"Originally submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a master's degree in history at Columbia University." / Bibliography: p. 131-135.

Thesis (M.Sc. (Human Kinetics & Ergonomics)) - Rhodes University, 2009.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2000. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains x, 92 p. : ill. (some col.). Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 81-82).

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Two hypotheses were formulated to examine the additivity of perceived exertion in repetitive, symmetric, mid-sagittal lifting. "Additivity" has been defined as the means by which a whole-body rating of perceived exertion is composed of a weighted combination of component ratings of perceived exertion. The "task additivity" hypothesis asserts that a perceived exertion rating for the whole body in a floor-to-overhead lifting task can be modelled by the perceived exertion ratings of the component motions, i.e., floor-to-knuckle height lifting and knuckle height-to-overhead lifting. This is an inter-task (subtask) additivity paradigm. The "body-segment additivity" hypothesis asserts that the perceived exertion rating for the whole body in a floor-to-overhead lifting task can be modelled by a combination of the ratings of perceived effort from the arms, legs, torso, and central (cardio-respiratory) body functions. This is an intra-task (regional) additivity paradigm. / Master of Science

abstract: Social Carrying Capacity (SCC) has been used commonly in the past to study the impact of increasing numbers of tourists on tourists’ satisfaction with a destination. However, it has been used less commonly to research the impact of increasing levels of tourism on residents of tourism destinations. As definitions of sustainable tourism shift to be more inclusive of residents, commonly used constructs should also be refined or modified to reflect this ontological shift. Current operational definitions of SCC tend to focus on crowding as the major indicator SCC has been reached. Even the theories commonly used to study SCC, stimulus-overload and expectancy theories, relate directly to crowding. This Master’s thesis aimed to expand the concept of SCC to be more representative of the manifold impacts experienced by residents of tourism destinations as tourism increases. This aim was accomplished through an exploratory mixed methods study ultimately resulting in the creation of a new SCC measurement tool. The qualitative phase of this research consisted of four focus groups in three sites with varying levels of tourism development. The data from the focus groups were used to inform item writing of a measurement tool that represented a greater number of SCC indicators than crowding to confirm the validity of the indicators in the quantitative phase of the research. After the instrument was distributed via a statewide poll, two structural equation models were fit to compare the operational definitions. A better understanding of the relationship between one of the supporting theories, stimulus-overload theory, and SCC was uncovered with evidence of an emergent connection between SCC and tourism-related stressors. The results of the research indicate that there are multiple indicators of SCC experienced by residents of tourism destinations which can change in degree and expression as tourism development in a community increases. The operational definition including these indicators explained more variance in support for tourism development than overcrowding alone. A greater awareness of these indicators and their evolution can strengthen the theoretical foundation of SCC and enable practitioners to make multi-faceted, proactive decisions when managing a destination. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Community Resources and Development 2020

This Minor Field Study, sponsored by SIDA, undertaken as a Bachelor´s Thesis investigates equestrian tourism in Trinidad, Cuba. Tourism has become a vital tool for development of the destination. Since the legalization of equestrian excursion, horses have become a link between less developed areas and the profit from tourism. The income from equestrian excursions is vital for people's livelihood. A rapid increase of excursions due to low entry barriers have led to varying quality. Equestrian excursions in Trinidad face challenges concerning horses’ welfare and safety. When the equestrian tourism is growing, it is crucial that the development is sustainable to ensure this vital income in the future. A number of critical factors were identified and solutions presented involve planning for carrying capacity, industry coordination, raising producer awareness and integrating animal welfare in the community.

One of the great challenges to increasing the use of wind generation is the need to ensure generation adequacy. In this dissertation, we address that need by investigating and assessing the planning and operational generation adequacy of power systems with significant wind generation. At the onset of this dissertation, key metrics are presented for determining a power system’s generation adequacy assessment based on loss-of-load analytical methods. With these key metrics understood, a detailed methodology is put forward on how to integrate wind plants in the assessment’s framework. Then, through the examination of a case study, we demonstrate that wind generation does contribute capacity to the system generation adequacy. Indeed, results indicates that at wind penetration levels of less than 5%, a wind plant’s reliability impact is comparable to an energy equivalent conventional unit. We then show how to quantify a wind plant’s capacity contribution by using the effective load carrying capability metric (ELCC), providing a detailed description of how to implement this metric in the context of wind generation. However, as certain computational setbacks are inherent to the metric, a novel noniterative approximation is proposed and applied to various case studies. The accuracy of the proposed approximation is evaluated in a comparative study by contrasting the resulting estimates to conventionally-computed ELCC values and the wind plant’s capacity factor. The non-iterative method is shown to yield accurate ELCC estimates with relative errors averaging around 2%. Case study findings also suggest the importance of period-specific ELCC calculations to better evaluate the variable capacity contribution of wind plants. Even when considering a well-planned system in which wind generation has been appropriately integrated in the adequacy assessment, wind plants do create significant challenges in maintaining generation adequacy on an operational level. To address these challenges, a novel operational reliability assessment tool is proposed to quantitatively evaluate the system’s operational generation adequacy given potential generator forced outages, load and wind power forecasts, and forecasting deviations. / text

