The following research questions were investigated: (a) Can the age-mates scales from the Dales developmental task scales be used with southwestern-urban adolescent populations? (b) Are there any systematic differences between northeastern-nonurban and southwestern-urban subject populations on the response to these scales? The subjects consisted of 884 adolescents, 11 through 15 years, evenly divided by sex. Subject responses were analyzed by sex and age groups using Guttman scalogram analysis. Goodman's test of significance revealed that the results could have occurred by chance (p > .05). The instrument in its present form was not found useful'-for an urban population. Lack of reproducibility made comparison of the performance of urban and nonurban adolescents unjustified.

Brucellosis is a disease of socio-economic and zoonotic importance worldwide. In animals it is associated with the ingestion of feed that is contaminated with cyetic material from aborting herd-mates, while in humans it is associated with the consumption of unpasteurised milk and dairy products from infected animals. It may also be acquired from contact with infected material of animal origin by farmers, veterinarians, and abattoir and laboratory workers. Brucellosis was first reported in South Africa in the late nineteenth century. It is still present in the country today, with reported annual losses of at least R 300 million, and a national annual incidence of 5 000 cases in humans. The global incidence of human brucellosis is about half a million infections annually. As the incidence of human brucellosis is directly associated with prevalence in animals, control of animal brucellosis is emphasised. Veterinary control is compromised by the chronic nature and the variable incubation period of the disease, with an estimated up to 15% of cattle in infected herds aborting before sero-conversion. Latency, which involves about 5% of calves born from infected dams, is also problematic as these infected animals often test seronegative, only to seroconvert in the peri-parturient period, thus allowing opportunity for disease spread within and between herds before diagnosis is made. In addition, the currently used serological tests are at times unable to distinguish brucellosis from cross-reacting antibodies from other infections or brucellosis vaccines. x It was the objective of this study to investigate, under South African conditions, the value of the brucellin skin test (BST) in improving the sensitivity and specificity of the currently used serological tests. It has proved a valuable additional test in diagnosing early and latent infections as well as in differentiating brucellosis from cross-reacting organisms in unvaccinated cattle in Europe. The study also evaluated the benefit of replacing some of the currently used serological assays with the fluorescence polarisation assay (FPA). The FPA, a rapid and homogenous serological test with only a few operational steps, has been validated and is in current use in Canada. The study was carried out in Mpumalanga Province, on herds selected to reflect prevailing South African farming conditions. These herds were divided into certified Brucella abortus-negative herds (608 head) for the estimation of BST specificity, and confirmed B. abortus-infected herds (845 head) for the estimation of BST sensitivity. The results obtained indicated the BST had a specificity of 99.18%, and a relative sensitivity of 42.86%. However, 65.38% of BST-positive animals were negative on serology. When the high specificity is considered, together with the experiences of other researchers who found that the skin test became positive earlier than serological tests, these animals may be assumed infected. It is concluded that the BST is a valuable addition to the panel of diagnostic tests currently used to identify infected herds and individuals in South Africa. The FPA, with a relative sensitivity of 93.65% and a specificity of 98.85%, can potentially be of use as a screening test under South African conditions. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / gm2014 / Veterinary Tropical Diseases / unrestricted

Esta tese descreve métodos interativos para estimar e compensar erros de refração (NETRA) e opacidades ópticas (CATRA) em sistemas de imageamento usando telas de campos de luz programáveis, de alta resolução e alto contraste. Os novos métodos para oftalmologia computacional descritos aqui podem avaliar câmeras e olhos se o usuário do sistema estiver consciente do modelo de interação. A solução combina elementos ópticos baratos, interfaces interativas e reconstrução computacional. Uma tela de campos de luz, posicionada perto do olho, cria objetos virtuais em profundidades pré-definidas através de várias seções do olho. Via esta plataforma, cria-se uma nova gama de aplicações interativas que é extremamente sensível a aberrações ópticas. A capacidade de focar em um objeto virtual, alinhar padrões exibidos na tela e detectar suas variações de forma e brilho permite ao sistema estimar a função de propagação de ponto de luz para o olho e a acomodação da lente. Enquanto os sistemas convencionais requerem formação especializada, dispositivos caros, procedimentos