The ability to estimate body mass from human skeletal remains with a high degree of accuracy would be significant for the identification of identifying unknown individuals in a forensic anthropology context, documenting secular change in modern populations, and evaluating any prevalence in prehistoric populations. Modern research investigating body mass incorporates one of two models: morphometric and biomechanical. The morphometric model views the body as a cylinder, where weight estimates are gathered from extreme points such as the breadth of the pelvis. In contrast, the biomechanical model incorporates engineering principles and biology to understand the effects of mass on the human skeleton. Only the biomechanical model can accommodate extremes in body mass, such as those exhibited by modern populations. This study examined the accuracy of estimating body mass (obesity in particular) from human skeletal remains using a suite of traits shown to be significant in previous studies, including documented biomechanical analysis of obese individuals involving gait and sit-to-stand (STS) movements. It was hypothesized that using a combination of methods, body mass could be estimated with a high degree of accuracy. Using a large skeletal sample (n = 191), composed of male and females with documented age, weight, and height, the following three variables were examined: (1) the spinal manifestation of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH), (2) osteoarthritis (OA) of the tibiae, and (3) external femoral dimensions. These were then subject to statistical tests. Spearman's rank-order correlation and Mann-Whitney U tests showed significant relationships between DISH and obesity in females (p<.05), but not for males. The presence and severity of OA of the medial condyles were also significantly related to BMI in females (p<.05). In males, the relationship between BMI and OA was only significant on the condyles of the right tibiae (p<.05). Finally, ANOVA and Pearson's product-moment correlation tests were performed to evaluate the cross-sectional dimensions of the femur. The effect of age, stature, and BMI were also examined. ANOVA results showed a significant effect between BMI and M-L cross-sectional dimensions among both sexes (p<.05). Initial Pearson's tests performed separately on males and females showed no significant correlations; however, after the sexes were pooled, small to moderate negative correlations between the M-L/A-P ratio along the diaphysis of the femur and BMI were found. Finally, multiple regression analyses were performed. The models for both sexes with all ten variables was statistically significant for BMI. The final accuracy rate was 78.48% for females and 84.37% for males. The primary goal of this study was to evaluate Moore's (2008) body mass estimation study. In this investigation, however, all dimensions of the femur were performed using an osteometric board and sliding calipers following the guidelines used by Agostini and Ross (2011). The results of this study paralleled many of the observations seen in previous studies, particularly the M-L lateral widening of the femur. Future research should continue to examine the relationship of DISH and OA with body mass, particularly regarding the varying manifestations between the sexes and confounding factors such as age.

Gross pathological lesions have been noted in the literature on non-human archaeological animal remains since the mid 19th century. In the last 20 years the accumulation of research into human skeletal remains has engendered a dynamic palaeopathological science producing highly valid in sights into the condition of people of antiquity. These advances in the understanding of osteological abnormality have, however, been seen to be of limited application to animal bone because of the nature of the primary material. The data on which the discipline of palaeopathology relies is derived from the burial of bodies. The remains available to the archaeozoologist are predominantly the highly selected residues of human consumption. The biological principles governing the presentation of pathological lesions are, however, consistent. This thesis therefore seeks to explore the potential for understanding and quantifying pathology in animal remains, basing the research on the concept of treating the assemblage as the fundamental body of evidence. An essential precept of this approach is to demonstrate the incidence of certa in selected pathologies within natural populations of specified mammals, and to define this incidence within the comparative material in a manner which is applicable to fragmentary archaeological remains. The potential indicated by the work on defined populations is then explored within actual archaeological assemblages. The sub-families selected for this thesis are the Caninae and the Bovidae, represented here by the genera Canis, Vulpes and Ovis, with a restricted contribution from Bos in the archaeological case studies. The retrievable pathological data from both comparative and archaeological sources is described and quantified, and the implications discussed. The result ssuggest that, for each species under consideration, pathology should be regarded as a quantifiable variable within the assemblage. Consequently, it is demonstrated that a pathological profile may be a practical method of assessing the range of extrinsic stresses imposed on, and experienced by, the animals represented within the archaeological assemblage.

No description available.

