Competitive video gaming is experiencing exponential growth. Advances in technology and global Internet penetration has created highly dedicated fan bases for games played at a competitive level. Game developing companies are beginning to focus their attention on making games for the new eSports market. How avid eSports fans view competitive gaming is disrupting traditional consumption models. Twitch.TV a site that streams live gaming content is seeing massive growth. Now, more than ever, dedicated gamers can live off of playing games – whether by competing in tournaments as sponsored players or running ads on their Twitch.TV live stream while they play. The communities that have developed around different genres of competitive games are as varied as traditional sports such as Major League Baseball or the National Football League. A new industry with a complex infrastructure is developing in this new market. / text

Thesis (MScEng (Mathematical Sciences. Applied Mathematics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / Tracking manoeuvring military airborne targets with radar is problematic due to the low scan rates and the high levels of measurement noise. Surveillance systems using multiple radars have the benefit of an increased rate of observation and noise reduction but also have the problem of correlating observations from multiple sensors. Mehtods are discussed to correlate single observations from multiple radar sensors as well as assigning observations to existing tracks. Filtering methods to reduce measurement noise of the target tracks and methods to extrapolate the predicted position of targets are also explored.

Tidigare forskning har visat att svenska stridspiloter har uppvisat en anmärkningsvärt hög förekomst av depressions- och ångestsymptom, vilket både riskerar att minska effektiviteten hos de svenska luftstridskrafterna och kan innebära en fara för flygsäkerheten. Detta arbete syftar till att underlätta beslutsfattandet kring problemet genom att skapa ett bättre underlag för att förstå de bakomliggande orsakerna. Studien undersöker när under karriären symptomen uppkommer samt jämför mellan olika pilotkategorier för att skapa en bättre förståelse för hur problemen uppstår och därmed vilka åtgärder som kan vidtas för att förhindra detta. En kvantitativ enkätundersökning användes för att undersöka förekomsten av depressions- och ångestsymptom bland svenska strids-, transport- och helikopterpiloter under deras första fem utbildningsår. Enkäten baserades på HADS-skalan och skickades till 158 personer, varav hälften var piloter. Resultatet av studien indikerar att den höga förekomsten av depressions- och ångestsymptom uppkommer senare i stridspilotkarriären. Stridspiloterna uppvisade dessutom en lägre förekomst av depressions- och ångestsymptom än en icke-flygande kontrollgrupp. Dessa resultat pekar i sin tur mot att miljöfaktorerna spelar en större roll än de genetiska faktorerna vid uppkomsten av symptomen. Författarens slutsats är att förekomsten av depressioner och ångestsyndrom bland stridspiloterna är påverkbar, och några lämpliga åtgärder föreslås. / Earlier research has shown that Swedish fighter pilots have displayed a remarkably high prevalence of symptoms of depression and anxiety, which could lead to a reduction in the effectiveness of the Swedish Air Force as well as compromising flight safety. The purpose of this study is to aid in the decision making process revolving this problem by providing more substantial material in order to better understand the underlying causes. The study investigates the emergence of the symptoms and compares different pilot categories with each other to create a better understanding of how these problems arise and by such deduce which measures can be taken to prevent this.   A quantitative questionnaire survey was used to investigate the prevalence of symptoms of depression and anxiety among fighter, transport and helicopter pilots during their first five years of training. The questionnaire was based on the HADS-scale and was sent to 158 persons, half of them pilots. The result of the study indicates that the high prevalence of symptoms of depression and anxiety is something that emerges later on in the fighter pilot’s career. The fighter pilots in this study displayed a lower prevalence of symptoms of depression and anxiety than a non-flying control group. These results in turn indicate that the environmental factors play a larger part than the genetic factors in the emergence of the previously mentioned symptoms. The author of this work comes to the conclusion that there is indeed a possibility of affecting the prevalence of depressions and anxiety syndromes among Swedish fighter pilots and some appropriate counter measures are proposed.

Aim of this thesis is to explore the activities and hierarchy of the Catholic peace movement in czechoslovakia during the years 1948-1968, especially the so called national peace board, Velehrad board and Peace movement of catholic clergy in comparison with overall the so called peace ideology. The Josef plojhar will be accented in the thesis, he was the head of these movements and also he represented the wing of so called patriotic priests.

