed no labels, buttons, menus, or icons for any functions. The experimental software was designed as a day planner/scheduling application used to set reminder dates on a calendar, edit task lists, and edit phone listings. Under the multiple resource view of mental workload, it was hypothesized that the different versions and secondary tasks would demand distinct types of mental resource and, consequently, that mental workload would be observed as lowest when the version and secondary task demanded different types of mental resources. In contrast, it was also hypothesized that mental workload would be observed as highest when the version and secondary task demanded the same type of mental resources. Although separate one way ANOVAs performed on all secondary task measures failed to indicate statistically significant differences in mental workload across the versions, secondary task performance was consistently observed as best for subjects using the icon button version. Analysis of NASA TLX subscale data indicated that the block assembly task was rated as requiring less effort and the digit task rated as requiring less mental demand when the icon button version was used. These results generally support using an icon button communication style for wearable computer software applications. Results of this study are applicable to the design of the user interface of wearable computers. These results not only report subjective and objective measures for assessing the amount of mental effort associated with operating a wearable computer and performing various physical tasks simultaneously, but also provide estimates for determining the amount of physical task performance decrement to expect when wearable computer are also operated. Such data may be used to determine human factors guidelines for matching wearable computer interfaces to physical tasks so that interference between the two is minimal. / Master of Science

Introduktion: Passningsförmåga är en av dom viktigaste förmågorna att utveckla hos unga fotbollsspelare. Forskning har även visat att passningsförmågan tenderar att försämras av trötthet, vilket kan uppstå under match. ICON är en ny digital utrustning för att mäta fotbollsspelares passningsförmåga på fältet som inte tidigare studerats i forskningen. Syfte: var att undersöka ICON passningstest test-retest reliabilitet samt validitet till passningsprocent i en fotbollsmatch hos unga manliga fotbollsspelare. Vidare jämfördes aerob intensitet (HRpeak) under ett kort testprotokoll (1 min) i ICON jämfört med ett längre testprotokoll (2 min). Metod: Tolv unga manliga pojkfotbollsspelare (ålder = 10.7 ± 0.5 år; längd = 143.5 ± 3.8 cm; och vikt = 34.2 ± 2.3 kg) rekryterades till studien och genomförde tre testprotokoll. ICON har till funktion att kunna spåra antal passningsträffar. Matcherna genomfördes inomhus och videokameror sattes upp för att kunna räkna ut passningsprocenten. Hjärtfrekvensen (HRpeak) undersöktes och Borg-CR10-skalan skattades från deltagarna som utförde ICON. Resultat: ICON passningstest test-retest reliabilitet visade hög relativ reliabilitet (ICC = 0.90– 0.93, p ≤ 0.05). Det fanns en stark positiv signifikant korrelation (r = 0.88, p ≤ 0.05) mellan maximalt antal poäng från ICON passningstest under 1 minut och passningsprocent under en fotbollsmatch. Dessutom var HRpeak signifikant (p ≤ 0.05) högre i det långa ICON testprotokoll jämfört med det korta testprotokollet. Dock fanns ingen statistisk signifikant skillnad (p ≥ 0.05) i passningspoäng mellan det långa och korta ICON testet. Vidare fanns det ingen statistisk signifikant skillnad (p ≥ 0.05) i Borg-CR10-skalan. Slutsats: ICON passningstest är en valid och reliabel metod och kan rekommenderas för att mäta passningsförmågan hos unga manliga fotbollsspelare. Framtida forskning rekommenderas att validera och undersöka reliabiliteten på flera olika populationer. / Introduction: Passing is one of the most important abilities to develop in young male soccer players. Research has also shown that passing tends to be impaired by fatigue that can occur during a match. ICON is a new technological equipment for measuring soccer players passing ability in the field that has not previously been studied in research. Purposes: was to examine ICON passing tests test-retest reliability as well as validity to pass percentage in a soccer match among young male soccer players. Furthermore, aerobic intensity (HRpeak) was compared during a short test protocol (1 min) in ICON compared to a longer test protocol (2 min). Methods: Twelve young male soccer players (age = 10.7 ± 0.5 years; height = 143.5 ± 3.8 cm; and weight = 34.2 ± 2.3 kg) were recruited to the study and performed three test protocols. ICON has the function to track the number of passing hits. The matches were conducted indoors, and video cameras were setup to calculate the pass percentage. The heart rate (HR peak) was examined, and the Borg-CR10-scale was estimated from the participants. Results: ICON passing test test-retest reliability showed high relative reliability (ICC = 0.90- 0.93, p ≤ 0.05). There was a strong positive significant correlation (r = 0.88), p ≤ 0.05) between the maximum number of points from the ICON passing test for 1 minute and the pass percentage during a soccer match. In addition, HRpeak was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher in the long ICON test protocol compared to the short test protocol. However, there was no statistically significant difference (p ≥ 0.05) in passing scores between the long and short ICON passing test. Furthermore, there was no statistically significant difference (p ≥ 0.05) in the Borg-CR10-scale. Conclusions: ICON passing test is a valid and reliable method and can be recommended to measure the passing ability of young male soccer players. Future research is recommended to validate and investigate the reliability of several different populations.

