Shanghai Symphony Orchestra is a fascinating institution. It was first founded in 1879 under the name of Shanghai Public Band and was later, in 1907, developed into an orchestra with 33 members under the baton of German conductor Rudolf Buck. Since Mario Paci, an Italian pianist, became its conductor in 1919, the Orchestra developed swiftly and was crowned the best in the Far East by a Japanese musician Tanabe Hisao in 1923. At that time, Shanghai was semi-colonized by the International Settlement and the French Concession controlled by the Shanghai Municipal Council and the French Council respectively. They were both exempt from local Chinese authority. The Orchestra was an affiliated organization of the former: the Shanghai Municipal Council. When the Chinese Communist Party took over mainland China in 1949, the Orchestra underwent dramatic transformations. It was applied as a political propaganda tool performing music by composers from the socialist camp and adapting folk Chinese songs to Western classical instruments in order to serve the masses. This egalitarian ideology went to extremes in the notorious 10-year Cultural Revolution. Surprisingly, the SSO was not disbanded; rather it was appropriated by the CCP to create background music for revolutionary modern operas such as Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy. The end of Cultural Revolution after Mao's death in 1976 ushered in a brand new Reform-and-Opening-up era marked by Deng Xiaoping s public claim: Getting rich is glorious! Unlike previous decades when the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra together with music it performed was made to entertain the general masses, elitism came back under a social entourage characterized by Chinese-style socialism. The concept of elite, however, is worth a further thought. Shanghai is not only home to a large number of Chinese middle class but also constitutes a promising paradise for millions of nouveau riches which resembles, to a great extent, the venture land for those Shanghailanders a century ago. This thesis, as the title indicates, puts the historical development of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra from 1879 to 2010 in C major applying Pierre Bourdieu's cultural capital theory so as to understand how this extraordinary musical currency is produced, represented, appropriated and received by different groups of people in Shanghai across five distinct historical stages. Cultural appropriation tactics and other relevant theories such as cultural imperialism and post colonialism are also combined to make sense of particular social environment in due course. To put the SSO in C major does not infer that this musical institution and music it performed through all these years are reduced to economic analysis. Nonetheless, the inner value of music itself is highlighted in each historical period. A psychological concept affordance, first applied by Tia DeNora in music sociology, is also integrated to help comprehend how and what Chinese people or the whole nation latched on to certain pieces of music performed at the SSO in different historical phases. Moreover, musicological analysis is carried out in due course to elaborate on the feasibility of, for example, adopting Chinese folk songs to Western classical instruments and creating a hybrid music type during Cultural Revolution. Aesthetic value of music is thus realized in the meantime. Archival research is mostly used in this thesis supplemented by one focus group and one in-depth interview with retired players at the SSO. Fieldwork of this research is mainly based in the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Archive; although materials from Shanghai Library and Shanghai Municipal Archive are also collected and made use of.

Nous présentons une refondation théorique de la réalité virtuelle. Celle-ci est marquée par la conviction profonde de définir la réalité virtuelle comme une expérience médiatisée capable de susciter un sentiment de présence. Ce dernier est défini comme le sentiment authentique d'exister dans un monde autre que le monde physique où le corps se trouve. Nous proposons un éclairage nouveau et global sur le sentiment de présence. Cet éclairage consiste en une approche unifiée de la présence prenant en compte des considérations technologiques, psychologiques et écologiques. Nous avons élaboré un modèle qui identifie les processus menant au sentiment de présence. Selon notre modèle, deux phases inconscientes de jugement conditionnent l'émergence de la présence. Le premier jugement concerne la crédibilité de l'environnement, celle-ci dépend de la satisfaction des attentes intellectuelles et perceptives de l'utilisateur. Le deuxième jugement vise la crédibilité de l'expérience. Nous considérons que ce jugement est positif si un