Le colture energetiche su larga scala, cosi come l’utilizzo di biomassa forestale non residuale, impattano notevolvente i cicli di nutrienti, la biodiversità e l’occupazione di suolo (i tre limiti del pianeta già oltrepassati, oltre al cambiamento climatico) risultando non riconciliabili con uno spazio di operazione sicuro per l’umanità. Occorre piuttosto perseguire fonti di energia rinnovabile che consentano di disaccoppiare il sistema energetico dall’emissione di gas climalteranti ed al contempo richiedano un uso minimo del suolo e limitati impatti sui cicli dei nutrienti e sulla biodiversità.La biomassa forestale residua, la biomassa coltivata in terreni marginali / abbandonati con un basso apporto di nutrienti e la biomass residual proveniente da altri settori dell'economia possono fornire una fonte temporanea di energia per quei settori più difficili da dissociare dai combustibili fossili, in un percorso che porti verso una società in meno dipendente dalle tecnologie di combustione. / Large scale dedicated cultivation of bioenergy on fertile arable land or the large scale deployment of biomass from standing forest, with their impact on nutrient cycles, biodiversity and land occupation (the three planet boundaries which are already overtaken beside climate change) is difficult to reconcile with a safe operating space for humanity. Renewable energy sources allowing the decoupling of energy systems from GHG emission requiring a minimal land use, and therefore limited impacts on nutrient cycles and biodiversity, are to be pursued. Residual biomass such as forest harvest residues, biomass cultivated in marginal/abandoned land with low nutrients input, and biowaste from other sectors of the economy may provide a temporary source of energy for those sectors more difficult to decouple from fossil fuels, towards a society less dependent on combustion technologies.

Despite the importance of hair for characters in games, the process for creating realistic looking real-time hair is a highly difficult task that can only be performed by a few artists. As the industry is growing so does expectations of games graphics and the need for higher fidelity hairstyles. This paper sets out to explain current modeling techniques for hairstyling, and presents an alternate way for styling haircard models using curve deformers. Our Blende radd-on, based on this method is then previewed by industry professionals to evaluate their perception of the method’s effectiveness based on “control”, “time” and “preference”. Our conclusion is that per wisp curve based controls are easily learnt, relatively quick to use and gives adequate control over each haircard. The method therefore shows promise instream lining artists’ production pipelines. This test serves as a pilot for further exploration of curve based tools for production of real-time hair.

No description available.

Fatigue and drowsy driving in the state of Utah has been a causal factor in thousands of crashes over the years and poses a serious threat to public safety. Consequently, the purpose of this research was to evaluate the impact of drowsy driving in the state, to identify locations where fatigue and drowsy driving may be contributing factors to current crashes, and to identify methods to help mitigate these crashes. A 3-year drowsy driving crash rate spanning the years 2002 – 2004 was used to determine which segments of Utah highway are most prone to drowsy driving crashes. Drowsy driving corridors were located on Interstates 15, 70, 80, and 84 as well as United States Routes 89 and 91. Furthermore, State Route 36 also had two drowsy driving corridors. In order to recommend appropriate drowsy driving countermeasures for the drowsy driving corridors, a review of the existing countermeasures was conducted. The existing countermeasures included cable median barrier, rumble strips, rest areas, and drowsy driving freeway signage. The freeway signage is used to alert drivers of the adverse effects of drowsy driving and was the basis for a before-after study as well as a public survey of drowsy driving along Interstate 80 west of Salt Lake City. The before-after study of the drowsy driving freeway signage concluded that the freeway signage has played a part in reducing the number of crashes by as much as 63 percent in the eastbound direction and by as much as 22 percent in the westbound direction. As indicated, a public survey was conducted at two rest areas to supplement the findings of the before-after analysis. Using the 405 completed surveys, 14 Chi-Square tests were conducted with five of the test yielding statistically significant results. Finally, recommendations were made for the 41 drowsy driving corridors resulting from the 3-year crash rate analysis. Drowsy driving countermeasures recommended include: additional shoulder and centerline rumble strips, cable median barrier, guardrail replacement, and drowsy driving highway signage. Drowsy driving countermeasures not yet implemented but which should be considered by the Utah Department of Transportation are transverse rumble strips, wider longitudinal pavement markings, in-lane pavement markings indicating “AVOID FATIGUE DRIVING,” minimizing edge drop off, flattening slopes in clear zones, and adding a modified rest area.