High-level programming language features simplify software development by eliminating many low-level programming concerns and by providing programmers with useful abstractions to simplify description and analysis of their programs. This dissertation discusses briefly some of the special needs of structural pattern-matching programs that must execute in real time and suggests language features to support these needs. These language features are implemented in an experimental version of the Icon programming language and examples of how these language features can be used are presented. This dissertation also presents and discusses the implementation of these language mechanisms, including the implementation of a new algorithm for garbage collecting linked data structures and strings in real time. One of the new language features is a stream data type, which allows programmers to perform pattern matching directly on sequences of data values produced by external sources, without requiring explicit read operations to bring the data into memory before analyzing it. Other new language features provide the ability to create and manipulate concurrent Icon processes, between which the stream data type serves as the principal mechanism for interprocess communication. Stream and concurrent process manipulation mechanisms integrate naturally with each other and with the existing mechanisms of the Icon programming language. Sequential Icon programs are, for the most part, unaffected by the new language capabilities.

In evaluating the Middle Ages on film, this thesis combines two different critical approaches, drawn from historiography on one side and semiotics on the other. In the first chapter, I argue that historiographic criticism has largely undermined our belief in a monolithic, objective History, and that modern historical enquiry contains a tacit admission of its own subjectivity. In Chapter Two, I use these admissions to argue the case for history on film, demonstrating that in terms of the construction of history, the processes of filmmaking closely resemble those of ‘doing’ history, and that criticisms of historical films are often the same criticisms which Historians raise in respect of their own works of ‘pure history’. In the remaining chapters (3-6), I look at specific examples of types of historical character, drawn from the medieval separation of society into “those who work, those who fight and those who pray”, as well as “those who rule”. In each case, I adopt a similar methodological approach, conducting close cinematographic analysis on a range of film extracts in order to see how filmmakers have tried to construct the past visually in their representation of historical characters. Here my arguments move away from historical criticism to focus instead on aesthetics and cinematography. The overall theory is that there exist two fundamental approaches to the medieval past in film: the first iconic and syntagmatic, the second paradigmatic. Iconic approaches, I argue, work to try to recreate the lost medieval referent by using aesthetic ‘signifiers’ in order to communicate their significance to a medieval audience. The paradigm, on the other hand, works in the opposite way; in order to explain a medieval object, the filmmaker casts about for modern equivalents to use as metaphors. Where the icon recreates the object to communicate the concept, the paradigm communicates the object by re-presenting the concept.

Thesis advisor: Jeffrey Bloechl / Is it possible for a finite thing to mediate an infinite God? Would it not be as futile as a hand trying to grasp the entire earth, or a seashell to contain the ocean? A finite thing is by definition limited, and thus its attempt to reveal an infinite God seems to lead immediately to two possible outcomes: (a) idolatry, where the finite fails to adequately capture God, where mediator becomes imposter, and (b) iconoclasm, which recognizes the inevitable failure of mediation and seeks to avoid or destroy any further attempts to carry it out. While taking different courses of action, their opposition reveals a deeper unity: both posit an implicit competition between the infinite God and finite reality. And yet most religions still claim mediation of God is possible. How do they avoid this impasse? To explore this possibility of mediation, I turn to the things themselves, focusing on the particular case of the icon. As something to be looked at, touched, or kissed, the icon reminds us how deeply rooted we are in the senses we prefer to take for granted, and cuts short any attempts to “spirit away” the finite limitations of human existence. The Introduction contextualizes this first problem, but upon turning to the icon in Chapter 1 a second problem immediately arises. What is an icon, and how do we approach it? Aesthetics, history, patristics, and contemporary theology have a legitimate claim on its identity, but also suffer from significant blind spots. By untangling the lines of these debates, I show that two questions critical to my inquiry remain without a satisfactory answer: 1) What is an image, and how does it mediate the truth in what it shows? 2) What would it mean for God to “show” himself? I argue that phenomenology will serve as a productive way forward on both these fronts. Chapter 2 uses the work of Hans-Georg Gadamer to address the first of these questions with a hermeneutic phenomenology of the image. Chapter 3 addresses the second in dialogue with Jean-Luc Marion. Although Marion does engage with the question of the painted icon in several places, the “icon” for Marion is not primarily a question of images, but of the unique way that God shows himself. When combined with Gadamer’s aesthetics this will offer the launching point for my phenomenological analysis of the icon in Chapters 4 and 5. The icon is something to be seen, but also something to be touched and kissed. It is a kind of representational art, with a unique style and clearly defined content, but also embedded in a practice of substitutional prayer and shared with a liturgical community. I show how each of these dimensions of meaningful mediation arises within ordinary human experience and how its structure changes as it is extended in prayer. Chapter 6 closes the inquiry by drawing these particular results into a final and general model of “iconic mediation.” This begins to explain how a finite thing in its limitations and particularities can mediate an infinite God, but only once we have exposed and subverted the layers of iconoclasm implicit in the original question. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2019. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Philosophy.

