Portable Objects Research Articles

The Use of Head-Mounted Display Systems for Upper Limb Kinematic Analysis in Post-Stroke Patients: A Perspective Review on Benefits, Challenges and Other Solutions.

In recent years, there has been a notable increase in the clinical adoption of instrumental upper limb kinematic assessment. This trend aligns with the rising prevalence of cerebrovascular impairments, one of the most prevalent neurological disorders. Indeed, there is a growing need for more objective outcomes to facilitate tailored rehabilitation interventions following stroke. Emerging technologies, like head-mounted virtual reality (HMD-VR) platforms, have responded to this demand by integrating diverse tracking methodologies. Specifically, HMD-VR technology enables the comprehensive tracking of body posture, encompassing hand position and gesture, facilitated either through specific tracker placements or via integrated cameras coupled with sophisticated computer graphics algorithms embedded within the helmet. This review aims to present the state-of-the-art applications of HMD-VR platforms for kinematic analysis of the upper limb in post-stroke patients, comparing them with conventional tracking systems. Additionally, we address the potential benefits and challenges associated with these platforms. These systems might represent a promising avenue for safe, cost-effective, and portable objective motor assessment within the field of neurorehabilitation, although other systems, including robots, should be taken into consideration.

Portable Faith: Toward a Non-Site-Specific History of Buddhist Art in Japan

From small-scale shrines to handheld icons and votive tablets, portability has long factored into the design and reception of Buddhist art. This article charts the uses and design of portable objects that are as instrumental and effective as their monumental counterparts in disseminating Buddhism in Japan. The article first examines the circulation of miniature icons that served as diplomatic gifts in the sixth and seventh centuries. It then turns to figurative plaques from Tang-dynasty China (618–907) that were modified for votive and architectural uses in early Japan. Lastly, the article examines the reasons underlying the enduring popularity of portable shrines in the archipelago. In sum, this article asks: What factors determined the size, scale, and materiality of Buddhist art? More importantly, how does the case of the portable speak to the discipline of Buddhist art that often preoccupies itself with the monumental and the site-specific?

Real but unrealised: object transformations and political economy in East and southern Africa, AD 750–1250

Archaeologists of East and southern Africa have long been attracted to large urban centres, such as those on the Swahili coast, and to the circulation of imported goods. Here, the authors aim to refocus attention on the diversity of objects that were produced and transformed by the inland societies of East and southern Africa during the Middle Iron Age (AD 750–1250). Recognition of the remaking, bundling and repurposing of small, portable objects emphasises the innovative practices that helped to bestow power on their makers. A socially embedded approach to studying objects and practices re-presents African communities as innovators and active transformers of non-local objects, and facilitates new narratives about the political economy of Africa at that time.

Testing the nightmare cognitive arousal processing model.

Posttrauma nightmares are recurring nightmares that begin after a traumatic experience. Research has only recently begun to identify variables that predict posttrauma nightmare occurrences. Research has identified presleep arousal-cognitive (PSA-C) and presleep arousal physiological (PSA-PHYS), sleep onset latency (SOL), and sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) as potential predictors of posttrauma nightmares. However, previous research includes methodological limitations, such as a lack of physiological measures and a homogeneous sample. To replicate previous findings and increase generalizability, the current study investigated predictors of nightmare occurrences in a sample of male inpatient veterans with mixed-trauma history. Participants (n = 15) completed an initial assessment battery and seven consecutive days of pre and postsleep diaries, including measures of posttrauma nightmare triggers and posttrauma nightmare occurrences. Portable objective measurements of sleep and presleep states were used to examine sleep quality and physical arousal. Analyses revealed that PSA-C and SOL both predicted posttrauma nightmare occurrences and that PSA-PHYS was significantly higher on nights when nightmares occurred. Results replicate earlier research which posits that PSA and SOL play a role in triggering the occurrence of posttrauma nightmares. It should be noted that the sample was relatively small, warranting cautious interpretation of results. However, when taken together with the findings of the replicated study, results could suggest the plausibility of therapies targeting presleep cognitions, SOL, and presleep arousal in the treatment of posttrauma nightmares. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