de segurança sensíveis e normalmente não são móveis, esta tese simplifica o mecanismo, colocando o paciente no centro do teste. Ao final, a resposta do usuário calcula a condição de refração em termos de poderes esférico e cilíndrico, o eixo de astigmatismo, o poder de acomodação da lente e mapas para a opacidade, atenuação, contraste e função de espalhamento de um ponto de luz. O objetivo é permitir que o público em geral opere um sistema de iluminação portátil e obtenha uma compreensão de suas próprias condições visuais. Esta tese apresenta projetos ópticos para software e hardware para oftalmologia computacional. Avaliações com usuários e com câmeras com lentes modificadas são realizadas. Os dados compilados são usados para reconstruir visão afetada do indivíduo, oferecendo uma nova abordagem para capturar informações para o rastreio, diagnóstico e análises clínicas de anomalias visuais. / This thesis proposes light-field pre-warping methods for measuring and compensating for optical aberrations in focal imaging systems. Interactive methods estimate refractive conditions (NETRA) and model lens opacities (CATRA) of interaction-aware eyes and cameras using cost-efficient hardware apps for high-resolution screens. Tailored displays use stereo-viewing hardware to compensate for the measured visual aberrations and display in-focus information that avoids the need of corrective eyeglasses. A light-field display, positioned very close to the eye, creates virtual objects in a wide range of predefined depths through different sectors of the eye’s aperture. This platform creates a new range of interactivity that is extremely sensitive to spatially-distributed optical aberrations. The ability to focus on virtual objects, interactively align displayed patterns, and detect variations in shape and brightness allows the estimation of the eye’s point spread function and its lens’ accommodation range. While conventional systems require specialized training, costly devices, strict security procedures, and are usually not mobile, this thesis simplifies the mechanism by putting the human subject in the loop. Captured data is transformed into refractive conditions in terms of spherical and cylindrical powers, axis of astigmatism, focal range and aperture maps for opacity, attenuation, contrast and sub-aperture point-spread functions. These optical widgets carefully designed to interactive interfaces plus computational analysis and reconstruction establish the field of computational ophthalmology. The overall goal is to allow a general audience to operate portable light-field displays to gain a meaningful understanding of their own visual conditions. Ubiquitous, updated, and accurate diagnostic records can make private and public displays show information in a resolution that goes beyond the viewer’s visual acuity. The new display technology is able to compensate for refractive errors and avoid light-scattering paths. Tailored Displays free the viewer from needing wearable optical corrections when looking at it, expanding the notion of glasses-free multi-focus displays to add individual variabilities. This thesis includes proof-of-concept designs for ophthalmatic devices and tailored displays. User evaluations and validations with modified camera optics are performed. Capturing the daily variabilities of an individual’s sensory system is expected to unleash a new era of high-quality tailored consumer devices.

Esta tese descreve métodos interativos para estimar e compensar erros de refração (NETRA) e opacidades ópticas (CATRA) em sistemas de imageamento usando telas de campos de luz programáveis, de alta resolução e alto contraste. Os novos métodos para oftalmologia computacional descritos aqui podem avaliar câmeras e olhos se o usuário do sistema estiver consciente do modelo de interação. A solução combina elementos ópticos baratos, interfaces interativas e reconstrução computacional. Uma tela de campos de luz, posicionada perto do olho, cria objetos virtuais em profundidades pré-definidas através de várias seções do olho. Via esta plataforma, cria-se uma nova gama de aplicações interativas que é extremamente sensível a aberrações ópticas. A capacidade de focar em um objeto virtual, alinhar padrões exibidos na tela e detectar suas variações de forma e brilho permite ao sistema estimar a função de propagação de ponto de luz para o olho e a acomodação da lente. Enquanto os sistemas convencionais requerem formação especializada, dispositivos caros, procedimentos de segurança sensíveis e normalmente não são móveis, esta tese simplifica o mecanismo, colocando o paciente no centro do teste. Ao final, a resposta do usuário calcula a condição de refração em termos de poderes esférico e cilíndrico, o eixo de astigmatismo, o poder de acomodação da lente e mapas para a opacidade, atenuação, contraste e função de espalhamento de um ponto de luz. O objetivo é permitir que o público em geral opere um sistema de iluminação portátil e obtenha uma compreensão de suas próprias condições visuais. Esta tese apresenta projetos ópticos para software e hardware para oftalmologia computacional. Avaliações com usuários e com câmeras com lentes modificadas são realizadas. Os dados compilados