In the end, we are all dead. But for some of us, our deaths become entangled online. Our vast data legacies and the appropriation of social media by the bereaved can result in online networks being used to mediate loss, mourning and memory in the event of a death. Recognising this phenomenon between death and technologies has resulted in researchers and designers being asked to become ‘thanatosensitive’, or death-sensitive. In particular, designers have been presented with Thanatosensitive Design [TSD] as an optimistic and non-prescriptive design methodology, devised by Massimi, for researching, designing and developing thanatosensitive technologies within sensitive end-of-life contexts (Massimi, 2012). This thesis is an invitation to reconsider TSD, to rethink what sensitive design practice could look like and the kinds of commitments and claims it is making to bereaved people. This reconsideration takes place through the development of an interdisciplinary conceptual framework that supports ‘thinking with’ and ‘caring for’ other elements in a situation of inquiry (Diprose, 2009; Puig de la Bellacasa, 2012; Puig de la Bellacasa, 2011). Empirically, this exposes a messy human landscape of loss, non-living ‘ghosts’ and non-human networks, the presences and agencies of which unsettle the human-centred ethico-political assumptions that lie within the TSD agenda. This thesis embraces the disturbances that have arisen from empirical and theoretical commitments and uses them as a way to reconsider what thanatosensitivity looks like when it embraces a more inclusive ethico-political landscape that decentres the human. Therefore, this thesis contributes to emerging literatures at the recent intersection between death and technology studies, firstly, by exposing a complex and previously unaccounted for messy ecology of loss across networks online, and, secondly, by reflexivity, exploring how this messy ecology disturbs the centrality of the human in TSD framings. These contributions cumulate in a reconfiguration of TSD that draws out an alternative approach and considerations for practitioners interested in designing sensitively for the end of life. This reconfiguration aims to be socially responsible, inclusive and ecologically sensitive in ways that set it apart from Massimi’s original concept of TSD. This new vision of sensitive design is summarised into a design statement and a polemic design manifesto to aid practitioners who wish to sensitively design for the end of life. The thesis leaves us with a speculative afterword, to consider future work and envision what other forms designing for death might take if we continue to push at the human-centeredness within design ecologies in light of the apocalyptic shadow of the Anthropocene.

No description available.

No description available.

This thesis looks at adaptations of nineteenth-century novels/plays by Mats Ek, Robert Wilson, Shared Experience, Foursight Theatre, Company:Collisions and The Maly. All the productions, companies and individuals discussed have used past material remains in the form of a novel or dramatic text to create a contemporary interpretation. In my research, I have used nineteenth-century material remains as a guide to understanding how these past indicators have affected the female performing body today. For instance, how the choreographer/director’s knowledge of past forms of physical inscription and intertextual approach reveal an embodied knowledge of the past, allowing the choreographer/director/performer to explore them within the present female body. I have chosen adaptations of nineteenth-century novels and dramatic texts, because this era focussed on physical movement as conveying emotional messages, which transferred to what was represented upon the stage. As a consequence, acting manuals were published in the nineteenth century, displaying illustrations of physical codes. These physically coded messages, historical illustrations and other material remains provided a way to read the past body and identify its traces today. In using this approach, I was able to discern what links remained from the original referent through past perceptions and representations. The rationale for choosing the productions and companies discussed within this thesis was their focus on the expressive aspects of the physical body in performance as well as the recreation of specific nineteenth-century novels/plays. In particular, Mats Ek and Robert Wilson use physical dance traditions of the past moving body and this has affected the choice of movement patterns for their performers. However, I also chose to compare their work against the female collective approach of other companies and how this informed the techniques used in rehearsal and performance. Lastly, I looked at an ensemble company and how the continuity of their collaboration compared against the previous companies discussed.

The identification of victims involved in mass fatality incidents, as well as the identification of unknown individuals in criminal cases has become an increasingly important issue nowadays. Sex assessment represents a key point in forensic evaluations due to its significance in providing biological identity. Even though the availability of documented skeletal remains to forensic practitioners is a common practice in many countries, in Turkey, contemporary documented skeletal remains are not available for this purpose. For this reason, studies have been focused on living populations. Previous research has shown that modern technologies such as CT scanning present very promising potential in establishing new standards for contemporary populations. Therefore, the main aim of this project was to examine the application of the measurements taken from 3D CT images of the femur in order to assess sex, and to contribute to the establishment of discriminant function equations for the Turkish population for forensic applications. The accuracy and reproducibility of imaging methods in the assessment of the measurements taken from femora are essential when estimating sex. This research also concentrated on determining the accuracy and repeatability of CT measurements, using the femur. Prior to primary data collection, a preliminary study was performed in an effort to test the reliability of the femur measurements. The results of reliability analysis indicated no significant difference between the three observations of each measurement. Thus, the methodology employed in the current study appears reliable and reproducible. In addition, a validation study was conducted to determine the linear measurement accuracy of the 3D volume rendering models derived from a medical CT scanner and the influence of different reconstruction parameters. The differences between measurements obtained from dry bones and their 3D volume rendered models were also evaluated. The results from this study indicated that there were no statistically significant differences between measurements taken from different reconstruction parameters and measurements obtained from CT images and drybones. Using the CT data, volume-rendering function (VR), 3D Curved Multiplanar reconstruction (MPR), and Scout View on OsiriX were employed in order to compare the accuracy and reliability of each rendering method and to determine which technique is optimal for linear measurements. Overall, the measurements taken from the 3D Volume Rendering images had the highest intra-observer reliability when compared to the other two rendering methods. This research study produced data and interpretations that will inform on and improve population specific standards of sex assessment from three-dimensional postcranial osteometric landmarks. Additionally, this research is believed to provide value for a developing discipline of forensic anthropology, and integrate within the existing systems of criminal investigation and disaster victim identification practices in Turkey. A Turkish sample population, consisting of 300 adult hospital patients was examined via the interpretation of CT reconstructed images using the OsiriX software. The 3D reconstructions were then created using the volume-rendering function in OsiriX (v.5.6.). Following the 3D reconstruction, an image of each femur was segmented from the surrounding bones to ensure the correct usage of landmarks as accurately as possible. Thirteen measurements were acquired using a 3D viewer after being located and marked on each CT reconstructed femora. These thirteen anthropometric parameters were measured and analysed by basic descriptive statistics and discriminant analysis methods using the SPSS 21.0 software package. The intra-observer variation was assessed by obtaining the intraclass correlation coefficient in order to evaluate the accuracy of the linear measurements taken. Asymmetry was also tested. The results indicated that an accuracy of 92.3% was acquired from a combination of six of the measurements, and the Femur Vertical Diameter of Neck (FVDN) measurement was found to be the most dimorphic with 88.0% accuracy.