maximum des affordances perçues dans l'environnement est assumé, c'est-à-dire réalisable par l'intermédiaire des schémas d'interaction proposés à l'utilisateur. Nous avons mené une phase d'expérimentations pour valider la pertinence et la cohérence de notre modèle. Notre modèle a de multiples implications. Nous considérons par exemple qu'il peut constituer une grille d'analyse intéressante pour les jeux vidéo. De plus, il incite les concepteurs d'applications en réalité virtuelle à penser en terme d'affordances. Ce dernier point implique donc de faire entrer l'utilisateur très tôt dans la boucle de conception de l'application. Notre vision globale de la réalité virtuelle et de la présence a été mise en pratique notamment lors de la conception de dispositifs de réalité virtuelle transportables et à bas coûts. Sur la base de ce cadre théorique nous présentons un framework de conception d'applications en réalité virtuelle. Puisque l'objectif est la crédibilité et non le réalisme, nous nous intéressons à la réalité perçue de l'environnement et non pas à sa réalité physique. C'est pourquoi, le point de départ de notre framework consiste en un socle de connaissances sur la cognition humaine. Cette base de connaissances sert de vivier d'idées pour les quatre piliers sur lesquels peut s'appuyer le concepteur d'applications en réalité virtuelle. Ces piliers sont l'immersion, l'interaction, les émotions et un quatrième regroupant la boucle sensori-motrice et la multimodalité. Concernant le pilier immersion nous proposons un nouvel algorithme pour le calcul de la réverbération sonore dans un environnement complexe et dynamique. Notre méthode repose sur l'algorithme existant du lancer de frustum mais propose deux optimisations. La première exploite le socle de connaissances sur la cognition humaine pour déterminer une sphère d'acuité sonore. Celle-ci nous sert de cadre pour lancer les frusta depuis l'auditeur et non depuis les sources sonores. Cette deuxième optimisation réduit le nombre de calculs

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Cette recherche propose d’étudier l’incidence de l’environnement urbain sur certains aspects du déplacement de la personne aveugle. Dans une approche écologique, nous prenons en considération plusieurs paramètres en étudiant, en situation réelle, la perception et le ressenti liés à l’environnement, la vitesse de marche, la représentation mentale et enfin le stress, vécu et objectivé. Nous faisons l’hypothèse que la structure urbaine a un effet notable sur l’ensemble de ces paramètres, affectant ou facilitant le déplacement. Notre protocole a mobilisé 27 personnes aveugles, utilisant une canne blanche ou un chien-guide sur un trajet urbain de 1 km, qui offre cinq scènes urbaines successives (« Ruelle A », « Place », « Berges », « Rue » et « Ruelle B »). La première session s’est faite au bras du chercheur afin d’étudier la perception et le ressenti liés à l’environnement, grâce à la technique des trajets commentés. La seconde session a été consacrée à la mémorisation du trajet. Enfin, la troisième session, intégralement enregistrée sur vidéo, a consisté en un déplacement autonome. Nous avons également enregistré l’activité électrodermale in situ, afin d’en saisir les variations au fur et à mesure du trajet. Nous avons, enfin, demandé aux participants de dessiner le trajet effectué (carte mentale).Les résultats indiquent que les différentes scènes présentent des ambiances vécues comme très différentes par les marcheurs aveugles. L’environnement influence le ressenti en termes de plaisir, de sentiment de sécurité et de stress. Il influence également la vitesse de marche, ainsi que la capacité à mener le trajet à son terme. Les « Ruelles » et la « Rue » sont les scènes les plus favorables au déplacement, alors que les espaces ouverts comme la « Place » et les « Berges » se sont avérés défavorables. L’analyse de l’activité électrodermale révèle également un effet de la scène. Elle nous a permis d’identifier des zones problématiques sur le trajet. Ces nœuds correspondent aux lieux où les marcheurs aveugles doivent prendre des décisions importantes (traverser la chaussée, choisir une orientation). Enfin, la représentation mentale semble être en rapport avec les aspects précédents et varie en fonction des scènes. Les lieux les plus sécurisants sont sous-représentés, alors que les lieux vécus comme les plus stressants sont surreprésentés dans les dessins. Ces résultats invitent à prendre en considération la perception incarnée et l’expérience que les personnes aveugles ont de leur environnement dans l’élaboration des aménagements de nos cités, pour permettre à tous une meilleure autonomie et liberté de déplacement. / This study investigates the influence of urban environment on some aspects of the mobility of blind people in the