The understanding of ancient societies is often mainly based on how their burial sites have been interpreted. This is especially true for ancient societies where the burial sites may be the only remaining traces which can be studied. With a classical model, their analysis can yield valuable results on certain areas such as identifying status relationships and spatial groupings. The social structure that originally affected how the burial ceremony was conducted, however has largely been a subject of speculation. To analyse this structure a new theoretical foundation is required. In this thesis a ritualization perspective rooter in ritual theory has been implemented. It´s inclusion allows for the study of the structuring processes within the burials by identifying the normative actions which constituted the ritual. This approach requires methods capable of recreating that the ritual actions through the funerary remains. For this reason, the methodological approach employed has been largely rooted in archaeothanatology and taphonomy. In this thesis the Lapita culture which was active in Melanesia ca. 3000 BP has been in focus. This culture was chosen since its societal structure has so far been speculated widely but so far, no consensus has been reached. Only two Burial sites of adequate size and quality have been found to date, Reber-Rakival in Papua New Guinea and Teouma in Watom. These sites have been analysed previously and the findings suggest a rich variation in the funerary ritual implemented at the sites. Ritual has long been linked to societal structure but there are few methods which allow an archaeologist to study this structure through the ritual. The methods have been employed on physical remains from Reber-Rakival and recorded images from Teouma with the aim of clarifying the funerary ceremony and identifying the normative actions at both sites. The addition of previous research and ethnographic data was incorporated to compare and further clarify the interpretations. The resulting interpretation suggests that the burial practice and societal structure at the different sites had some overlap in how individuals of differing genders were positioned and treated. The extent to which this treatment was at the core of the ritual however, varied. In Teouma there was a clearly defined androcentric influence which was prevalent in both how the bodies were positioned and to what extent they were interfered with. This differed to the societal structure which affected the burials in Reber-Rakival which could not be as clearly defined given the greater level of disturbance at the site but was clearly not as extreme in favour of males. This indicates that different societal structures were in place but at present it cannot be considered as a conclusive estimation, further research is required to test it. / Tolkandet av forntida samhällen har ofta till stor del baserats på hur deras begravningsformer tolkas. Dessa undersökningar kan ge goda resultat men har oftast varit fokuserade på att identifiera exempelvis status och spatiala grupperingar. Den sociala strukturen som påverkade begravningsceremonin undersöks sällan närmare än via bred spekulation i den klassiska modellen. För att studera denna sociala struktur genom begravningsritualen närmare krävs teoretiska perspektiv som sällan brukas inom klassisk arkeologi. Ett teoretiskt perspektiv med vilket just denna struktur kan studeras är ritualization. Genom detta perspektiv kan de identifierbara normativa handlingarna inom en begravningsritual ses som en återspegling av den sociokulturellt strukturerande processen som påverkade ritualens utförande. Detta kräver metoder som kan återskapa handlingarna genom de material som finns tillhanda. I denna uppsats har Lapitakulturen i Melanesien som var verksam ca. 3000 år sedan legat i fokus för att se hur effektiv denna metod är på en relativt okänd kultur var sociala struktur är oöppen för vid spekulation i nuläget. Bara två större gravplatser från Lapitakulturen har identifierats i nuläget, Reber-Rakival i Papua Nya Guinea och Teouma i Vanuatu, så analysen har begränsats till dessa två platser.  Metoderna som använts har sina rötter i arkaeothanatologi och tafonomi har implementerats på fysiska material från Reber-Rakival och bildbevis från Teouma. Endast handlingar som direkt påverkade kroppens position inkluderades och ämnade att klargöra den rituella processen med focus på normativa handlingar och identifieringen av potentiella indikatorer för att tolka hur den rituella strukturen kan tolkas. Jämförelse med resultat från tidigare analyser och etnografiska exempel utfördes för att testa tolkningarna. Resultaten av dessa metoder visade att den rituella processen hade vissa likheter mellan de två platserna. Speciellt i att de varierade beroende på den gravlagdes kön. Vid sin kärna var det dock olika. Detta kunde ses i de mycket tydligare tecken på en klar separation mellan könen med en klar androcentrisk agenda i de rituella handlingarna i Teouma jämfört med Reber-Rakival där de rituella normerna var mer svårtolkade då platsen var mer störd men indikerar att den rådande strukturen inte var lika extrem i fördel för manliga individer. Denna uppskattning kan dock i nuläget inte ses som en slutgiltig tolkning, ytterligare studier krävs för att testa den.