são usados para reconstruir visão afetada do indivíduo, oferecendo uma nova abordagem para capturar informações para o rastreio, diagnóstico e análises clínicas de anomalias visuais. / This thesis proposes light-field pre-warping methods for measuring and compensating for optical aberrations in focal imaging systems. Interactive methods estimate refractive conditions (NETRA) and model lens opacities (CATRA) of interaction-aware eyes and cameras using cost-efficient hardware apps for high-resolution screens. Tailored displays use stereo-viewing hardware to compensate for the measured visual aberrations and display in-focus information that avoids the need of corrective eyeglasses. A light-field display, positioned very close to the eye, creates virtual objects in a wide range of predefined depths through different sectors of the eye’s aperture. This platform creates a new range of interactivity that is extremely sensitive to spatially-distributed optical aberrations. The ability to focus on virtual objects, interactively align displayed patterns, and detect variations in shape and brightness allows the estimation of the eye’s point spread function and its lens’ accommodation range. While conventional systems require specialized training, costly devices, strict security procedures, and are usually not mobile, this thesis simplifies the mechanism by putting the human subject in the loop. Captured data is transformed into refractive conditions in terms of spherical and cylindrical powers, axis of astigmatism, focal range and aperture maps for opacity, attenuation, contrast and sub-aperture point-spread functions. These optical widgets carefully designed to interactive interfaces plus computational analysis and reconstruction establish the field of computational ophthalmology. The overall goal is to allow a general audience to operate portable light-field displays to gain a meaningful understanding of their own visual conditions. Ubiquitous, updated, and accurate diagnostic records can make private and public displays show information in a resolution that goes beyond the viewer’s visual acuity. The new display technology is able to compensate for refractive errors and avoid light-scattering paths. Tailored Displays free the viewer from needing wearable optical corrections when looking at it, expanding the notion of glasses-free multi-focus displays to add individual variabilities. This thesis includes proof-of-concept designs for ophthalmatic devices and tailored displays. User evaluations and validations with modified camera optics are performed. Capturing the daily variabilities of an individual’s sensory system is expected to unleash a new era of high-quality tailored consumer devices.

The burial area BRiG 3117 (Coyungo) was investigated during the PABRiG (Proyecto Arqueológico Bajo Río Grande). It consists of four burial contexts with about 25 individuals (MNI) and a considerable amount of pottery, textiles and gourd fragments among others. One of the textiles is part of a famous piece housed at Dumbarton Oaks. It is the most significant and complex compound known from the south coast during Late Formative times despite its heavy previous looting. In this paper the material evidence is presented in a preliminary form and some concerning interpretations are offered. / El área funeraria BRiG 3117 (Coyungo) fue investigada en el marco del Proyecto Arqueológico Bajo Río Grande de Nazca. Se trata de un conjunto de cuatro contextos funerarios con unos 25 individuos (NMI) y una cantidad elevada de restos de cerámica, textiles, mates y otros. Uno de los fragmentos pertenece a una famosa pieza de la colección de Dumbarton Oaks. Es el conjunto más complejo y significativo del Periodo Formativo Tardío de la costa sur conocido hasta la fecha, pese a que estaba saqueado. En este trabajo se presentan las evidencias en forma preliminar y se ofrecen algunas interpretaciones al respecto.

The Carved Gourd Vessels of Huaca Prieta: Evidence of Valdivia Art in Central Andean Archaic?The two carved gourd vessels discovered by Junius B. Bird in tomb no. 903 at Huaca Prieta, Chicama valley, have 1ong been considered as foreign elements in a cultural context that at first did not appear to be very complex (Bird 1948). Because of some design resemblances with contemporary Valdivia ceramics in southwest Ecuador, Edward P. Lanning (1967) proposed a northern derivation for both gourds and his suggestion has since been accepted widely. On the basis of iconographic evidence that has become available more recently, the present study intends to show that both gourds are legitimate examples of late Archaic central Andean art. / Los dos mates encontrados por Junius B. Bird en el entierro 903 de Huaca Prieta, valle de Chicama, se consideraron por mucho tiempo como extraños en un contexto cultural cuya complejidad no era aparente al principio (Bird 1948). Efectivamente, su decoración excisa hace recordar algunos motivos de la ceramica Valdivia en el Ecuador. Esta fue la razón por la cual Edward P. Lanning (1967) propusiera una filiación norteña de los mates, la que ha sido recalcada por varios autores. El estudio presente trata de reubicar estas obras dentro del arte arcaico centroandino.