Creating realistic models of human fighter pilot behavior is made possible with recent deep learning techniques. However, these techniques are often highly dependent on large datasets, often unavailable in many settings, or expensive to produce. Transfer learning is an active research field where the idea is to leverage the knowledge gained from studying a problem for which large amounts of training data are more readily available, when considering a different, related problem. The related problem is called the target task and the initial problem is called the source task. Given a successful transfer scenario, a smaller amount of data, or less training, can be required to reach high quality results on the target task. The first part of this thesis focuses on the development of a fighter pilot model using behavior cloning, a method for reducing an imitation learning problem to standard supervised learning. The resulting model, called a policy, is capable of imitating a human pilot controlling a fighter jet in the military combat simulator Virtual BattleSpace 3. In this simulator, the forces acting on the aircraft can be modelled using one of several flight dynamic models (FDMs). In the second part, the efficiency of transfer learning is measured. This is done by replacing the built-in FDM to one with a significant variation in the input response, and subsequently train two policies on successive amount of data. One policy was trained using only the latter FDM, whereas the other policy exploits the gained knowledge from the first part of the thesis, using a technique called fine-tuning. The results indicate that a model already capable of handling one FDM, adapts to a different FDM with less data compared to a previously untrained policy. / Realistiska modeller av mänskligt pilotbeteende kan potentiellt skapas med djupinlärningstekniker. För detta krävs ofta stora datamängder som för många tillämpningar saknas, eller är dyra att ta fram. Överföringsinlärning är ett aktivt forskningsfält där grundidén är att utnyttja redan inlärd kunskap från ett problem där stora mängder träningsdata finns tillgängligt, vid undersökning av ett relaterat problem. Vid lyckad överföringinlärning behövs en mindre mängd data, eller mindre träning, för att uppnå ett önskvärt resultat på denna måluppgift. Första delen av detta examensarbete handlar om utvecklingen av en pilotmodell med hjälp av beteendekloning, en metod som reducerar imitationsinlärning till vanlig övervakad inlärning. Den resulterande pilotmodellen klarar av att imitera en mänsklig pilot som styr ett stridsflygplan i den militära simulatormiljön Virtual BattleSpace 3, där krafterna som verkar på flygplanet modelleras med en enkel inbyggd flygdynamiksmodell. I den andra delen av arbetet utvärderas överföringsförmågan mellan olika flygdynamiksmodeller. Detta gjordes genom att ersätta den inbyggda dynamiken till en dynamik som modellerar ett annat flygplan och som svarar på styrsignaler på ett vida olikartat sätt. Sedan tränades två stridspilotmodeller successivt på ökad mängd data. Den ena pilotmodellen tränas endast med den ena dynamiken varvid den andra pilotmodellen utnyttjar det redan inlärda beteendet från första delen av arbetet, med hjälp av en teknik som kallas finjustering. Resultaten visar att en pilotmodell som redan lärt sig att flyga med en specifik flygdynamik har lättare att lära sig en ny dynamik, jämfört med en pilotmodell som inte förtränats.