This thesis focuses on practices of disarticulation and bodily manipulation in the Mesolithic of north-west Europe. While the presence of 'loose human bone' has been noted on Mesolithic sites for several decades, this has often been dismissed as the result of taphonomic factors, such as disturbed graves. Instead, studies of mortuary practices have primarily focused on the cemeteries and issues of social complexity, ranking and status. Disarticulated human bone, which cannot throw new light on such issues, has consequently been ignored. Only with more recent discoveries of larger collections of disarticulated human remains, from secure contexts, has this phenomena begun to be taken more seriously, Cauwe (2001) arguing for example, that disarticulation represents the primary Mesolithic mortuary practice. Despite this claim, little work has focused on practices of manipulation and disarticulation beyond a few studies of individual sites, thus little is understood about the nature and variability of these mortuary practices. The aim of this thesis is therefore to provide a broad study of disarticulated Mesolithic remains across north-west Europe (though excluding Scandinavia). In order to tackle the methodological issues involved in the analysis of these assemblages, as well as to provide a considered study of the context of these remains, three detailed osteological case studies - Hardinxveld in the Netherlands and Les Varennes and Petit Marais in France - are presented. These are then compared with a series of well-published sites in order to draw out the full parameters of Mesolithic mortuary variability. It is argued here that Mesolithic mortuary practices were complex and were often temporally and spatially extended. These practices of disarticulation and manipulation also appear to indicate a concern with bodily decay and the circulation of body parts. The implications of these practices for the understanding of Mesolithic identities, bodies, and attitudes to death are also drawn out.

Powered prostheses are at the forefront of prosthetic technology, improving functionality by providing positive power to joints in the absence of native anatomy. Currently, there is no commercially available powered solution for hip-level amputees, and most hip prostheses are mounted to the front of the prosthetic socket. This thesis designed, fabricated, and tested a novel Laterally Mounted Powered Hip Joint (LMPHJ) that augments user gait to promote improved walking patterns. The LMPHJ attaches to the lateral side of the prosthetic socket, locating the hip centre of rotation closer to the anatomical location while ensuring user safety and stability. The new design locates the motor and all electronics in the thigh area, thereby maintaining a low profile while transmitting the required hip moments to the joint centre of rotation. A prototype was designed and manufactured to evaluate LMPHJ performance. Mechanical testing followed the ISO 15032:2000 standard and successfully demonstrated the joint's resistance to everyday loading conditions. Functional testing involved integrating the LMPHJ, Ossur Rheo Knee, and Ossur Pro-Flex XC with a prosthesis simulator that allowed three able-bodied participants to walk with the powered prosthesis successfully. This validated the mechanical design for walking over level ground and demonstrated that the LMPHJ is ready for next phase evaluation with hip disarticulation amputee participants.

Este trabalho tem por objetivo estudar como as mudanças de ajuste estrutural implementadas na década de 1990 no Brasil aprofundaram sua desarticulação setorial e social. Entende-se por desarticulação o descompasso entre o aumento das atividades setoriais da economia e a demanda dos possuidores de salários. Socialmente, pode-se defini-la como a desorganização entre queda de salários e o aumento do desemprego; e setorialmente, refere-se à ausência de equilíbrio entre os departamentos de produção do país. Para levar adiante esta tarefa, tenta-se mostrar a relação existente entre produtividade, investimentos, salários, demanda efetiva e desempenho do PIB, utilizando-se o arcabouço teórico de demanda efetiva de Kalecki. Será de grande importância considerar a distribuição da renda e sua relação com o conceito de desarticulação social. Verificou-se a existência de uma tendência ao aprofundamento da desarticulação em dois aspectos: a) no social, o crescimento dos salários ficou muito abaixo do referente à produtividade; e b) no plano setorial, a desarticulação apresenta descompasso entre o crescimento dos departamentos. O que resultou no aumento na produção de commodities e uma queda na participação da indústria tradicional de aproximadamente 5%, enquanto as indústrias de maior conteúdo tecnológico apresentaram uma queda que girou em torno de 6%. Para Kalecki, DI (departamento de bens de investimento) comanda o processo de acumulação na economia. Nesse sentido, sendo o setor de commodities o que se apresentou mais dinâmico na década de 1990, na economia brasileira, isso explicaria, em boa parte, o pífio crescimento do investimento e do DI. Dessa forma, conclui-se que o novo modelo de desenvolvimento sustentado nas ideias neoliberais não possibilitou que a economia adentrasse pelo o caminho da articulação entre a esfera produtiva e de circulação. / This work aims to analyze how the economic policies implemented in Brazil during the 1990´s deepened its sectorial and social disarticulation. Here we define disarticulation as the gap between the increase of economic activity and the demand of wages. Socially, one can define disarticulation as the gap between wages and the increase of unemployment; the sectorial disarticulation refers to the disequilibrium between the so called departments. So, we try to show the relation between productivity, investments, wages, effective demand and the GPD (Gross Domestic Product), under a Kaleckian-Type of economic analysis. It will be of great value to consider the income distribution and its relation to the social disarticulation. It was shown that the tendency to the disarticulation has two mains aspects: a) socially, the increase of the productivity was higher than the increase of wage rates; b) economically, there was a gap between the so called Departments. It led to the increase of commodities industry, and a falling share of manufacturing close to 5%, with the more technologically advanced manufacturing industries falling 6% in its share of the GDP. To Kalecki, the Department I is the responsible to the economic growth of the economy as a whole. So, to a Kaleckian approach, the Brazilian economy could not have had a suitable economic growth during the period. We conclude that the new model of economic growth based on Liberal conceptions do not led to an integrated growth between production and circulation.