:Souvenirs and the Experience of Empire in Ancient Rome

:<i>Souvenirs and the Experience of Empire in Ancient Rome</i>

Evaluating Transformations in Small Metal Finds Following the Black Death

THIS PAPER SEEKS to evaluate transformations in portable material culture following the Black Death in England (1348–1349), specifically through an analysis of small metal finds data recorded with the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS). It will discuss the use of Geographic Information Systems and other computational methods in archaeological research, and apply this to compare and contrast PAS data against that from excavated urban sites. The importance of PAS data will then be highlighted as a chronological and spatially wide-ranging resource for understanding socio-economic change in portable material culture throughout the Middle Ages, focussing on the significant period of demographic change in the 14th century. It is suggested that an improvement in living standards is reflected in the variety of portable objects that have been recovered, and case studies of certain artefact types, with specific emphasis on dress accessories, will be used to demonstrate this.

Новые памятники вещевой эпиграфики с северной периферии византийского мира

Introduction. Byzantine inscriptions on instrumenta, i.e. portable objects (ceramics, tools, objects of personal piety, etc.), usually attract little attention by researchers. Meanwhile, such inscriptions make it easier to look into the world of an ordinary Byzantine. Analysis. The author publishes (in two cases – anew) seven non-standard inscriptions of this type, found recently or previously unpublished. These are the inscriptions on the phylactery, encolpion, amphorae, jug, and bowl. They have a different character: an apotropaic text, a business letter, a humorous poem, an owner’s inscription. Results. These seven monuments open a window to the world of medieval Rhomaios: the fear of the evil eye and the protective prayers, written from hearing; the cheerful world of wine and wine drinking during the voyage and on a bet; jokes about a broken cup, often expressed in verses, that the Byzantines used for any purpose, including the owner’s inscriptions; the world of merchants, who send their goods overseas, take care of its safety and the well-being of sailors. These inscriptions are distinguished by the peculiarities of spelling and style, which make it possible to better imagine the ordinary Byzantine environment. The travelling of the inscriptions on instrumenta, including pilgrims’ inscriptions, reflect, among other things, the ways of spreading Greek writing.

Carbon Nitride Nanosheet-Based Photochromic Physical Unclonable Functions for Anticounterfeiting Applications

Labels based on physical unclonable functions (PUFs) have been proven to be some of the most effective anticounterfeiting strategies. However, it is still challenging to develop PUF-based anticounterfeiting labels with low prices, simple manufacturing, and easy authentication. Herein, photochromic PUF labels are fabricated by randomly dispersing highly crystalline carbon nitride (HCCN) particles in poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc). The color of the PVAc/HCCN films originating from photochromism is used as the first layer of safety, which is verified by the naked eye. The pattern of the randomly distributed HCCN particles within the photochromic area (i.e., the PUF) is used as the second layer of security. The PUF can be read out by any smartphone equipped with a portable objective and then automatically authenticated by computer vision technology. We further prove the accurate and feasible authentication of the prepared PUFs and their application potentials.

An Indirect Inversion Scheme for Retrieving Toxic Metal Concentrations Using Ground-Based Spectral Data in a Reclamation Coal Mine, China

A reclamation coal mine in Baishui County of Shaanxi Province, China, was selected as the study area to develop a fast survey method for estimating soil heavy metal concentrations using spectral data. A portable object spectrometer manufactured by Analytical Spectral Devices (ASD) was used to measure soil spectral reflectance, and an X-ray fluorescence device was utilized to obtain the content of heavy metals. The Savitzky-Golay filter, first derivative reflectance (FDR), second derivative reflectance (SDR), continuum removal (CR), and continuous wavelet transform (CWT) were used to transform the original reflectance (OR) spectra for enhancing the spectral characteristics, respectively. Furthermore, correlation analysis was introduced to determine the characteristic bands and the correlations of heavy metals. Partial least squares regression (PLSR), extremely learning machine (ELM), random forest (RF), and support vector machine (SVM) were implemented for quantitatively determining relations between heavy metal contents and spectral reflectance. The outcomes demonstrated that the spectral transformation methods could effectively capture the characteristic bands and increase the relations between heavy metal contents and spectral reflectance. The relation between Fe and Ni was close with a relatively high correlation coefficient (r = 0.741). RF combined with CWT at the decomposition scales of 9 demonstrated the best performance with the highest Rv2 (0.71) and the lowest RMSEv (1019.1 mg/kg) for inferring Fe content. Ni content was inferred based on the close relationship between Fe and Ni. The result of RF was better than other methods with the highest Rv2 (0.69) and the lowest RMSEv (1.94 mg/kg) for estimating Ni concentration. Therefore, the RF model was chosen for mapping Fe and Ni contents in the study area. The present study revealed that the indirect inversion methods using spectral data can be effectively used to predict heavy metal concentrations. The outcomes supply a new perspective for retrieving heavy metal content based on hyperspectral remotely sensed technology.