Esta tese descreve métodos interativos para estimar e compensar erros de refração (NETRA) e opacidades ópticas (CATRA) em sistemas de imageamento usando telas de campos de luz programáveis, de alta resolução e alto contraste. Os novos métodos para oftalmologia computacional descritos aqui podem avaliar câmeras e olhos se o usuário do sistema estiver consciente do modelo de interação. A solução combina elementos ópticos baratos, interfaces interativas e reconstrução computacional. Uma tela de campos de luz, posicionada perto do olho, cria objetos virtuais em profundidades pré-definidas através de várias seções do olho. Via esta plataforma, cria-se uma nova gama de aplicações interativas que é extremamente sensível a aberrações ópticas. A capacidade de focar em um objeto virtual, alinhar padrões exibidos na tela e detectar suas variações de forma e brilho permite ao sistema estimar a função de propagação de ponto de luz para o olho e a acomodação da lente. Enquanto os sistemas convencionais requerem formação especializada, dispositivos caros, procedimentos de segurança sensíveis e normalmente não são móveis, esta tese simplifica o mecanismo, colocando o paciente no centro do teste. Ao final, a resposta do usuário calcula a condição de refração em termos de poderes esférico e cilíndrico, o eixo de astigmatismo, o poder de acomodação da lente e mapas para a opacidade, atenuação, contraste e função de espalhamento de um ponto de luz. O objetivo é permitir que o público em geral opere um sistema de iluminação portátil e obtenha uma compreensão de suas próprias condições visuais. Esta tese apresenta projetos ópticos para software e hardware para oftalmologia computacional. Avaliações com usuários e com câmeras com lentes modificadas são realizadas. Os dados compilados são usados para reconstruir visão afetada do indivíduo, oferecendo uma nova abordagem para capturar informações para o rastreio, diagnóstico e análises clínicas de anomalias visuais. / This thesis proposes light-field pre-warping methods for measuring and compensating for optical aberrations in focal imaging systems. Interactive methods estimate refractive conditions (NETRA) and model lens opacities (CATRA) of interaction-aware eyes and cameras using cost-efficient hardware apps for high-resolution screens. Tailored displays use stereo-viewing hardware to compensate for the measured visual aberrations and display in-focus information that avoids the need of corrective eyeglasses. A light-field display, positioned very close to the eye, creates virtual objects in a wide range of predefined depths through different sectors of the eye’s aperture. This platform creates a new range of interactivity that is extremely sensitive to spatially-distributed optical aberrations. The ability to focus on virtual objects, interactively align displayed patterns, and detect variations in shape and brightness allows the estimation of the eye’s point spread function and its lens’ accommodation range. While conventional systems require specialized training, costly devices, strict security procedures, and are usually not mobile, this thesis simplifies the mechanism by putting the human subject in the loop. Captured data is transformed into refractive conditions in terms of spherical and cylindrical powers, axis of astigmatism, focal range and aperture maps for opacity, attenuation, contrast and sub-aperture point-spread functions. These optical widgets carefully designed to interactive interfaces plus computational analysis and reconstruction establish the field of computational ophthalmology. The overall goal is to allow a general audience to operate portable light-field displays to gain a meaningful understanding of their own visual conditions. Ubiquitous, updated, and accurate diagnostic records can make private and public displays show information in a resolution that goes beyond the viewer’s visual acuity. The new display technology is able to compensate for refractive errors and avoid light-scattering paths. Tailored Displays free the viewer from needing wearable optical corrections when looking at it, expanding the notion of glasses-free multi-focus displays to add individual variabilities. This thesis includes proof-of-concept designs for ophthalmatic devices and tailored displays. User evaluations and validations with modified camera optics are performed. Capturing the daily variabilities of an individual’s sensory system is expected to unleash a new era of high-quality tailored consumer devices.