Este trabalho tem por objetivo estudar como as mudanças de ajuste estrutural implementadas na década de 1990 no Brasil aprofundaram sua desarticulação setorial e social. Entende-se por desarticulação o descompasso entre o aumento das atividades setoriais da economia e a demanda dos possuidores de salários. Socialmente, pode-se defini-la como a desorganização entre queda de salários e o aumento do desemprego; e setorialmente, refere-se à ausência de equilíbrio entre os departamentos de produção do país. Para levar adiante esta tarefa, tenta-se mostrar a relação existente entre produtividade, investimentos, salários, demanda efetiva e desempenho do PIB, utilizando-se o arcabouço teórico de demanda efetiva de Kalecki. Será de grande importância considerar a distribuição da renda e sua relação com o conceito de desarticulação social. Verificou-se a existência de uma tendência ao aprofundamento da desarticulação em dois aspectos: a) no social, o crescimento dos salários ficou muito abaixo do referente à produtividade; e b) no plano setorial, a desarticulação apresenta descompasso entre o crescimento dos departamentos. O que resultou no aumento na produção de commodities e uma queda na participação da indústria tradicional de aproximadamente 5%, enquanto as indústrias de maior conteúdo tecnológico apresentaram uma queda que girou em torno de 6%. Para Kalecki, DI (departamento de bens de investimento) comanda o processo de acumulação na economia. Nesse sentido, sendo o setor de commodities o que se apresentou mais dinâmico na década de 1990, na economia brasileira, isso explicaria, em boa parte, o pífio crescimento do investimento e do DI. Dessa forma, conclui-se que o novo modelo de desenvolvimento sustentado nas ideias neoliberais não possibilitou que a economia adentrasse pelo o caminho da articulação entre a esfera produtiva e de circulação. / This work aims to analyze how the economic policies implemented in Brazil during the 1990´s deepened its sectorial and social disarticulation. Here we define disarticulation as the gap between the increase of economic activity and the demand of wages. Socially, one can define disarticulation as the gap between wages and the increase of unemployment; the sectorial disarticulation refers to the disequilibrium between the so called departments. So, we try to show the relation between productivity, investments, wages, effective demand and the GPD (Gross Domestic Product), under a Kaleckian-Type of economic analysis. It will be of great value to consider the income distribution and its relation to the social disarticulation. It was shown that the tendency to the disarticulation has two mains aspects: a) socially, the increase of the productivity was higher than the increase of wage rates; b) economically, there was a gap between the so called Departments. It led to the increase of commodities industry, and a falling share of manufacturing close to 5%, with the more technologically advanced manufacturing industries falling 6% in its share of the GDP. To Kalecki, the Department I is the responsible to the economic growth of the economy as a whole. So, to a Kaleckian approach, the Brazilian economy could not have had a suitable economic growth during the period. We conclude that the new model of economic growth based on Liberal conceptions do not led to an integrated growth between production and circulation.