Genom kvalitativa intervjuer med ledare inom Räddningstjänsten undersöker studien hur ledare bygger relevant erfarenhet från krisövningar inför hanterandet av framtida kriser. Fokus var en tvådagars scenariobaserad krisövning vid Revingehed som simulerade ett omfattande jordskred och en terrorhändelse. Fem räddningsledare har intervjuats, samtliga är valda utifrån deras position under övningen. Analysmetoden är tematisk analys. De fyra teman som framkom ur analysen var: (1) Känsla av kris, vilket upplevdes svårt att uppnå under övning och enligt intervjupersonerna sällan upplevs i verkliga händelser. Oklarhet var den aspekten som kunde återskapas. (2) Stress och press, vilket framförallt upplevdes i den inledande fasen av övningen på grund av informationsbrist och inte på grund av samarbetssvårigheter eller svåra prioriteringar. (3) Upplevelsen av andra deltagare/organisationer, som generellt var god. Samt (4) Speciell och meningsfull övning,vilket innebar att övningen präglades av högt engagemang, en upplevelse av realistiska reaktioner och en hög upplevd meningsfullhet med en positiv effekt på deltagarnas generella upplevelse av övningen.  Den viktigaste slutsatsen är att övningen upplevdes som relevant för att öka beredskapen inför omfattande samhällskriser, men att ledarna inte själva förbereds för en subjektiv upplevelse av kris och stress. Diskrepansen mellan upplevelser från övningar och upplevelser av verkliga kriser kan i förlängningen ha viss effekt på ledares agerande iskarpa påfrestande situationer. / The paper studies how leaders use crisis exercises to build relevant experiences to better handle future crises, through qualitative interviews with leaders within the Swedish Fire brigade. The focus was a two-day scenario-based crisis exercise at Revingehed which simulated an extensive landslide and a terror incident. The study uses a semi-structured interview format with five participants, chosen because of their positions during the exercise. The method it uses is thematic analysis. The themes that emerged were: (1) Feeling of crisis, which was seen as hard to achieve during an exercise but also as rare during real incidents. Ambiguity and confusion wereaspects that could partially be recreated; (2) Stress and pressure, which was mainly felt during the first phase of the exercise due to a lack of information, and not difficulties cooperating or hard choices and prioritizations; (3) their View of other participants, which in general was good; and (4) Special and meaningful exercise, which meant that the participants experienced a high level of commitment, realistic reactions and a high sense of meaningfulness, which affected the general exercise experience positively. The most important conclusion is the participants’ view of the exercise as relevant to heightening preparedness for large societal crises, while not preparing the leaders themselves for a subjective sense of crisis and stress. The discrepancy between experiences from exercises and authentic crises could have implications for leaders’ actions under considerable stress.

The demand for turbofan engine performance development is high in the military industry. However, to develop the engine, it is necessary to predict its performance, and engine testing is both time-consuming and costly. Therefore, simulation is an effective approach to predicting the engine’s performance. During this thesis, a low bypass ratio turbofan engine is created in the simulation tool Simulink to investigate the engine performance throughout different flight conditions and maneuvers. The engine model is constructed for the future fighter aircraft at SAAB Aeronautics. The development of a design point has received particular attention throughout the work. After that, the development of proven methods for estimating engine performance of other parts of the flight envelope, resulting in increased model fidelity and enabling simulations of the same engine type but under different conditions and flight cases. To summarize, the tests of the engine model are successful under various design characteristics, conditions, and flight cases. In addition, simulations of the performance evaluation of fighter aircraft engines have been accomplished.

This dissertation intervenes in the fields of South Asian Masculinity Studies, Affect Studies, Critical Disability Studies, Feminist Cultural Studies, and Trauma as well as Memory Studies. The focus of this project is on the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, a nine-month long war between East Pakistan and West Pakistan, which started on 26 March 1971 and ended on 16 December 1971 with Bangladesh, former East Pakistan, emerging as an independent nation. I concentrate on East Pakistani/Bangladeshi muktijoddhas (freedom fighters) who fought in the war, and birangonas (survivors of sexual violence) who were abducted by military officials and their collaborators. Drawing on political speeches, parliamentary debates, press statements, and governmental news reports, I examine how these sources create a narrative of the manly muktijoddha who demonstrates his masculinity through exhibiting courage and disavowing his pain. I further analyze memoirs by freedom fighters who complicate this image of the courageous muktijoddha through recollecting moments of pain and fear during combat. Significant to my analysis are also survivor testimonies of gender, physical, and sexual violence of wartime women in East Pakistan/Bangladesh, which oppose a more singular nationalist rhetoric of the 1971 war that celebrates the male muktijoddha while marginalizing women’s experiences. I delve into how birangona testimonies narrate the women’s trauma of sexual violence and of witnessing their daughters’ abuse by wartime soldiers. In analyzing women’s stories, I highlight the importance of listening to the voices of birangona-mas (survivors who are also mothers), and thereby question the nationalist mythologizing of the muktijoddha’s mother who sends her son to war. In exploring the muktijoddha, the muktijoddha’s mother, and the birangona/birangona-ma, I argue that there are multiple alternative readings of the war that are suppressed by nationalist discourse, which warrant recognition within Liberation War and South Asian history. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / My dissertation focuses on the Bangladesh Liberation War that took place between East Pakistan and West Pakistan from 26 March 1971 till 16 December 1971. This war led to the independence of Bangladesh, former East Pakistan. During the war, Bangladeshi governmental documents and nationalist speeches portrayed the East Pakistani/Bangladeshi freedom fighter or muktijoddha as an ideal masculine figure who fought against West Pakistani soldiers with courage. I analyze memoirs by freedom fighters who show how they both conform to, and disrupt the nationalist portrayal of the courageous muktijoddha. I also examine personal recollections of birangonas (women survivors of sexual violence) who speak of their trauma, reveal narratives of their daughter’s abuse by soldiers and their collaborators, and provide a reading of the wartime woman that challenges the nation’s vested interest in the ideal male muktijoddha. Overall, my project encourages people to rethink the Liberation War from the perspectives of wartime men and women survivors who have witnessed violence and mutilation firsthand.

