Pen-based interfaces utilize sketch recognition so users can create and interact with complex, graphical systems via drawn input. In order for people to freely draw within these systems, users' drawing styles should not be constrained. The low-level techniques involved with sketch recognition must then be perfected, because poor low-level accuracy can impair a user's interaction experience. Corner finding, also known as stroke segmentation, is one of the first steps to free-form sketch recognition. Corner finding breaks a drawn stroke into a set of primitive symbols such as lines, arcs, and circles, so that the original stoke data can be transformed into a more machine-friendly format. By working with sketched primitives, drawn objects can then be described in a visual language, noting what primitive shapes have been drawn and the shapes? geometric relationships to each other. We present three new corner finding techniques that improve segmentation accuracy. Our first technique, MergeCF, is a multi-primitive segmenter that splits drawn strokes into primitive lines and arcs. MergeCF eliminates extraneous primitives by merging them with their neighboring segments. Our second technique, ShortStraw, works with polyline-only data. Polyline segments are important since many domains use simple polyline symbols formed with squares, triangles, and arrows. Our ShortStraw algorithm is simple to implement, yet more powerful than previous polyline work in the corner finding literature. Lastly, we demonstrate how a combination technique can be used to pull the best corner finding results from multiple segmentation algorithms. This combination segmenter utilizes the best corners found from other segmentation techniques, eliminating many false negatives (missed primitive segmentations) from the final, low-level results. We will present the implementation and results from our new segmentation techniques, showing how they perform better than related work in the corner finding field. We will also discuss limitations of each technique, how we have sought to overcome those limitations, and where we believe the sketch recognition subfield of corner finding is headed.

Executive Summary Swedish companies have a relatively small domestic market that quickly becomes saturated. For those companies who are dependent on increased sales in order to survive or have the ambition to grow internationalization is the one option. Traditionally companies have ex- panded internationally by first exporting to countries with a short geographical as well as cultural distance. With increased experience the companies have entered markets farther and farther away, culturally as well as geographically. Eventually it might be possible to for example start production abroad. With today’s increasingly internationally competitive market it becomes more frequent that companies establish business in foreign countries at a more rapid pace. The choice was to study PMC Cylinders, a Swedish medium sized company that has been operating internationally for approximately thirty years. This company ́s internationaliza- tion processes have been analyzed in order to understand factors that might bridge these distances to other countries. These distances can be bridged by for instance existing customers, consultants, sister com- panies with complementary resources or employees with host country origin. Further the way of establishing foreign operations can contribute. With shorter distance there is no big issue. For example Norway was perceived almost like selling in Sweden. When the per- ceived distance is medium, here Germany serves as an example, it becomes more compli- cated. Existing British customer relationships made it possible to enter the German market. It was not enough to use an agent which was the case at an earlier failed attempt. Relation- ships with different actors and ways of entering foreign markets become even more impor- tant when this distance is long. Here China can serve as an example; the country is far away geographically as well as culturally. Together with a customer production was established in the Chinese market. This was also seen as an opportunity by a sister company to follow one of their customers. Thus the efforts of the companies were combined. PMC Cylinders also used employees with technical, cultural and language knowledge to bridge the distance. Thus there were a number of factors making the establishment in China possible. By the study of PMC Cylinders internationalization processes certain patterns were found. The outcome of these patterns is a structured model with a number of steps. This model implies that with increased geographical and or cultural distance the importance of connec- tions and ways of entering the market grows. The model is a decision tree which can be seen as an internationalization tool for PMC Cylinders.