Modeling the Sacred

Architecture and its attendant meanings are the subject of an exceptional group of ceramics produced by the Paracas (c. 800–200 BCE) of south coastal Peru. Masterfully executed in patterned detail, these designs encapsulate a moment in pictorial history that parallels innovation in building design and public acts of display. This essay considers how these architectonic features were pictured and demonstrates the significance of the forms. I examine specific features, such as the step and stepped pyramid, in the context of their architectural history. Modeling in portable objects is shown to be guided by design conventions that emphasize simultaneous, multidimensional perspectives. The objects’ value in ritual activity is also considered. Ideas about the built environment are discussed in relation to sacred geography. I propose a narrative for the interrelated ideas, motifs, and monuments that inform Paracas ceremonialism and sacred places.

Arranging here and there: A microlens observation on domestic waste separation

This paper explores ease of access in the spatial practice of domestic waste separation. Such an ease was observed by investigating how foodstuff is arranged, here and there, as an attempt to bring order. In the process of separating the foodstuff waste, the inhabitant’s body-her position, movement, and technical gestures–interrelates with the foodstuff, utensils, and the surrounding spaces become crucial aspects. Arguably, performing such a spatial practice boosts the inhabitant’s convenience, thus encouraging sustainable waste separation in domestic settings. In particular, this paper employs a microlens observation with a qualitative approach to dismantle the spatiality of the everyday domestic waste separation practice. The findings suggest dimension and adjustability are the essential measurable aspects in obtaining the desired convenience. Such a role raises the awareness for considering ergonomics for obtaining ease of access in separating waste. It drives the utilisations of particular portable objects and working surfaces, to assist in separating waste conveniently throughout the phases of bringing order. Notably, the temporary placement of wanted and unwanted foodstuff parts signifies the arrangement of here and there in such ways. Therefore, these findings expand the discussion of ergonomics, towards a sustained practice of waste treatment.

Early exploration of one's own body, exploration of objects, and motor, language, and cognitive development relate dynamically across the first two years of life.

Early exploratory behaviors have been proposed to facilitate children's learning, impacting motor, cognitive, language, and social development. This study related the performance of behaviors used to explore oneself to behaviors used to explore objects, and then related both types of exploratory behaviors to motor, language, and cognitive measures longitudinally from 3 through 24 months of age via secondary analysis of an existing dataset. Participants were 52 children (23 full-term, 29 preterm). Previously published results from this dataset documented delays for preterm relative to full-term infants in each assessment. The current results related performance among the assessments throughout the first 2 years of life. They showed that the developmental trajectories of behaviors children used for self-exploration closely related to the trajectories of behaviors they employed to explore objects. The trajectories of both self and object exploration behaviors significantly related to trajectories of children's motor, language, and cognitive development. Specifically, significant relations to global development were observed for self-exploratory head lifting, midline head and hand positioning, hand opening, and behavioral variability, as well as for object-oriented bimanual holding, mouthing, looking, banging, manipulating, transferring of objects, and behavioral intensity and variability. These results demonstrate continuity among the early exploratory behaviors infants perform with their bodies alone, exploratory behaviors with portable objects, and global development. The findings identify specific self- and object-exploration behaviors that may serve as early indicators of developmental delay and could be targeted by interventions to advance motor, language, and cognitive outcomes for infants at risk for delay. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Захист рухомої спадщини під час війни: порівняльний аналіз підходів в Італії під час Другої світової війни та в Україні під час російського вторгнення 2022 року