La presente investigación analiza la transformación del lenguaje visual del estilo de mate burilado de Huancayo a partir de los cambios en su funcionalidad en los últimos diez años. Se parte de la hipótesis que, debido a la necesidad de abarcar un nuevo mercado, los materos de Huancayo han cambiado el lenguaje visual de los mates burilados, empleando también el tema transcultural navideño. Asimismo, estos mates burilados cumplen una nueva funcionalidad a causa del nuevo lenguaje visual. La investigación se centró en el estudio cualitativo. El tipo de muestreo fue por conveniencia. Los criterios fueron la localidad, el lenguaje visual y la temporalidad. Asimismo, los resultados obtenidos en el análisis descriptivo fueron complementados con la realización de entrevistas a informantes claves, los mismos artesanos, quienes fueron seleccionados por su localidad, participación y experiencia. Entre los principales resultados se encontraron cinco formas de interpretación de las transformaciones según cómo las representaciones integran elementos transculturales, como los navideños. Primero, se encuentran los mates con agregados transculturales; segundo, los mates transculturales; tercero, los mates parcialmente transculturales; cuarto, los mates mestizos navideños y; quinto, híbridos entre subcategorías. Se concluyó que estamos frente a una manifestación neoartesanal, ya que se encontró una hibridación cultural y una necesidad de satisfacer un mercado. Asimismo, se llegó a la conclusión que la forma del mate influye en otorgar una nueva función, la forma será el principal factor que va determinar si se puede introducir una nueva función y no la transformación del lenguaje visual. / This research analyzes the transformation of the visual language of Huancayo burilared mate style from the changes in its functionality in the last ten years. It is based on the hypothesis that, due to the need to encompass a new market, the mats have changed the visual language of the chipped mates, also using the cross-cultural Christmas theme. Likewise, these chipped mattes fulfill a new functionality due to the new visual language. The research focused on the qualitative study. The type of sampling was for convenience. The criteria were locality, visual language, and temporality. Likewise, the results obtained in the descriptive analysis were complemented by conducting interviews with key informants, the artisans themselves, who were selected for their location, participation and experience. Among the main results, five ways of interpreting the transformations were found according to how the representations integrate cross-cultural elements, such as Christmas. First, there are the mates with cross-cultural aggregates; second, the cross-cultural mates; third, the partially cross-cultural mates; fourth, the Christmas mestizo mates and; fifth, hybrids between subcategories. It was concluded that we are facing a neo-artisanal manifestation, since a cultural hybridization and a need to satisfy a market was found. Likewise, it was concluded that the shape of the mate influences granting a new function, the shape will be the main factor that will determine whether a new function can be introduced and not the transformation of the visual language. / Trabajo de investigación

La presente investigación busca analizar, a través de un estudio de caso, la relevancia del mecanismo de declaratoria de expresiones de patrimonio inmaterial como Patrimonio Cultural de la Nación en el fortalecimiento de la identidad cultural de colectivos de portadores. Este mecanismo es desarrollado de forma permanente por el Ministerio de Cultura de Perú como parte de sus funciones, sin embargo, no ha sido analizado desde la perspectiva de la gerencia social, es decir desde el impacto que tiene en el refuerzo de los derechos de las personas a quienes está dirigido. La investigación se focaliza en la percepción de las y los artesanos de los anexos de Cochas Chico y Cochas Grande en el departamento de Junín, cuyo arte de burilar mates fuera declarado como Patrimonio Cultural de la Nación en el año 2013, luego de un largo proceso de coordinación liderado por la Dirección Desconcentrada de Cultura de Junín. Siendo esta actividad reconocida en el Perú como una de las tradiciones artesanales de mayor importancia, esta investigación no se centra sólo en los significados sociales sino también aborda las dimensiones organizacional, gerencial y financiera, puesto que dichas dimensiones se encuentran necesariamente asociadas a la cultural. El análisis de las implicancias de este procedimiento se realiza sobre cuatro aspectos fundamentales, la contribución en el reconocimiento de la importancia del arte de burilar mates, el refuerzo de la articulación de las y los artesanos ya sea a nivel intracomunal como con organizaciones fuera de la comunidad, el fortalecimiento de las acciones de salvaguardia emprendidas para asegurar la continuidad de esta expresión cultural y finalmente su influencia en la dinamización de la economía de las y los artesanos buriladores. El análisis conjunto de todos estos aspectos permitirá percibir la importancia de la declaratoria, así como identificar cuáles son los aspectos