A method offering precise control over the synthesis conditions to obtain carbon nanotube (CNT) samples of a single chirality (metallic or semi-conducting) is presented. Using this nanolithographic method of catalyst deposition, the location of CNT growth is also precisely defined. This technique obviates three significant hurdles that are preventing the exploitation of CNT in micro- and nano-devices. Microelectronic applications (e.g., interconnects, CNT gates, etc.) require precisely defined locations and spatial density, as well as precisely defined chirality for the synthesized CNT. Conventional CVD synthesis techniques typically yield a mixture of CNT (semi-conducting and metallic types) that grow at random locations on a substrate in high number density, which leads to extreme difficulty in application integration. Dip Pen Nanolithography (DPN) techniques were used to deposit the catalysts at precisely defined locations on a substrate and to precisely control the catalyst composition as well as the size of the patterned catalyst. After deposition of catalysts, a low temperature Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) process at atmospheric pressure was used to synthesize CNT. Various types of catalysts (Ni, Co, Fe, Pd, Pt, and Rh) were deposited in the form of metal salt solutions or nano-particle solutions. Various characterization studies before and after CVD synthesis of CNT at the location of the deposited catalysts showed that the CNT were of a single chirality (metallic or semiconducting) as well as a single diameter (with a very narrow range of variability). Additionally, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to characterize the deposited samples before and after the CVD, as was lateral force microscopy (LFM) for determination of the successful deposition of the catalyst material immediately after DPN as well as following the CVD synthesis of the samples. The diameter of the CNT determines the chirality. The diameter of the CNT measured by TEM was found to be consistent with the chirality measurements obtained from Raman Spectroscopy for the different samples. Hence, the results showed that CNT samples of a single chirality can be obtained by this technique. The results show that the chirality of the synthesized CNT can be controlled by changing the synthesis conditions (e.g., size of the catalyst patterns, composition of the catalysts, temperature of CVD, gas flow rates, etc.).

A novel process which does not require the traditional Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) synthesis techniques and which works at temperatures lower than the conventional techniques was developed for synthesis of carbon nanotubes (CNT). The substrates used for this study involved MEMS (Micro Electrical Mechanical Systems) elements and passive elements. These were coated with Fullerene using Physical Vapor Deposition or through a solution in an organic solvent. Catalyst precursors were deposited on these Fullerene coated substrates using “wet processes”. These substrates were then heated using either the integrated microheaters or external heaters in an inert atmosphere to obtain CNT. Thus, in this process we tried to obviate the Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) process for synthesis of CNT (SWCNT and MWCNT). The synthesized CNT will be characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy and Raman spectroscopy techniques. Also, conductivity measurements were carried out for the synthesized tubes using Dry (contact based) and Wet (electro-chemical) methods. This work also proves the concept for the feasibility for a portable hand held instrument for synthesis of CNT with tunable “on demand” chirality.

La educación venezolana es catalogada, referida en 1995 por el Ministro de Educación como un "gigantesco fraude", es signada con la "imagen de crisis" porque no se ha expresado como instrumento-apoyo de progreso, desarrollo, democratización y modernización de la sociedad, por que ha devenido sin pertinencia social, cultural, política y económica y no tiene la fuerza y los contenidos para enfrentar las demandas de los nuevos escenarios de cambio. Esta crisis se le menciona estructural y de escaso contenido humano formativo, y para hacerle frente, para superarla, en la década de los noventa se expresaron propuestas de cambio educativo que significó la aparición de un nuevo horizonte conceptual para entenderla y dinamizarla, y hoy, desde los matices del ámbito doctrinario-político bolivariano, se propone el Proyecto Educativo Nacional como referencia-pauta para el cambio en la educación a fin de enfrentar la crisis, y donde se señala a Simón Rodríguez como fuente de inspiración. El presente trabajo se inscribe en el marco de ésta propuesta de cambio educativo y tiene por objeto identificar y deducir en la obra educativa de Simón Rodríguez los contenidos y significados que pueden servir de referencia y fundamento al campo intelectual de la propuesta de cambio, así como bosquejar y subrayar lineamientos para un diseño que oriente la práctica educativa, la cual se dimensiona como la perspectiva pedagógica didáctica en el pensamiento de Simón Rodríguez y su expresión en el Proyecto Educativo Nacional. El proceso de desarrollo y abordamiento se acoge al planteamiento interpretativo-hermenéutico y al análisis de contenido desde el uso de hojas de ruta como recurso metodológico de registro y descripción de la información, la aplicación de herramientas analíticas y de codificación y el uso de Software Atlasti para el análisis de los datos. / The Venezuelan education is catalogued like a " gigantic fraud " in 1995, by the Minister of Education; it is sealed with " image of crisis" because it has not been expressed as an instrument - support of progress, development, democratization and modernization of the society, because it has been developed without social, cultural, political and economic relevancy and it does not have the power and the contents to face the demands of the new scene of change. This crisis is mentioned as structural and scant of human formative content. In the decade of the nineties, in order to face it and to improve the situation, offers of educational change were expressed which meant the appearance of a new conceptual horizon to understand it and energize it. Today, from shades of the doctrinal-political bolivariana area, the National Educational Project is proposed as reference to guide changes in education, in order to face the crisis and where Simón Rodríguez is seen as source of inspiration. This research is framed in this proposal of educational change; its object is to identify and deduce in the Simón Rodríguez's educational work, the contents and meanings that can be used as reference and foundation to the intellectual field of the proposal of change, as well as to sketch and to underline limits for a design that orientates the educational practice. It is seen as the pedagogic didactic perspective in Simón Rodríguez's thought and its expression in the National Educational Project. The interpretive-hermeneutic approach is used as process of development. The analysis of the information is made with routing sheets as methodological resource of recording and description of data, with the application of analytical and codification tools, and with the use of Software Atlasti.

