253 research outputs found
Image Morphing with the Beier-Neely Method
No full textThe Beier-Neely feature-based image-morphing method is studied. Then, software implementing the Beier-Neely image-morphing method, designed and developed by the author, is presented. The software consists of three programs. The first program is a graphical user interface (GUI) used to manually select feature line segments. The second program is a morphing program that generates a morphing image sequence, where each intermediate frame in the sequence represents a stage in the morphing process. The third program converts the image sequence produced to a video that displays the image morphing effect.Graduat
Ulli Beier, Obotunde Ijimere and Theopaneia in the Imprisonment of Obatala
No full textUlli Beier's attachment to the arts and the peoples of Nigeria is in itself unique. His choices, in association, research and artistic efforts portray this in an unequivocal manner. Obotunde Ijimere, another of Beier's creations, is the author of The Imprisonment of Obatala. This study examines the posture and the context in which Beier perceives the Yoruba, his involvement with the people's theopanic visions and the significance of the experiences to his work in Nigeria
Ulli beier, Obotunde Ijimere and Theopaneia in the imprisonment of Obatala
No full textUlli Beier's attachment to the arts and the peoples of Nigeria is in itself unique. His choices, in association, research and artistic efforts portray this in an unequivocal manner. Obotunde Ijimere, another of Beier's creations, is the author of The Imprisonment of Obatala. This study examines the posture and the context in which Beier perceives the Yoruba, his involvement with the people's theopanic visions and the significance of the experiences to his work in Nigeria
Behavioral and Neural Correlates of Emotional Memory in Retirement and Late Life Neuropsychiatric Conditions
No full textThere is significant heterogeneity in aging, such that some older adults may experience significant memory decline while others remain relatively spared. This variability may be driven by a variety of individual differences. Here, we focus on two such differences: retirement and mental health. Retired older adults show greater memory decline relative to their working peers. However, retirement has been largely ignored in aging research. Furthermore, there are individual differences in retirement, such as levels of stress and mental health symptoms. Depression and anxiety are common in late life and are associated with cognitive decline and neurobiological dysfunction. However, it is unclear how comorbid depression and anxiety symptoms influence emotional memory and its neurobiological underpinnings in late life and retirement. We investigated these individual differences through a pattern separation framework. Hippocampal pattern separation is a neural computation that reduces interference across similar experiences and is sensitive to early impairment in aging and mood disorders. We used an emotional memory task that taxes hippocampal pattern separation to investigate how retirement and neuropsychiatric symptoms in aging were associated with memory and neurobiological function. Our first set of studies focused on the cognitive and neurobiological mechanisms of retirement. We found a positivity bias in memory (i.e., better memory for positive vs. neutral stimuli), a phenomenon commonly reported as a general trend in aging, was selective to retired rather than working older adults. Using high-resolution neuroimaging, we found that retired older adults exhibited dysfunctional hippocampal activity and connectivity, particularly for positive and neutral stimuli. The next set of studies assessed how neuropsychiatric symptoms impact these relationships, in which we found that retired older adults with subclinical depressive symptoms showed worse memory for positive stimuli, while those with high levels of prior job stress had a stronger positivity bias. When including a wider range of symptom severity, working older adults with more severe symptoms showed worse memory and greater hippocampal hyperactivity. Finally, we found that clusters of comorbid mental health symptoms were associated with unique patterns of neurobiological dysfunction. Overall, these studies provide novel insight into how individual differences in aging impact cognition and brain function
Freshwater exchanges and surface salinity in the Colombian basin, Caribbean Sea
No full textDespite the heavy regional rainfall and considerable discharge of many rivers into the Colombian Basin, there have been few detailed studies about the dilution of Caribbean Surface Water and the variability of salinity in the southwestern Caribbean. An analysis of the precipitation, evaporation and runoff in relation to the climate variability demonstrates that although the salt balance in the Colombian Basin overall is in equilibrium, the area south of 12N is an important dilution sub-basin. In the southwest of the basin, in the region of the Panama-Colombia Gyre, Caribbean Sea Water is diluted by precipitation and runoff year round, while in the northeast, off La Guajira, its salinity increases from December to May by upwelling. At the interannual scale, continental runoff is related to El Niño Southern Oscillation, and precipitation and evaporation south of 12°N are related to the Caribbean Low Level Jet. During El Niño years the maximum salinification occurs in the dry season (December-February) while in La Niña years the maximum dilution (or freshening), reaching La Guajira Coastal Zone, occurs in the wet season (September-November). © 2017 Beier et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Scenography and new media technologies: history, educational applications and visualization techniques
No full textThe endemic presence of digital technology is responsible for numerous changes in contemporary Western societies. This study examines the role of multimedia within the field of theatre studies, with particular focus on the theory and practice of theatre design and education. In the cross-disciplinary literature review, I investigate such primary elements of contemporary media as interactivity, immersion, integration and hyper-textuality, and explore their characteristics in the performing arts before and during the digital epoch. I also discuss various IT applications that transformed the way we experience, learn and co-create our cultural heritage. In order to illustrate how computer-generated environments could change the way we perceive and deliver cultural values, I explore a suite of rapidly-developing communication and computer-visualization techniques, which enable reciprocal exchange between viewers, theatre performances and artefacts. I analyze novel technology-mediated teaching techniques that attempt to provide a new media platform for visually-enhanced information transfer.