city. Using an ecological approach, we explore some mobility parameters in real conditions: environmental perception and feeling, walking speed, cognitive mapping and subjective and objective stress.Our hypothesis suggests that environmental setup and features have a significant effect on these parameters, affecting or facilitating mobility. Twenty-seven blind subjects were requested to perform a 1-kilometer journey consisting of five successive urban scenes in Lyon (“Street 1”, “Square”, “River-bank”, “Avenue”, “Street 2”). Subjects walked using a white cane or a guide dog. There were three sessions. During the first walking session, blind pedestrians were accompanied all along. We asked them to comment on their perception of and feeling about the surroundings as they walked. The second walking session was devoted to memorizing the route. Finally, we asked subjects to walk independently for the third and last session, which was integrally recorded on video. We also monitored electrodermal physiological signals with an ambulatory device. Once the journey was over, we asked subjects to make a line-drawing depicting the route (i.e. a map).Results suggest that blind pedestrian’s experience of the environment differs according to the urban scene. Environmental conditions affect enjoyment, safety and stress levels. They also affect walking speed and spatial skills. “Streets” and “Avenue” are the most favorable scenes for those mobility parameters, where wide open-spaces like “Square” and “River-bank” are unfriendly. The cognitive map seems to be related to these previous observations: its accuracy varies with environmental conditions. Analysis of the drawings indicates that the most secure scenes (i.e. “Avenue”) were under-represented while the most stressful scenes and least secure scenes were over-represented (i.e. “Square”). Electrodermal monitoring yielded the same scene-effect on the physiological signals, as well as the existence of high-activation areas in the journey, apparently corresponding to node-places requiring blind subjects to make important decisions (e.g. having to cross a road, or to choose a direction).These results invite us to consider the environment spectific-perception of the visually impaired persons in the development of accessibility aids, in order to offer a greater autonomy and freedom in mobility in our modern cities.

While the shape and nature of platforms varies across different instances, they pursue common ambitions such as reduction of risk, complexity, or transaction costs. Although initially theorised in industrial contexts, subsequent theorising regarding platform development, platform ecosystems, and platform strategy has drawn upon studies of high-tech industries in general and IT-based platforms in particular. While the inherent malleability of digitised data and digital technology offers possibilities, they also make it difficult to pin down the locus of a low-variety platform core. As such, one of the fundamental properties of digital platforms is rather mundane: to provide stability. With that in mind, this thesis pursues the following research question: How can a digital platform maintain stability for its stakeholders in the face of constant technical change? This thesis utilises affordance theory as a means to operationalise a relational view of digital platform, where stability is assessed in relation to stakeholders rather than technical persistence. This dissertation is based on an interpretive case study, primarily using qualitative data in the form of interviews gathered as part of two separate projects that varied both in scope and orientation. The thesis offers two main contributions. First, the idea of platform stability as derived from low-variety components that are persistent over time is difficult to apply in relation to digital platforms. Rather, we need to approach stability as a composite property, based on the ability of the platform to satisfy technical-, informational-, and social expectations. Hence, stability should not be considered as a fixed or absolute property, but rather a moving target. Second, this thesis suggests that the existing notion of (technical) coring needs to be complemented with information coring and social coring when applied to digital platforms. The proposed concept of information coring expresses the ability to hide complexity and present bottom-line results to the user in a comprehensible manner. Social coring refers to the idea of aligning technical integration and social integration in a platform. A relational perspective applied to digital platforms offers a possible avenue for theorising digital platforms as information systems artefacts rather than the dichotomous relationship between platform-as-architecture and platform-as-marketplace found in extant literature.