Master of Applied Science (Occupational Therapy) / Background: Handwriting is an important activity which is commonly affected after a stroke. Handwriting research has predominantly involved children. In adults, the focus of handwriting research has been identifying forgery, doctors’ handwriting legibility and the kinematics of writing strokes. There are no known studies which provide information on unimpaired adult handwriting in real situations to guide stroke rehabilitation therapists. Aim: This study aims to describe the handwriting practices of 30 unimpaired adults aged 65 years and over to inform adult handwriting rehabilitation. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional observational design. Three data collection methods were used: self-report questionnaire, handwriting samples collected using a digital pen and a handwriting log. Following ethical approval, 30 older adults were recruited using snowball sampling. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: The median age of participants was 72 years. Three-quarters of participants scored less than 4 for legibility on a 4-point scale. A tripod pen grip was used by 97% of the sample. Variations in handwriting were evident in letter size, slant and spacing. Participants wrote very little, an average of three times per day (SD = 1.5) and a median of 18 words per occasion. Most handwriting (85%) involved self-generated, not copied or transcribed text. Participants stood whilst writing for 17% of handwriting occasions. The most common reasons for handwriting were taking notes (23%) and completing puzzles (22%). Discussion: Legibility in older adults may not depend exclusively on the handwriting script that a beginning writer was taught at school, but may be due to other factors, as a person ages. A comprehensive adult handwriting assessment and retraining program should consist of relevant handwriting activities, involve self-generated text and few words. Conclusion: Findings will contribute to the ongoing development of an ecologically valid adult handwriting assessment and help inform stroke rehabilitation practice.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2007. / Title from title screen (site viewed Oct. 10, 2007). PDF text: vii, 294 p. UMI publication number: AAT 3259073. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

Orientadora: Tania Regina de Luca / Banca: Ana Luiza Martins Camargo de Oliveira / Banca: Nelson Schapochnik / Resumo: O P.E.N. Clube do Brasil é uma associação de escritores, fundada em 1936 por Cláudio Justiniano de Souza (1876-1954) nos moldes do P. E. N. Internacional e que desfruta de autonomia em termos de procedimentos administrativos e culturais. O acrônimo P.E.N., que tinha por significado "Poetas, Ensaístas e Novelistas", posteriormente ampliado para "Poetas, Playwrights [dramaturgos], Editores, Ensaístas e Romancistas", foi organizado em 1921 na cidade de Londres pela poetisa Catherine Amy Dawson-Scott (1865-1934) e tinha a ambição de representar a classe intelectual em âmbito mundial. A pesquisa tem por objetivo principal analisar, durante o período da presidência de seu fundador (1936-1954), os projetos e os ideais defendidos pelo P. E. N. Clube do Brasil que tinham como destinatários os "homens de letras", tanto no que diz respeito às questões dos escritores nacionais, quanto aos assuntos supranacionais que circulavam pelo globo. Entre as fontes merece destaque os documentos produzidos pela própria instituição, que são confrontados com o material disponível sobre a agremiação em jornais e revistas da época / Abstract: The P.E.N. Club of Brazil is an association of writers founded in 1936 by Claudio de Souza (1876-1954) in accordance with the International P.E.N. and enjoys autonomy in terms of administrative and cultural procedures. The acronym PEN, which has as meaning "Poets, Essayists and Novelists", later expanded to "Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists and Novelists", was organized in 1921, in London, by the poetess Catherine Amy Dawson-Scott (1865-1934) and had the ambition to represent the intellectual class worldwide. The main objective of the research, during the period of the presidency of its founder (1936-1954), is to analyses the projects and the ideals defended by the P.E.N. Club of Brazil which were addressed to "men of letters", both with regard to questions of national writers, as to the supranational issues that circulated around the globe. Among the sources worth mentioning are the documents produced by the institution itself, which will be confronted with the material available about the association in newspapers and magazines of the epoch / Mestre