Este trabalho tem por objetivo estudar como as mudanças de ajuste estrutural implementadas na década de 1990 no Brasil aprofundaram sua desarticulação setorial e social. Entende-se por desarticulação o descompasso entre o aumento das atividades setoriais da economia e a demanda dos possuidores de salários. Socialmente, pode-se defini-la como a desorganização entre queda de salários e o aumento do desemprego; e setorialmente, refere-se à ausência de equilíbrio entre os departamentos de produção do país. Para levar adiante esta tarefa, tenta-se mostrar a relação existente entre produtividade, investimentos, salários, demanda efetiva e desempenho do PIB, utilizando-se o arcabouço teórico de demanda efetiva de Kalecki. Será de grande importância considerar a distribuição da renda e sua relação com o conceito de desarticulação social. Verificou-se a existência de uma tendência ao aprofundamento da desarticulação em dois aspectos: a) no social, o crescimento dos salários ficou muito abaixo do referente à produtividade; e b) no plano setorial, a desarticulação apresenta descompasso entre o crescimento dos departamentos. O que resultou no aumento na produção de commodities e uma queda na participação da indústria tradicional de aproximadamente 5%, enquanto as indústrias de maior conteúdo tecnológico apresentaram uma queda que girou em torno de 6%. Para Kalecki, DI (departamento de bens de investimento) comanda o processo de acumulação na economia. Nesse sentido, sendo o setor de commodities o que se apresentou mais dinâmico na década de 1990, na economia brasileira, isso explicaria, em boa parte, o pífio crescimento do investimento e do DI. Dessa forma, conclui-se que o novo modelo de desenvolvimento sustentado nas ideias neoliberais não possibilitou que a economia adentrasse pelo o caminho da articulação entre a esfera produtiva e de circulação. / This work aims to analyze how the economic policies implemented in Brazil during the 1990´s deepened its sectorial and social disarticulation. Here we define disarticulation as the gap between the increase of economic activity and the demand of wages. Socially, one can define disarticulation as the gap between wages and the increase of unemployment; the sectorial disarticulation refers to the disequilibrium between the so called departments. So, we try to show the relation between productivity, investments, wages, effective demand and the GPD (Gross Domestic Product), under a Kaleckian-Type of economic analysis. It will be of great value to consider the income distribution and its relation to the social disarticulation. It was shown that the tendency to the disarticulation has two mains aspects: a) socially, the increase of the productivity was higher than the increase of wage rates; b) economically, there was a gap between the so called Departments. It led to the increase of commodities industry, and a falling share of manufacturing close to 5%, with the more technologically advanced manufacturing industries falling 6% in its share of the GDP. To Kalecki, the Department I is the responsible to the economic growth of the economy as a whole. So, to a Kaleckian approach, the Brazilian economy could not have had a suitable economic growth during the period. We conclude that the new model of economic growth based on Liberal conceptions do not led to an integrated growth between production and circulation.

Hip disarticulations and hemipelvectomies are the highest level of lower limb amputations. As such, these amputations create ambulation difficulties and current prosthetic solutions are limited. Powered prosthetic joints have successfully improved lower limb amputee gait; however, no powered hip joints are available on the market. This thesis presents the design and evaluation of a microprocessor-controlled powered hip joint for hip-level amputees. A rope and pulley system was used to transmit power from an actuator located at the prosthetic thigh to rotate the prosthetic leg around an anteriorly-located prosthetic hip joint. The pulley system features an innovative tensioning system using multiple keyways, allowing the system to be tensioned without external tensioning devices. The powered hip prosthesis passed ISO 15032:2000 mechanical strength tests that simulated 100 kg user loads. The joint was also tested by able-bodied individuals using a hip disarticulation simulator to walk with the powered hip-knee-ankle-foot prosthesis. Though the participants had asymmetrical gait with shorter intact-side swing time, the device successfully allowed the participants to ambulate. The final device weighed 3.9 kg and respected geometric design constraints to fit comfortably under pants. Future work is needed to implement a gait control system, resolve a rope slack issue, and test the device with hip-level amputees.

Compliant mechanisms offer several design advantages which may be exploited in prosthetic joint research and development: they are light-weight, have low cost, are easy to manufacture, have high-reliability, and have the ability to be designed for displacement loads. Designing a mechanism to perform optimally under displacement rather than force loading allows underlying characteristics of the swing phase of gait, such as the maximum heel rise and terminal swing to be developed into a prosthetic knee joint. The objective of this thesis was to develop a mechanical add-on compliant link to an existing prosthetic knee which would perform to optimal standards of prosthetic gait, specifically during the swing phase, and to introduce a feasible method for increasing proprioceptive feedback to the amputee via transferred moments and varying surface tractions on the inner part of a prosthetic socket. A finite elements model was created with ANSYS to design the prosthetic knee compliant add-on and used to select the geometry to meet prosthetic-swing criteria. Data collected from the knee FEA model was used to apply correct loading at the knee in a SolidWorks model of an above-knee prosthesis and residual limb. Another finite element model was creating using COSMOSWorks to determine the induced stresses within a prosthetic socket brought on by the compliant link, and then used to determine stress patterns over 60 degrees of knee flexion (standard swing). The compliant knee add-on performed to the optimal resistance during swing allowing for a moment maxima of 20.2 Newton-meters (N-m) at a knee flexion of 62 degrees. The moments applied to the prosthetic socket via the compliant link during knee flexion and extension ranged from 5.2 N-m (0 degrees) in flexion, to 20.2 N-m (62 degrees) in extension and induced a varying surface tractions on the inner surface of the socket over the duration, thus posing a possible method of providing proprioceptive feedback via surface tractions. Developing a method for determining the level of proprioceptive feedback would allow for less expensive and more efficient methods of bringing greater control of a prosthesis to its user.