In response to the urgent necessity of protecting cultural heritage in Ukraine in the wake of the Russian invasion, this article explores the approaches recently adopted in Ukraine to safeguard portable objects by providing an extended comparison with the methods used in Italy during World War Two. Three components of the procedure for protecting moveable objects are investigated: preliminary planning through the creation of lists of museum collections to determine priorities for safeguarding; the selection and preparation of storage deposits to shelter the objects; and the work of packing and moving boxed items to the deposits. Attention also is given to the obstacles encountered during WWII in Italy that hampered the protection of moveable heritage. The purpose is to probe whether the same problems have been met in Ukraine and if they have been circumvented or not. While the difficulty of protecting heritage during conflict is understood, even in the case of portable heritage materials, this comparison of recent methods in Ukraine to the work in Italy in the early 1940s highlights the continued use of traditional methods, albeit with adaptations, because they are effective. However, some of the same obstacles also have persisted, suggesting the potential to search for better solutions. Emphasis is placed on the abundant cultural holdings in religious institutions, which may fall outside the protective compass of national heritage initiatives and, therefore, be particularly vulnerable during war. This study also acknowledges some of the novel characteristics of the protection of moveable heritage in Ukraine and notes the impressive help that is being offered in innovative ways by heritage agencies and organizations outside the country.

Archaeoprimatology: TheLongue DuréeInterface Between Humans and Nonhuman Primates

Archaeoprimatology explores how humans and nonhuman primates coexisted in the past. This discipline has profound roots in texts of early scholars. Archaeoprimatological research examines the liminality between humans, apes, monkeys, and prosimians deep in time before the rise of the Anthropocene. By exploring the beginning of the relationship between modern Homo sapiens and primates, which possibly dates to approximately 100,000 BCE, I survey the evidence, ranging from portable objects and 2D surfaces with primatomorphic depictions to primate remains at archaeological sites worldwide. For example, an overview of ancient frescoes and mosaics with primate representations reveals that the vast majority of them were rendered in locations where primates were not part of the local fauna. An extensive review of primates in the zooarchaeological record shows as a global pattern that traded primates were usually young individuals and frugivorous/omnivorous species. Local primates yielded at sites of regions they naturally inhabited were mostly hunted. Thus, examining past patterns of the human–nonhuman primate interface provides insight into major questions about human niche construction and primate conservation today.

LOWLAND MAYA GENESIS: THE LATE ARCHAIC TO LATE EARLY FORMATIVE TRANSITION IN THE UPPER BELIZE RIVER VALLEY

AbstractThe transition from the Late Archaic to the Late Early Formative period witnessed profound changes in the Maya lowlands. In addition to the establishment of the first settlements and agrarian communities, this critical phase of cultural development heralded the introduction of ceramics, saw changes in lithic technology, gave rise to inter-regional trade and exchange, and witnessed the introduction of a complex symbolic system expressed on portable objects. In this article, we synthesize data collected over the past several decades by various archaeological projects in western Belize to provide an overview of the cultural changes that unfolded during the Late Archaic to Late Early Formative period in the Upper Belize River Valley. We also provide evidence indicating that it was during this critical transitional period that we begin to see the establishment of several cultural traditions that became uniquely lowland Maya.

ПРИНЦИП И ТЕОРЕМЫ РЕВЕРСИОННОГО ИСЧИСЛЕНИЯ

A reverse optimality principle (ROP) is formulated and an algorithm for its use for constructing optimal portable object movements is presented. Using an example, sufficient conditions for the extremality of the restored criterion functional are verified when constructing an optimal control of the «acceleration–deceleration» type. The following theorems were formulated and proved: on the numerical equality of integrals with different integral functions, on the minimum energy to achieve the goal of optimally controlled motion in the form of «acceleration–deceleration». Basing on the generalization of the results for optimal controls designing of the «acceleration–deceleration» type of motion, whence the known special cases follow, universal analytical control function (translational acceleration) was found. Analytically and numerically was confirmed the existence of the limiting minimum control energy at which the movement of an object from the initial state of rest to a new state of rest is possible at a fixed distance and time of motion.

