Object handoff – that is, passing an object or tool to another person – is an extremely common activity in collaborative tabletop work. On digital tables, object handoff is typically accomplished by sliding the object on the table surface – but surface-only interactions can be slow and error-prone, particularly when there are multiple people carrying out multiple handoffs. An alternative approach is to use the space above the table for object handoff; this provides more room to move, but requires above-surface tracking. I developed two above-the-surface handoff techniques that use simple and inexpensive tracking: a force-field technique that uses a depth camera to determine hand proximity, and an electromagnetic-field technique called ElectroTouch that provides positive indication when people touch hands over the table. These new techniques were compared to three kinds of existing surface-only handoff (sliding, flicking, and surface-only Force-Fields). The study showed that the above-surface techniques significantly improved both speed and accuracy, and that ElectroTouch was the best technique overall. Also, as object interactions are moved above-the-surface of the table the representation of off-table objects becomes crucial. To address the issue of off-table digital object representation several object designs were created an evaluated. The result of the present research provides designers with practical new techniques for substantially increasing performance and interaction richness on digital tables.

(in English): The aim of this thesis is to present persistent identification system of digital object identifier and analyze of use of DOI on a sample of public universities in the Czech Republic. The first part introduce the DOI system, its structure, advantages and examples of use in recent time. The second part is focused on analysis of current use of DOI in public univeristies. To fullfil this purpose researched questions were stated. Data was collected were determined in questionaire survey and semi structured interview. The conclusion of thesis proposes a direction of further reflection towards improvement of current situation.

<p>New methods for global shape description of three-dimensional digital objects are presented. The shape of an object is first represented by a digital surface where the faces are either triangles or quadrilaterals. Techniques for computing a high-quality parameterization of the surface are developed and this parameterization is used to approximate the shape of the object. Spherical harmonics are used as basis functions for approximations of the coordinate functions. Information about the global shape is then captured by the coefficients in the spherical harmonics expansions.</p><p>For a starshaped object it is shown how a parameterization can be computed by a projection from its surface onto the unit sphere. An algorithm for computing the position at which the centre of the sphere should be placed, is presented. This algorithm is suited for digital voxel objects. Most of the work is concerned with digital objects whose surfaces are homeomorphic to the sphere. The standard method for computing parameterizations of such surfaces is shown to fail on many objects. This is due to the large distortions of the geometric properties of the surface that often occur with this method. Algorithms to handle this problem are suggested. Non-linear optimization methods are used to find a mapping between a surface and the sphere that minimizes geometric distortion and is useful as a parameterization of the surface. </p><p>The methods can be applied, for example, in medical imaging for shape recognition, detection of shape deformations and shape comparisons of three-dimensional objects.</p>