This master thesis explores the relationships between the human being and the built environment in the context of healthcare and from the perspective of aesthetics. The aim is, by identifying the aesthetic experiences the built environment evokes, to enhance the understanding of how the design of the built environment can support and sustain wellbeing. The findings from previous studies show that the aspects of the attributes of the built environment can evoke sense-based aesthetic experiences and aesthetic experiences beyond senses. Furthermore, the empirical results of this thesis, gained by applying participatory research and research through design methodologies, indicate that wellbeing is related to rich experiences connected to nature, homeliness or the lack of homeliness as well as lack of maintenance.   The tentative Aesthetic Design Framework for Atmospheresdeveloped in this thesis, based on the Affordance Theory and theTheory of Aesthetic Atmospheres, proposes that the built environment can be transformed into therapeutic aesthetic atmospheres by utilizing aesthetic affordances and applying Aesthetic Design Strategy. In order to test the framework, design proposals were created. The evaluation of the design proposals shows that the designed atmosphere is perceivable when distinct. The results also indicate that familiar aesthetic affordances are easier to perceive and relate to. Consequently, it is proposed that the Aesthetic Design Framework for Atmospheres can aid the design of atmospheres. The results of this study can enhance design processes and the design of built environments in general by clarifying aesthetic aspects, grounded both in empirical data and theory. / Denna masteruppsats utforskar förhållandet mellan människan och den byggda miljön i vårdkontext och utifrån estetik. Målet är att identifiera de estetiska upplevelser den byggda miljön framkallar och därmed öka förståelsen av hur design av byggd miljö kan stödja och bevara välmående. Tidigare forskning visar att aspekter av attribut i den byggda miljön framkallar både sinnesbaserade estetiska upplevelser och estetiska upplevelser bortom sinnena. Dessutom, indikerar empiriska resultat av denna uppsats att välmående hänger ihop med rika upplevelser relaterade till natur, hemtrevnad eller bristen på hemtrevnad samt bristen på underhåll.   Det tentativa teoretiska ramverket, Aesthetic Design Framework for Atmospheres, utvecklat i denna uppsats och baserat på Teori om Affordance och Teori om Estetiska Atmosfärer,föreslår att den byggda miljön kan förvandlas till en terapeutisk atmosfär genom att använda estetiska affordancer och tillämpa Estetisk Design Strategi. Designförslag utformades för att testa ramverket. Utvärderingen av förslagen visar att en designad atmosfär kan varseblivs när den är pregnant. Resultaten indikerar även att bekanta estetiska affordancer är lättare att varsebli och relatera till. Därmed föreslås att Aesthetic Design Framework for Atmospheres kan understödja design av atmosfärer. Resultaten av denna uppsats kan främja designprocesser och design av byggd miljö genom att identifiera estetiska aspekter grundade både i empiri och teori.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka vilken betydelse andraspråkslärare anser att användning av bild som en semiotisk resurs har i undervisning för vuxna andraspråksinlärare. Studien har sin grund i den sociosemiotiska teorin. Undersökningsmetoder till denna studie var kvalitativa metoder (observation och intervju) där fem andraspråksundervisningstillfällen på sfi observerades och därefter intervjuades de lärarna vilkas undervisning hade observerats. Resultaten av studien visade att bild används och kan enligt de intervjuade lärarna underlätta och förstärka andraspråksinlärning för vuxna andraspråksinlärare. Resultaten i studien visade enligt lärarna även att användning av bild kan skapa svårigheter. Detta innebär att andraspråkslärare måste ha ett tydligt syfte med användning av bild i sin undervisning och måste vara medvetna om möjligheter och begränsningar som kan finnas med användning av bild i undervisning.

Syfte med denna kvalitativa fallstudie är att öka kunskapen kring platsens betydelse för barns samspeloch barns fria lek, med begränsning till förskolans gård. Begreppet affordance används somanalysverktyg för att synliggöra vilka förutsättningar platsen har, vilket visar sig när barnen har ellerinte har möjlighet att fortskrida leken utifrån miljön och platsens påverkan. Forskningsfrågorna somundersöks i studien är; Vad har platsen för betydelse för barns samspel och för barns fria lek iutomhusmiljö på förskolan? Var möter barnen varandra när de formar sina lekar? Vilkaförutsättningar finns för barns fria lek och samspel i utomhusmiljön på förskolan? Metoden för attundersöka forskningsfrågorna har varit observationer på barn för att få syn på barnens