Viewing of Women as Culture and Domain in “Perchavan” by Qaisra Shahraz

Postcolonial Feminism serves as a critical thought to reset the idiom of suppression by identifying the cultural codes which involve women as the &amp;lsquo;Other&amp;rsquo; in the Third World countries. This paper is an effort to point out the process of gender fixation in Pakistan which determines the cultural roles for women. This paper tries to define that the system of positioning of women in Pakistan, establishes the term women, as culture and domain. The paper tries to investigate the ideological problem in Pakistan for structuring the women&amp;rsquo;s identity in their sexual cum biological caricatures in groups instead of their talents. The paper tries to explore that Qaisra Shahraz in &amp;ldquo;Perchavan&amp;rdquo; is trying to identify that the term &amp;lsquo;women&amp;rsquo;, initiates a debate on women not as the emblem of culture, yet women appear to be the culture themselves against all the ethnographic standards of gender remapping in any definition of culture. This study, about the Pakistani women, is an effort to show that Shahraz in &amp;ldquo;Perchavan&amp;rdquo; tries to expose, that women are treated as the culture in Pakistan. However, the women in the process of regional nomenclature become portable objects and ultimately they become the domain of society.

Strategy for Application of Support Object for Fall Prevention in the Elderly Based on Balance Recovery Characteristics

This research proposes a strategy for applying support objects—equipment, tools, and even furniture/environment from which humans can receive reaction force through their hands—for fall prevention in the elderly. This paper presents an assessment example of support objects based on balance recovery characteristics and a discussion regarding their application according to the assessment results. The balance recovery characteristics depend on the direction in which reaction force can be obtained based on the shape of the support object and direction in which the force is easily exerted on the hand. Evaluation indices for assessing the height and shape of nonportable support objects and determining a position of the tip on the ground of a cane, a typical portable support object, in the anterior direction are briefly introduced based on the authors’ previous works. The strategy for the application of support objects utilizing the evaluation indices is proposed; better use of support objects, their locations, new-shaped ones, and support devices with a new design concept are discussed and introduced based on the values of the calculated indices according to the type/usage of the support objects.

Occam's razor, archeoprimatology, and the 'blue' monkeys of Thera: a reply to Pareja et al. (2020).

Recently, Pareja et al. (Primates, 61:159-168, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-019-00778-1 2020) published a report suggesting that the monkeys represented by Minoans in Room 6 of Building Complex Beta at Akrotiri, Thera (present-day Greece) allegedly represented Hanuman or gray langurs (Semnopithecus spp.). This conjecture was based only on the posture of the tail, as it might be reminiscent of those observed in these Asian monkeys. In order to examine this hypothesis, we performed a thorough analysis of tail postures in both langurs and vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus spp.), a detailed description of body and facial characteristics of the Minoan painted monkeys, and an exhaustive review of the current evidence regarding Minoan archeoprimatological frescos and portable objects as well as proposed cultural and trading contacts between the Bronze Age Aegean, Egypt, the Levant, Near East, and the Indus River Valley. Our findings show that their assumption is unfounded and that the monkeys depicted on the walls of the referred fresco, as well as others related frescoes from Thera and Crete, are of African origin and more specifically belong to Chlorocebus spp. and Papio spp. In all cases, hopefully Pareja et al. (2020) and this reply will serve to stimulate further archeoprimatological studies.

Type and Token in the Prehistoric Origins of Numbers

The type–token distinction and the notion of ‘tokenization’ are proposed as analytical tools that may help us understand better the emergence of numbers and mathematical thinking from the non-mathematical cultural practices of the Upper Palaeolithic such as painting, decorating portable objects, or making ornaments from beads, as described in recent studies in cognitive archaeology. While the type–token distinction has been a salient element in recent debates in the philosophy of mathematics, it seems not yet to have been registered in those areas of cognitive archaeology concerned with numbers—and yet it may help to identify the circumstances under which the conceptual potential of cultural artefacts develops. The concept of tokenization permits us to identify a plausible link between non-numerical cultural resources and the emergence of numerical thought patterns. This approach offers a way of appreciating the role of artefacts without raising the notoriously difficult question of their original ‘meaning’.