Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Informática e Computação. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 2012

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Drexel University, 2007. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 141-147).

Texture segmentation is an effortless process in scene analysis, yet its mechanisms have not been sufficiently understood. Several theories and algorithms exist for texture discrimination based on vision. These models diverge from one another in algorithmic approaches to address texture imagery using spatial elements and their statistics. Even though there are differences among these approaches, they all begin from the assumption that texture segmentation is a visual task. However, considering that texture is basically a surface property, this assumption can at times be misleading. An interesting possibility is that since surface properties are most immediately accessible to touch, texture perception may be more intimately associated with texture than with vision (it is known that tactile input can affect vision). Coincidentally, the basic organization of the touch (somatosensory) system bears some analogy to that of the visual system. In particular, recent neurophysiological findings showed that receptive fields for touch resemble that of vision, albeit with some subtle differences. The main novelty and contribution of this thesis is in the use of tactile receptive field responses for texture segmentation. Furthermore, we showed that touch-based representation is superior to its vision-based counterpart when used in texture boundary detection. Tactile representations were also found to be more discriminable (LDA and ANOVA). We expect our results to help better understand the nature of texture perception and build more powerful texture processing algorithms. The results suggest that touch has an advantage over vision in texture processing. Findings in this study are expected to shed new light on the role of tactile perception of texture and its interaction with vision, and help develop more powerful, biologically inspired texture segmentation algorithms.

Thesis--University of California, San Francisco. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 246-269).

Thesis (M.A.)--Central Connecticut State University, 2003. / Thesis advisor: Joanne DiPlacido. " ... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 31-37).

In 1937 Alvar Aalto began work on the Villa Mairea which over the years became regarded as a sensual and tactile building by architectural experts. An in depth study of this building was used to develop tools that may be helpful in analyzing the sense of touch in other architectural work either built or un-built. / text

The number of devices with touch input such as smart phones, computers, and tablets has grown extensively in recent years. Native applications on these devices have access to this touch and gesture information and can provide a rich, interactive experience. Web applications, however, lack a consistent and uniform way to retrieve touch and gesture input. With the quality and robustness of web applications continually growing and replacing native applications in many areas, a way to access and harness touch input is critical. This paper proposes two JavaScript libraries that provide a reliable and easy way for web applications to use touch efficiently and effectively. First, getTjs abstracts the gathering of touch events for most mobile and desktop touch devices. GenGesjs, the second library, receives this information and identifies gestures based on the touch input. Web applications can have this gesture information pushed to them as it is received or instead request the most recent gestures when desired. An example of interfacing with both libraries is provided in the form of WebMol. WebMol is a web application that allows for three dimensional viewing of molecules using WebGL. Gestures from GenGesjs are translated to interactions with the molecules, providing an intuitive interface for users. Using both of these libraries, web applications can easily tap into touch input resulting in an improved user experience regardless of the device. / text

The use of provider based alternative medicine therapies such as chiropractic, massage, and acupuncture, has grown exponentially over the past decade as the price of traditional Western treatments has skyrocketed. Patients are seeking complementary treatments for a variety of ailments, including mental health. People with profound mental illness also have a reduced life expectancy and higher rates of chronic health problems than non-sufferers; and roughly 20% of people who used alternative therapies in the past year also had one or more psychiatric disorders. Healing Touch (HT) is based on the belief that humans have energy fields that change with states of illness; these energy fields can be manipulated to achieve wholeness or wellness. As nurses, touch has always been a part of our practice therefore it should not be a significant departure to entwine HT into our practice. Both anecdotal and research evidence has found that using HT for patients reduces anxiety and stress, helps support the life transition process, promotes self-empowerment, and enhances spiritual development. The implication of this evidence is that people suffering from anxiety and depression could benefit from HT in the primary care setting. When compared to the high cost of treating these illnesses, HT and other energy therapies are cost effective and have evidence supporting that treatment is effective enough to be inclusive. Depression and anxiety are extremely common and cross cultures, generations, and economic statuses. This describes the burden related to these conditions and why integrating HT in primary care practice is a viable, sustainable option. Current literature and research are discussed, and recommendations for practice in the form of a clinical practice protocol are presented.

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