samspel irelation till den valda platsen, för en tydligare kunskapsbild har kombinationen med samtal medbarnen i observationer och efter observationer använts. Våra metodval har bidragit till kunskapenkring helheten för platsens betydelse i barns samspel och lek. I denna studie har 12 femåriga barnstuderats i utomhusmiljön på en förskola. Vi har kommit fram till att varje plats har olika affordancesom i sin tur är individberoende och som leder till barnens val av plats och lek. Miljön ochnaturmaterialet har olika förutsättningar i form av affordance men väderförhållanden kan ge andrasamspelsmöjligheter. Förutsättningarna som platserna har, påverkar barns samspel då det skiljer sigmellan de fasta lekställningarna och den fria miljön. Vi har sett att den stora lekställningen som liggeri mitten på förskolans gård innebär ett centrum för barns möten och därför skapat ensamspelsknutpunkt. Den stora lekställningen bildar en mötesplats för barnen som skaparförutsättningar för samspel och lek och möten kring den stora lekställningen har bidragit till attbarnen hittar varandra, startar samspelet och tar leken vidare till en annan plats i den fria miljön. / <p>Godkännande datum:2019-01-04</p>

Orientador: Maria Eunice Quilici Gonzalez / Banca: Lauro Frederico Barbosa da Silveira / Banca: Itala Maria Loffredo D'Ottaviano / Resumo: Este trabalho tem por objetivo defender a hipótese (H1) de que o conhecimento sensorial manifesta um aspecto complementar interno/externo. Apoiados no realismo ontológico - tal como desenvolvido por Peirce (1958) e Aristóteles (1981) - e no realismo informacional - tal como proposto por Stonier (1997) e Schaeffer (2001) -, caracterizamos a face interna do conhecimento sensorial como uma apresentação mental dos perceptos. No contexto da apresentação mental, sustentamos que os perceptos afetam a consciência sensorial de acordo com a sua (do percepto) matriz informacional de qualidades sensíveis. Apoiados na abordagem ecológica ao conhecimento sensorial, tal como desenvolvida por Gibson (1986) e Gonzalez (2005), caracterizamos a face externa do conhecimento sensorial como uma relação estabelecida entre o percebedor e as oportunidades de ação - informação ecológica - inscritas em seu ambiente. Defendemos, também, a hipótese (H2) de que a informação ecológica pode estar (1) dobrada (enquanto uma affordance) no ambiente e (2) desdobrada (incorporada) na percepção-ação dos agentes. Por fim, concluímos que a ação é o elemento central por trás da unidade ontológica, complementar, agente/ambiente. / Abstract: This work aims at defending the hypothesis (H1) according to which perceptual knowledge presents an internal/external complementary aspect. Based upon both the ontological realism - developed by Peirce (1958) and Aristotle (1981) - and the informational realism - put forward by Stonier (1997) and Schaeffer (2001) -, we characterize the internal feature of the perceptual knowledge as a mental presentation of percepts. In the context of mental presentations, we argue that percepts affect the perceptual consciousness according to an (ecological) informational matrix of perceptual qualities. Based upon the ecological approach to the perceptual knowledge, developed by Gibson (1986) and Gonzalez (2005), we characterize the external feature of perceptual knowledge as a relation established between agents and opportunities for action present in their environment. We also defend the hypothesis (H2) according to which ecological information can be (1) enfolded (as an affordance) in the environment and (2) unfolded (incorporated) in the agents' perception-action. Finally, we conclude that action is the central element behind the ontological complementary agent/environment unity. / Mestre

<p>Syftet med studien är att ur väntrumsbesökarens perspektiv få en uppfattning om hur miljön i väntrummet på en akutmottagning upplevs, samt att skönja om det går att tillämpa digitala tjänster för att tillgodose deras eventuella behov. Avgränsningen består i ett väntrum på en akutmottagning i en mellanstor svensk stad. Litteratur har tillsammans med väntrumsmiljön och patienter/anhöriga utgjort studiens huvudsakliga källor. Datainsamlingen har gjorts genom observation av miljön i väntrummet samt genom strukturerade intervjuer med patienter och anhöriga. Resultatet analyserades därefter kvantitativt. I analysprocessen användes begreppet affordance tillsammans med Maslows behovsindelning för att tolka och få förståelse för undersökningens resultat. Materialet bearbetades i olika enheter för att därefter kunna sammanställas till en helhet. Resultatet beskriver dels väntrumsmiljön, dels väntrumsbesökarens behov och användning av digitala tjänster. Det tyder på att användningen av digitala tjänster hos målgruppen är stor, varför slutsatsen dras att de specifika behov som finns skulle kunna tillgodoses av digitala tjänster. </p>