Although much effort has been placed into the reduction of risks associated with manual materials handling, risk of musculoskeletal disorder development remains high. This may be due to the additional muscle activity necessary for the maintenance of postural equilibrium during work tasks. This research proposes that postural control and subsequent additional muscle activity is influenced by the magnitude of the external load and the degree of body movement. The objective of this research was to identify whether performing tasks with increased external load and with a greater degree of trunk motion places additional strain on the musculoskeletal system in excess of that imposed by task demands. Twenty-four male and twenty-four female subjects performed four load manipulation tasks under three loading conditions (0.8kg, 1.6kg, and 4kg). Each task comprised of a static and dynamic condition. For the static condition, subjects maintained a stipulated posture for ten seconds. The dynamic condition required subjects to move and replace a box once every three seconds, such that a complete lift and lower cycle was performed in six seconds. Throughout task completion, muscle activity of six pairs of trunk muscles were analysed using surface electromyography. This was accompanied by data regarding ground reaction forces obtained through the use of a force platform. After the completion of each condition subjects were required to identify and rate body discomfort. Differential analysis was used to isolate the muscle activity and ground reaction forces attributed to increased external load and increased trunk movement. It was found that the heaviest loading conditions (4kg) resulted in significantly greater (p<0.05) muscle activation in the majority of muscles during all tasks investigated. The trend of muscle activity attributed to load was similar in all significantly altered muscles and activation was greatest in the heaviest loading condition. A degree of movement efficiency occurred in some muscles when manipulating loads of 0.8kg and 1.6kg. At greater loads, this did not occur suggesting that heavier loading conditions result in additional strain on the body in excess of that imposed by task demands. In manipulated data, trend of vertical ground reaction forces increased with increased load in all tasks. Sagittal movement of the centre of pressure attributed to load was significantly affected in manipulated data in the second movement phase of the “hip shoulder” task and the second movement phase of the “hip twist” task. The “hip reach” task was most affected by increased load magnitude as muscle activity attributed to load was significantly different (p<0.05) under increased loading conditions in both movement phases in all muscles. Further, a significant interactional effect (p<0.05) between condition and data point was found in all muscles with the exception of the right and left lumbar erector spinae during the second movement phase of the “hip reach” task. Muscle activity associated with increased trunk motion resulted in additional strain on the trunk muscles in the “hip shoulder” and “hip reach” tasks as muscle activity associated with the static component of each of the above tasks was greater than that of the dynamic tasks. Trend of ground reaction forces attributed to increased trunk motion generally increased under increased loading conditions. Additionally, a significant interactional effect (p<0.05) between load and muscle activity pattern was found in all muscles during all tasks, with the exception of the right rectus abdominis in the first movement phase of the “hip shoulder’ task, the left rectus abdominis in the second movement phase of the “hip knee” task and the right latissimus dorsi during the first movement phase of the “hip twist” task. This was accompanied by a significant interactional effect (p<0.05) between load and sagittal centre of pressure movement attributed to load, in both movement phases of all tasks investigated. From this research it can be proposed that guidelines may underestimate risk and subsequently under predict the strain in tasks performed with greater external loads as well as tasks which require a greater degree of trunk motion. Therefore, this study illustrates the importance of the consideration of the muscle activity necessary to maintain postural equilibrium in overall load analyses.

Military load carrying has occupied the attention of military developers, researchers and commanders over centuries. The Army backpack remains the means of carriage for ammunition and rations for the soldier in the field. The traditional rationale for its use has been that the infantry soldier must be able to sustain himself in combat and live independently for days at a time without resupply. At the Royal Military College, Duntroon (RMC), the mission is to produce men and women who are capable and effective officers and soldiers. The weight of the pack with the items required at RMC is often in excess of 40 kg. In evaluating the effectiveness of current practice, this thesis takes an anthropometric perspective in exploring the historical, physiological and social context of current loads carried by Australian soldiers, It does not, however, evaluate the content of the load itself. Research methods include: a/. Systematic examination of past research findings on the social and physiological aspects of military load carrying since the Roman Centurions. b/. Biophysical tesing of nine soldiers, using a battery of physiological tests to determine heart rates and energy expenditure at various loads. c/. A survey of 100 soldiers from the Royal Military College, Duntroon and in-depth interviews with a sample of four experienced soldiers to obtain the views of the load carriers. The research concludes that the optimum approach to load carrying, and so to the design of the Army backpack, is that it be task-and soldier-specific. This runs directly counter to the longstanding Army traditions of preparing all soldiers for every possible contingency in battle and regarding all soldiers as equivalent units. The study findings offer some specific directions in which the design of the army backpack can be improved. / Master of Science (Hons)