New methods for global shape description of three-dimensional digital objects are presented. The shape of an object is first represented by a digital surface where the faces are either triangles or quadrilaterals. Techniques for computing a high-quality parameterization of the surface are developed and this parameterization is used to approximate the shape of the object. Spherical harmonics are used as basis functions for approximations of the coordinate functions. Information about the global shape is then captured by the coefficients in the spherical harmonics expansions. For a starshaped object it is shown how a parameterization can be computed by a projection from its surface onto the unit sphere. An algorithm for computing the position at which the centre of the sphere should be placed, is presented. This algorithm is suited for digital voxel objects. Most of the work is concerned with digital objects whose surfaces are homeomorphic to the sphere. The standard method for computing parameterizations of such surfaces is shown to fail on many objects. This is due to the large distortions of the geometric properties of the surface that often occur with this method. Algorithms to handle this problem are suggested. Non-linear optimization methods are used to find a mapping between a surface and the sphere that minimizes geometric distortion and is useful as a parameterization of the surface. The methods can be applied, for example, in medical imaging for shape recognition, detection of shape deformations and shape comparisons of three-dimensional objects.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Starting with an interactive and reflective perspective, this study aims to develop the reader competence before multimodal elements present in a contemporary textual composition, making effective practices of visual reading able to improve the students language skills . For this research, it was adopted as the scientific method Case Study with qualitative and quantitative approach, with the empirical field EMEF Iraildes Padilha Carvalho in the town of Tobias Barreto-SE. As a collection instrument was held an observation and a questionnaire. The research is based on the Grammar of Visual Design Kress and Van Leween (1996), which promotes the view that the visual elements present have a specific and significant architecture. As theoretical contribution was used also for studies of Rojo and Moura (2013), Marcuschi (2011), Bakhtin (2011), Tarouco (2003) and Dionysus (2011) among others. It was being that visual reading assumption is little explored in the classroom as well as the necessity of including the interactive and dynamic technology in pedagogical practices, elaborated a Digital Object Learning (ODA) for using with students during the development of research. In this context, it was decided to Nightmare magazine cover as the corpus to be investigated, from which were planned strategies and resources to be applied in the classroom. After the whole process of research, the results showed that students little explored the visual elements present in the texts, in spite of the fact that the unilateral perception of the images and other visual elements are for illustration only. It also has proven itself to digital resources enable the exploration and expansion of visual reading, bringing the student a dynamic and meaningful learning. / Partindo de uma perspectiva interativa e reflexiva, o presente estudo objetivou desenvolver a competência leitora diante dos elementos multimodais presentes na composição textual contemporânea, efetivando práticas de leitura visual capazes de aprimorar os conhecimentos linguísticos dos alunos. Para essa pesquisa, adotou-se como método científico o Estudo de Caso com abordagem qualitativa-quantitativa, tendo como campo empírico a EMEF Iraildes Padilha Carvalho, no município de Tobias Barreto-SE. Como instrumento de coleta foi realizada a observação e a aplicação de questionário. A pesquisa está fundamentada a partir da Gramática do Design Visual de Kress e van Leeuwen (1996), a qual promove a concepção de que os elementos visuais presentes apresentam uma arquitetura própria e significante. Como aporte teórico, utilizou-se também dos estudos de Rojo e Moura (2013), Marcuschi (2011), Bakthin (2011), Tarouco (2003) e Dionísio (2011) dentre outros. Partindo-se do pressuposto de que a leitura visual é pouco explorada em sala de aula, bem como da necessidade de inserção da tecnologia de forma interativa e dinâmica nas práticas pedagógicas, elaborou-se um Objeto Digital de Aprendizagem (ODA) para utilização com os alunos durante o desenvolvimento da pesquisa. Nesse contexto, optou-se pela capa da revista Mundo Estranho como o corpus a ser investigado, a partir do qual foram planejadas as estratégias e os recursos a serem aplicados em sala de aula. Após todo o processo de investigação, os resultados evidenciaram que os alunos pouco exploravam os elementos visuais presentes nos textos, tendo em vista a percepção unilateral de que as imagens e os demais elementos visuais servem apenas para ilustração. Além disso, comprovou-se também que os recursos digitais possibilitam a exploração e ampliação da leitura visual, trazendo para o aluno uma aprendizagem dinâmica e significativa. / Itabaiana, SE

The aim of this thesis is to present persistent identification systems and analysis of the use of persistent identifiers for digital objects on a sample of national digital libraries. The first part is a brief introduction to digital libraries. The second part describes selected permanent identification systems. The third part explains elements of selected national digital libraries. The last section is an analysis of the use of persistent identifiers in various national digital libraries. Keywords: persistent identifier, persistent identification system, URI, URN, PURL, Handle, DOI, ARK, digital library, national library, digital object

The radio astronomy and space geodesy scientific instrumentation of the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO) in Gauteng, South Africa, generate large volumes of data. Additional large data volumes will be generated by new geodesy instruments that are currently under construction and implementation, including a lunar laser ranging (LLR) system, seismic and meteorological systems and a Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) global observing system (VGOS) radio telescope. The existing HartRAO data management and storage system is outdated, incompatible and has limited storage capacity. This necessitates the design of a new geodetic research data management system (GRDMS). The focus of this dissertation is on providing a contextual framework for the design of the new system, including criteria, characteristics, components, an infrastructure architectural model and data structuring and organisation. An exploratory research methodology and qualitative research techniques were applied. Results attained from interviews conducted and literature consulted indicates a gap in the literature regarding the design of a data management system, specifically for geodetic data generated by HartRAO instrumentation. This necessitates the development of a conceptual framework for the design of a new GRDMS. Results are in alignment with the achievement of the research questions and objectives set for this study. / Information Science / M.A. (Information Science)

No description available.

7 Abstract This master's thesis engages moving images of contemporary art in order to sketch out certain ontological qualities of the digital image and imaginary, as they increasingly spill out of all fixed frames and fill the spaces between screens, contexts, and human and non-human agents. Following Steven Shaviro's observation that digital media brought about a completely "new regime" of mutable technical imaging often independent of any preceding "real" space, but instead able to produce its own space-time, this text treats moving images as performative world-shaping fictions with tangible traction on reality. Instead of understanding their growing proliferation in terms of the often-mourned disappeared correspondence to some previous reality, depth or truth, it suggests taking their fluidity as an opportunity to rethink the very divide placed between reality and fiction, as it continues to blur throughout our interactions with digital media, and to treat images not as mere representations but as material forces intensively active in the physical matter of the world, as well as in our own cognition. To articulate this irreducible materiality of digital image-fictions, the thesis weaves together on one hand respective philosophical concepts of François Laruelle and Gillese Deleuze and Félix Guattari -...