What explains fighter jet export policy to East Asia? The decision to export fighter jets from the United States (U.S.) to foreign countries is an important part of domestic and foreign policy. James Rosenau’s theory of linkage politics suggests that domestic and international variables may work together in complex ways to develop U.S. export policy of fighter jets. This thesis uses a comparative case study approach to examine the domestic and international factors that are influential in determining U.S. export policy of fighter jets to Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. The political actors involved in making U.S. fighter jet export policy include the Executive Branch (primarily the president and Defense Department), Congress, and interest groups representing defense companies and foreign countries. Decisions regarding U.S. export policy of fighter jets to East Asia are influenced by international factors including the need for defense cooperation and diplomacy to enhance the security of the United States and its allies against the perceived threats posed by China and North Korea. These decisions are also impacted by domestic concerns including the desire of politicians to create high paying jobs for U.S. workers, increase contracts and profits for U.S. companies, and improve their chance for reelection. Overall, domestic concerns seems as important or even more important than international concerns when it comes to making decisions about exporting fighter jets to East Asia.

Vilja är avgörande för politiska beslut om väpnad insats och i Libyen efterfrågades på kort tid stridsflyg i en konflikt som fick ett starkt folkrättsligt mandat. Viljan till insats med stridsflyg, vilket inte använts internationellt sedan 1963, ställdes mot Sveriges tradition av att ställa upp när FN kallar. I uppsatsen analyseras viljan till insats i beslutsprocessen som föregick insatsen, stridsflygets förmåga och interaktionen däremellan. Uppsatsen har en kvalitativ ansats med förklarande ambition där intervjuer utgör en stor del av empirin. Den nationella beslutsprocessen har använts som teoretisk struktur för analysen. Sammanfattning: Resultatet visar att stridsflygets förmåga vid tillfället för beslutsprocessen var särskilt hög. Försvarsmakten uppvisade en stark vilja till insats genom hela beslutprocessen. Den politiska viljan var inledningsvis svag för en insats men växte sig stark inom delar av stridsflygets förmågebredd. Förmågan möjliggjorde tidiga och klara besked från Försvarsmakten vilka var avgörande för den politiska viljan. Tillgängligheten skapade en politisk press på att agera och bidrog till ett högt tempo som, med en stark gemensam vilja som grund, kunde förkorta tiden för beslutsprocessen. / Will is decisive for political decisions for armed intervention and in Libya fighters were on short notice requested in a conflict with a strong international legal mandate. The willingness to send fighters to an operation was challenged by the tradition to contribute when needed from UN.  The purpose is to study the capability and willingness, and the interaction between them, in the decision making process prior to the operation. The paper has a qualitative approach and interviews are a major part of the empirical data. The national decision-making process has been used as a theoretical framework in the research. Abstract: The results show that the capability at the time was high and that the willingness from the Armed Forces was strong throughout the whole decision process. The broad political will was initially weak but grew stronger during the process, but only for participation in a certain role in the operation. The capability enabled the early and clear signals from the Armed Forces that were crucial to the political will. The high availability also created pressure for political action and the high pace of decision making that, with a common will, shortened the process.