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:10:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 4050.pdf: 13525618 bytes, checksum: ad01020c49d24ff0489e1e1f46e7f3cb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2000-03-03 / The scientific and technological development of food packaging polymers has increased considerably over the last years, especially in relationship to packaging for beverages such as carbonated soft drinks and beer. As for carbonated soft drinks polyethylene terephthalate PET has been the most widely investigated polymer in virtue of its favorable intrinsic properties, and in recent years polyethylene naphthalate - PEN has attracted increasing interest as a result of its superior performance in relationship to PET in applications that demand higher technical requirements, however its major drawback is the high cost. One way of making PEN applications economically feasible is by blending with PET. Nonetheless, as these polymers are immiscible, conditions of process that enable an effective mixture should be looked for and, in some cases mixing of polyesters may lead to transesterification which favors miscibility between the polymers. In the current work four polymer blends were prepared from two types of PET and two types of PEN, both supplied by Eastman Chemical Company and Mitsui Co. Ltd. The premixing and processing conditions were studied, assessing the best combinations of pressure, temperature, cooling time. After specimen preparation all blends were characterized as to structural (FTIR, NMR), thermal (DSC, TGA, DMTA), mechanical (tensile test) and thermomechanical (HDT, Vicat) properties. NMR enabled confirmation and quantification of the transesterification reactions between the blend constituents responsible for blend miscibility and compatibility, notably the PET Eastman / PEN Eastman blend, which was the combination decided upon to be tested on industrial scale by injection molding of the parisons and posterior blow molding of 600 ml bottles, these were characterized in DCS, NMR and as to gas permeability. / O desenvolvimento científico e tecnológico de materiais poliméricos destinados à área de embalagens de alimentos tem crescido muito nos últimos anos, com especial atenção para as embalagens dos vários segmentos de bebidas, incluindo refrigerantes carbonatados e cervejas. O poli(tereftalato de etileno) PET tem sido o principal polímero estudado e desenvolvido para as embalagens de bebidas, devido às suas propriedades intrínsecas que favorecem sua aplicação, sendo que nos últimos anos têm havido interesse pelo poli(naftalato de etileno) PEN, que possui um desempenho superior ao do PET, podendo ser utilizado em aplicações que exigem maiores requisitos técnicos, mas apresenta elevado custo. Uma das formas de viabilizar economicamente a aplicação do PEN é a sua combinação com o PET, por meio de blendas, mas como são imiscíveis deve-se procurar condições de processo que possibilitem a mistura efetiva, podendo ocorrer uma reação de transesterificação entre poliésteres o que aumenta a miscibilidade entre os polímeros. Neste trabalho, foram desenvolvidas quatro misturas poliméricas, a partir de dois tipos de PET e dois tipos de PEN, em ambos os casos da Eastman Chemical Company e da Mitsui Co. Ltd. As condições de pré-mistura e de processamento foram estudadas, avaliando-se o efeito das combinações de pressão, temperatura, tempo de resfriamento. Após a obtenção dos corpos de prova, realizou-se a caracterização estrutural (FTIR, RMN), térmica (DSC, TGA, DMTA), mecânica (ensaio de tração) e termomecânica (HDT e Vicat). A técnica de RMN possibilitou a verificação e a quantificação de reações de transesterificação entre os polímeros nas blendas, comprovando a miscibilidade e a compatibilidade entre os mesmos, com destaque para a blenda PET Eastman / PEN Eastman, que foi a combinação escolhida para ser testadas em escala industrial, sendo injetadas pré-formas e posterior sopro de garrafas de 600 ml, que foram caracterizadas em DSC, RMN e permeabilidade a gases, sendo que a garrafa da blenda com pigmento verde teve um melhor desempenho que a garrafa de PET puro.

The purpose of this article is make connections between two content areas, reading and writing, which have traditionally been separated and consider the relationship between their theoretical underpinnings. Based on their reciprocal nature, the authors posit that students could greatly benefit by reading and writing being taught simultaneously. Relying on this premise, this article provides the reader with three practical strategies that could be applied in the literacy classroom to intertwine reading and writing. These practical strategies include: classroom blogs, graphic depictions, and pen pal responses to literature.