My findings indicate that the recent changes towards the personalization of knowledge delivery and also towards student-centered study and e-learning necessitated the transformation of the learners from passive consumers of digital products to active and creative participants in the learning experience. The analysis of questionnaires and two case studies (the THEATRON and the VA projects) demonstrate the need for further development of digital-visualization techniques, especially for studying and researching scenographic artefacts. As a practical component of this thesis, I have designed and developed the Set-SPECTRUM educational project, which aims to strengthen the visual skills of the students, ultimately enabling them to use imagery as a creative tool, and as a means to analyze theatrical performances and artefacts. The 3D reconstruction of Norman Bel Geddes' set for The Divine Comedy, first of all, enables academic research of the artefact, exposing some hitherto unknown design-limitations in the original set-model, and revealing some construction inconsistencies; secondly, it contributes to educational and creative practices, offering an innovative way to learn about scenography. And, thirdly, it fills a gap in the history of the Western theatre design.
This study attempts to show that when translated into digital language, scenographic artefacts become easily retrievable and highly accessible for learning and research purposes. Therefore, the development of such digital products should be encouraged, but care should also be taken to provide the necessary training for users, in order to realize the applications' full potential
Beier, Jessie L, 1976: Toward a Weird(er) \u27Poor Curriculum\u27, pp. 150-151 in Teresa Strong-Wilson, et al., eds, Provoking Curriculum Encounters Across Educational Experience. New York: Routledge, 2020.
No full textIlluminates and reflects on the key ideas of Pinar and Grumet\u27s 1976 book, Toward a Poor Curriculum and its later editions; these pages appear as a part of a larger treatment by the author, subtitled, Close Encounters of a Pedagogical Kind.\u2
Consolidation and atmospheric drying of fine oil sand tailings: Comparison of blind simulations and field scale results
No full textThis paper presents a comparison between blind predictions of field tests of atmospheric drying of mature fine tailings (MFT) presented in IOSTC 2014 and field results. The numerical simulation of the consolidation and atmospheric drying of selfweight consolidating fine material is challenging and requires significant knowledge of the material, climate and the interaction between the two. This paper presents the outcome of a study which developed a numerical model, undertook material characterization and predicted the behaviour of full scale field tests undertaken in Shell Canada’s Muskeg River Mine near Fort McMurray, Alberta. The blind predictions were published in IOSTC 2014. A comparison between the observed and simulated behaviour in terms of settlement and void ratio yields a number of conclusions regarding the model: (i) all of the major observed features can be predicted by the numerical model; (ii) the quantification of the behaviour is well represented; (iii) due to the fast initial consolidation, the amount of material recorded as being deposited was underestimated; (iv) significant shear strength development requires a void ratio reduction which either requires a significant overburden or atmospheric drying.Geo-engineerin
Dewatering behavior of fine oil sands tailings: A summary of laboratory results
No full textTo evaluate the disposal technology for fine oil sands tailings, the appropriate engineering properties of the tailings should be ascertained. A laboratory study was conducted by Delft University of Technology (the Netherlands) on the geotechnical properties and dewatering behavior of the fine oil sands tailings (MFT, TT), obtained from Shell Canada’s Muskeg River Mine. In this program, the tailings were characterized by performing various laboratory tests including index property tests, flocculation tests, column settling tests, oedometer tests, shrinkage and swelling tests, water retention tests, cracking tests and air drying tests. In this paper, a summary of the main tests results is presented. The data obtained for the MFT and flocculated MFT are compared to identify the effects of flocculation on the dewatering behavior.Geo-engineerin
Geographic profiling in Nazi Berlin: fact and fiction
No full textGeographic profiling uses the locations of connected crime sites to make inferences about the probable location of the offender’s ‘anchor point’ (usually a home, but sometimes a workplace). We show how the basic ideas of the method were used in a Gestapo investigation that formed the basis of a classic German novel about domestic resistance to the Nazis during the Second World War. We use modern techniques to re-analyse this case, and show that these successfully locate the Berlin home address of Otto and Elise Hampel, who had distributed hundreds of anti-Nazi postcards, after analysing just 34 of the 214 incidents that took place before their arrest. Our study provides the first empirical evidence to support the suggestion that analysis of minor terrorism-related acts such as graffiti and theft could be used to help locate terrorist bases before more serious incidents occur
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