The cave Stora Förvar, excavated in the end of the 19th century, yielded a vast archaeological assemblage, providing great insight into the stone-age occupation of Stora Karlsö, an island a few kilometers off the west coast of Gotland. The bones of around ten humans dating to the Mesolithic have previously been identified among the four tons of faunal remains recovered from the cave. The human bone material featured cut-marks and split tubular bones. This, along with the apparent mixing of human- and animal bones in the cave, was interpreted as signs of anthropophagy. Later researchers have tentatively proposed that the individuals represented in the bone material might have been shamans, deviants, human sacrifices or low-status individuals. In the author’s opinion, this assertion is based on the dichotomies nature/culture and profane/sacred which produce a separation between the human bones and the animal bones. It is shown that defleshing and disarticulation were widespread practices during the Mesolithic, which could explain the marks found on the bones from Stora Förvar. Similarly, the mixing of human- and animal remains is a common feature of many Mesolithic sites across Europe. Employing a theoretical framework inspired by posthumanism and the ‘ontological turn’, the author argues that the assemblage should be understood through an alternative ontological premise where human and animal, hunter and prey, were not regarded as fundamentally different.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T20:21:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Myrt Thania de Souza Cruz.pdf: 1638665 bytes, checksum: daba94bb90ca2caf5224730795b080fc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-03-12 / The objective of this thesis is to comprehend the process of disarticulation threat and dissolution of communities in the semiarid region of the Chapada Diamatina plateau. A systematic study was made, using as an example an area denominated Cercado, situated on top of the Serra do Cigano, following the horse trail that leads to the San Francisco River. The study seeks to reconstruct the history of the colonization of that region, strongly marked by despotism, materialized through the phenomena of bossing and coerced votes. From the local residents, tales of the fight for existence and life maintenance in that region were retrieved. Eminently verbal, the narratives were based on the memory of those still in the region and others that have left. The social relations reproduction process under the shelter of the merchant world has brought serious consequences to the rural communities of the Chapada Diamantina plateau which live in a mere subsistence agrarian economy, degrading their way of life and not rarely leading to their dissolution. The continual struggle of these people in search of ways to satisfy their needs promotes solidary practices that make viable to live in the semiarid nature, although this does not guarantee the preservation of their ways of life in the face of the transformations generated by modern times. As a consequence of the difficulties imposed by the disarticulation process, the singularity of their life experience makes them active historical agents in their settlement, in working the land, in putting together their tasks and in the resistance to maintain their knowledge about medicinal plants, folklore costumes and their religiousness / Esta tese objetiva compreender o processo de ameaça de desarticulação e dissolução de comunidades do semi-árido da Chapada Diamantina. Foi feito estudo sistemático tomando como exemplo uma localidade denominada Cercado, situada no topo da Serra do Cigano, às margens da trilha cavaleira que dá acesso ao rio São Francisco. O estudo procura reconstruir a história do processo de povoamento da região, fortemente marcado pelo coronelismo materializado através dos fenômenos de mandonismo e voto de cabresto. Junto com seus moradores, recupera narrativas sobre a história da luta pela existência e manutenção da vida no lugar. De cunho eminentemente oral, as narrativas foram viabilizadas a partir da memória dos que lá vivem e também dos que migraram. O processo de reprodução das relações sociais, sob a égide do mundo da mercadoria, tem trazido sérias conseqüências para as comunidades rurais da Chapada Diamantina que vivem numa economia agrária de subsistência, degradando seu modo de vida e, não raro, conduzindo para sua dissolução. A incessante luta das pessoas em busca da satisfação de suas necessidades fornece consagração de práticas solidárias que viabilizam a convivência com a natureza semi-árida, mas não garante a manutenção dos modos de vida face às transformações decorrentes da modernidade. Frente às dificuldades impostas pelo processo de desarticulação, a singularidade de suas vivências os inscreve como agentes históricos ativos na construção de fazeres, no enraizamento e lida com a terra e na resistência pela manutenção dos conhecimentos das plantas medicinais, festejos, costumes e religiosidade