más significativos de este procedimiento que pueden ser replicadas, mejoradas y aprovechadas para acciones futuras. De otro lado, identifica las características del proceso que son necesarias de modificar para que respondan a las expectativas y necesidades de los sujetos de derecho. Producto de este análisis se plantea finalmente una serie de recomendaciones y una propuesta de mejora que sirve de complemento a las acciones ya realizadas, con el objetivo de sean tomadas en consideración tanto para la salvaguardia del arte de burilar mates como para otras expresiones del patrimonio cultural inmaterial. / This research seeks to analyze, through a case study, the relevance of the mechanism of declaration of expressions of intangible heritage as Cultural Heritage of the Nation in the strengthening of the cultural identity of groups of bearers. This mechanism is developed permanently by the Ministry of Culture of Peru as part of its functions, however it has not been analyzed from the perspective of social management, that is, from its impact the reinforcement of the rights of the people to whom it is addressed. The research focuses on the perception of the artisans of the annexes of Cochas Chico and Cochas Grande in the department of Junín whose art of burilar mates was declared as Cultural Heritage of the Nation in 2013, after a long coordination process led by the Decentralized Directorate of Culture of Junín. This activity being recognized in Peru as one of the most important craft traditions, this research not only focuses on social meanings but also addresses the organizational, managerial and financial dimension, since they are necessarily associated. The analysis of the implications of this procedure is carried out on four fundamental aspects: the contribution in the recognition of the importance of the art of burilar mates, the reinforcement of the articulation of the artisans either at the intracommunal level or with organizations outside the community, the strengthening of the safeguarding actions undertaken to ensure the continuity of this cultural expression and finally its influence on the dynamization of the economy of the artisans. The joint analysis of all these aspects will allow to perceive the importance of the declaration, as well as to identify which are the most significant aspects of this procedure that can be replicated, improved and used for future actions. On the other hand, it identifies the characteristics of the process that are necessary to modify so that they respond to the expectations and needs of the subjects of rights. As a result of this analysis, a series of recommendations and a proposal for improvement are finally proposed, which complement the actions already carried out, with the aim of being taken into consideration both for the safeguarding of the art of burilar mates and for other expressions of the intangible cultural heritage.

L’impression 2.5D est une technologie à mi-chemin entre l’impression couleur traditionnelle, à laquelle elle emprunte son procédé et la qualité de reproduction des couleurs, et l’impression 3D qui crée des reliefs et des formes. Par ses qualités visuelles, elle pourrait permettre la reproduction réaliste de multiples surfaces, mais un frein s’oppose à cette perspective : les encres brillent. En modulant la rugosité des surfaces imprimées à l'échelle du micromètre, en fréquence et en amplitude, nous avons réussi à réduire et contrôler le brillant des encres. Des stratégies d'impression différentes ont été proposées et étudiées pour diminuer l’effet scintillant et permettre l’impression d’une couche couleur mate : la création d'un espace à cinq dimensions dans lequel le brillant et la couleur sont modélisés aboutit à l'uniformisation des niveaux de brillant colorés. Les protocoles d'impression développés ont ensuite été appliqués à des cas concrets issus de la conservation – restauration du patrimoine. Plusieurs exemples distincts sont présentés, qui abordent un point particulier sur lequel l’impression 2.5D est pertinente: comblement de lacune, création de répliques réalistes, intérêt de l'aspect visuel mat pour la lisibilité des œuvres. / 2.5D printing is between traditional color printing, for the process and its visual quality, and 3D printing, which makes forms and reliefs by ink superposition. Because of its properties, 2.5D printing could allow the realistic reproduction of objects and surfaces, but inks are too glossy. To reduce and control this glossy aspect of inks, we modulate the roughness of the printed layers, at the micro-scale, both in frequency and amplitude. Influence of parameters was measured, and different strategies were suggested to reduce sparkle and to allow the creation of matte colored layers: by constituting a 5D space where gloss and color are modeled, we can make gloss level of colored surfaces uniform.Several case studies form the Conservation of Cultural Heritage were considered, where 2.5D printing could help the curator, the conservator or the archivist. We studied in particular the issues of the the gap filling on an archaeological object, the realistic reproduction of surfaces, and the creation of matte objects for readability.