Thesis advisor: Jeffrey Bloechl / Is it possible for a finite thing to mediate an infinite God? Would it not be as futile as a hand trying to grasp the entire earth, or a seashell to contain the ocean? A finite thing is by definition limited, and thus its attempt to reveal an infinite God seems to lead immediately to two possible outcomes: (a) idolatry, where the finite fails to adequately capture God, where mediator becomes imposter, and (b) iconoclasm, which recognizes the inevitable failure of mediation and seeks to avoid or destroy any further attempts to carry it out. While taking different courses of action, their opposition reveals a deeper unity: both posit an implicit competition between the infinite God and finite reality. And yet most religions still claim mediation of God is possible. How do they avoid this impasse? To explore this possibility of mediation, I turn to the things themselves, focusing on the particular case of the icon. As something to be looked at, touched, or kissed, the icon reminds us how deeply rooted we are in the senses we prefer to take for granted, and cuts short any attempts to “spirit away” the finite limitations of human existence. The Introduction contextualizes this first problem, but upon turning to the icon in Chapter 1 a second problem immediately arises. What is an icon, and how do we approach it? Aesthetics, history, patristics, and contemporary theology have a legitimate claim on its identity, but also suffer from significant blind spots. By untangling the lines of these debates, I show that two questions critical to my inquiry remain without a satisfactory answer: 1) What is an image, and how does it mediate the truth in what it shows? 2) What would it mean for God to “show” himself? I argue that phenomenology will serve as a productive way forward on both these fronts. Chapter 2 uses the work of Hans-Georg Gadamer to address the first of these questions with a hermeneutic phenomenology of the image. Chapter 3 addresses the second in dialogue with Jean-Luc Marion. Although Marion does engage with the question of the painted icon in several places, the “icon” for Marion is not primarily a question of images, but of the unique way that God shows himself. When combined with Gadamer’s aesthetics this will offer the launching point for my phenomenological analysis of the icon in Chapters 4 and 5. The icon is something to be seen, but also something to be touched and kissed. It is a kind of representational art, with a unique style and clearly defined content, but also embedded in a practice of substitutional prayer and shared with a liturgical community. I show how each of these dimensions of meaningful mediation arises within ordinary human experience and how its structure changes as it is extended in prayer. Chapter 6 closes the inquiry by drawing these particular results into a final and general model of “iconic mediation.” This begins to explain how a finite thing in its limitations and particularities can mediate an infinite God, but only once we have exposed and subverted the layers of iconoclasm implicit in the original question. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2019. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Philosophy.

Psychologists and human resources personnel have used personality profiling as a predictor of human behavior in various environments for many decades. Knowing the personality traits of a particular individual allows management to tailor an environment ideally suited for an individual, attempting to maximize a person's productivity and job satisfaction. Measurements of personality are classically achieved through a self-reporting survey. This method has a potential inaccuracy due to its lack of objectivity and a bias due to cultural influences. This research explores the relationships between specific computer user behavior patterns and personality profiles. The results may provide a partial map between personality profile traits and computer user behavior. In an attempt to discover such correlations, forty-five fraternity and sorority students from Texas A&M University were selected to participate in a personality survey and three computer based tests. One test measured the subject's perceptive abilities, another measured their decision-making requirements, and a third measured their methods employed in organizing a task. The results show conclusively that some personality profile traits do influence how people visually interpret information presented on a computer screen. Individuals who exhibit high conscientiousness or agreeableness scores on a personality assessment survey take less time to find an icon among a collection during an icon search test. However, the results also show a significantly large variability in individuals, indicating that many other factors may influence attempts to measure an individual's personality traits. This indicates that the tests presented in this study, even though they show that behavior is related to personality traits, cannot be used as diagnostic tools. Further research will be required to obtain that goal.