Since its publication in 1989, Kazuo Ishiguro’s third novel, The Remains of the Day, has received a great deal of attention. It has been the object of criticism as well as acclaim and even been turned into film. It is the purpose of this essay to explore reader communication and characterisation The Remains of the Day by analysing its narratee, i.e. the receiver of the narrator’s story within the text. This entails the application of a reader response approach on the level of the narrative. More precisely, the investigation focuses on the functions of the narratee in the areas of reader communication and characterisation of the narrator and main character of the novel, Stevens. I argue that the narratee, as an agent of the narrative, has two prominent functions in the novel: the first is as a tool for the author in the characterisation of the narrator of the story, and the second is as a device for achieving communication between author and reader. My thesis is that the narratee is not utilised in a mere supportive capacity in the novel, but as a primary way of achieving reader communication and characterisation of the narrator. Thus, methodologically this investigation is performed in part by reconstructing the narratee, and in part by analysing the communicative situation contained in the narrative. The investigation yields ample evidence to support that the narratee, as a device of the narrative, is utilised as a primary way of achieving reader communication and characterisation of the narrator in the novel. The narratee’s indirect influence in the novel is surprisingly tangible and the narratee is revealed as a major mover of the narrative. In addition to this, the analysis shows that the narrator can also be his own narratee. In this regard Stevens’s role in the narrative is twofold: he is both the narrator, who tells his story, and the narratee, who receives the story. The duality serves to highlight and reconcile the complexities and idiosyncrasies of his conflicted character, as well as make the narrative more accessible to the reader.

碩士 / 國立臺北藝術大學 / 美術創作碩士班 / 100 / Surface or appearance is the outermost layer that exists in any substance, and is the most easily encountered element we can sense from the real world. Humans normally receive information and energy from the outer layers of our senses that can respond to instantaneous messages and impacts. As society gradually becomes superficial, layer will become the first decadent victim in such an unprecedented fast movement and metamorphosed into an entirely different skin structure. When contemporary art exceeds reality, it also retains similar appearance with reality; expressing intimately through the plate of printmaking and the media layer of printmaking, matching up compulsorily via printing and oppositing, and generating physical phenomena. Some of these phenomena clarify described normal states, while others operate inversely to the matrix itself, with artificial images that cover reality. In the thesis, the main feature (theme) is silver , and the basic media described in recent projects. It is the transition between black and white, sometimes covered by grey yarn, which presents itself with low key; occasionally when the light reflects on it, the unique gloss will shine extraordinarily. Inner emotion is just like silver, where the color overlap between rational and emotional, and expression of ambiguous and distant are pulling back and forth. It seems to be intimate but cold, mixed well nevertheless and proceeded in the contradictory direction, with confounding characteristics. Not only has surface achieved objectivity from individual creation, but it has also remained through dissipating path. The thesis will use time as an axis, while gathering point of views that observe the society that has gradually become superficial. Studying procedure and experiences from my background to carry out the individual progress of creation, and discussing how to explore changes during growth are used as numerous visual impacts to establish real thoughts towards my art works. This study is divided into five chapters. Chapter one makes a comprehensive research motivations and goals. Chapter two elaborates the study process of art, and the start point of my creations. Chapter three discusses the main point of view connect to the recently work, and declares particularly conceptions of surface. Chapter four analyzes the social surroundings and environment related to my personal works. Chapter five summarizes the general viewpoint and propose integral the observations of the art.