Följande kunskapsöversikt ämnar att undersöka effekten serietidningsliknande läsmaterial har på läsförståelsen hos andraspråksinlärare av Engelska. För att undersöka detta formulerades följande forskningsfråga: I vilken mån kan serietidningsliknande material påverka läsförståelsen hon andraspråksinlärare av Engelska? En prototypisk definition av serietidningar (Mayer, 2007) användes för att tillåta denna kunskapsöversikt att använda både studier som använde serietidningar och studier som använde seriestrippar som läsmaterial. I denna kunskapsöversikt kommer därför termen serietidningsliknande läsmaterial (Comic reading materials) användas som en paraplyterm för de två mediumen. För att granska om serietidningsliknande material kan påverka läsförståelsen för andraspråksinlärare i engelska har nio vetenskapliga artiklar som behandlar ämnet valts ut. Studierna I denna kunskapsöversikt har delats upp beroende på om de använder seriestrippar eller serietidningar/grafiska noveller då dessa två material bör åkalla effekten av de kognitiva teorier som presenteras i studien. Studierna gav inte ett tyligt svar på huruvida läsmaterialen påverkade läsförståelsen bland deras deltagare. Studierna hade även olika definitioner av nyckelord så som läsförståelse, skilda metoder för att mäta läsförståelse samt variation i hur de utförde texter tester. De olika resultaten från studierna har lett till följande slutsatser. Serieliknande läsmaterial har en potential som läromedel då de kan främja läsförståelse trots att det i fallet av de valda studierna inte alltid gör det. Det behövs vidare forskning i ämnet, då definitioner av nyckelbegrepp samt tester varierar i hög grad och detta gör det svårt att dra en tydlig slutsats.

No description available.

The problem of this study is to compare certain elements of appeal in favorite comic books and favorite books of fiction read by 384 ninth-grade pupils in the J. P. Elder Junior High School, Fort Worth, Texas, during a three-months period from November 7, 1949, to February 7, 1950. The purpose of this investigation is to ascertain whether the same elements of appeal are common to both types of reading, and whether they compare favorably with the findings of other investigations reported in literature on the subject.

Background: Ice hockey is a fast-paced sport with a high possibility of acquiring dental damage and concussions which can be prevented by mouthguards (MG). Despite this, many athletes choose not to use MG due to drawbacks such as discomfort and restricted airways. Restricted airways provided by MG might be reduced by external nasal dilator strips (ENDS). ENDS could contribute to increased aerobic capacity, blood oxygen saturation and self-reported compliance of ENDS by elevating airflow through the nose. Therefore, ENDS could contribute to enhanced performance and recovery rate while reducing the discomfort of MG that could lead to an increased usage of MG among healthy young adult ice hockey players. Aim: The aim was to study aerobic capacity, and oxygen saturation using mouthguard with and without external nasal dilator strips during submaximal bicycle tests. A second aim was to study the compliance of external nasal dilator strips when using mouthguard in healthy young adult ice hockey players. Method: In this experimental study using a cross-over design 15 young adult ice hockey players were contacted to attend on two separate test occasions, with and without ENDS. Aerobic capacity was measured with a Ekblom-Bak submaximal bicycle test (VO2max) and a pulse oximeter was used to examine oxygen saturation (%SpO2). Post-testing, the participants stated self-reported compliance using ENDS based on the numeric rating scale (0-10, positive-negative attitude of usage). Data are presented as mean and standard deviation. Differences between groups were analyzed with the Wilcoxon- signed rank test based on median (Q1-Q3). Result: Nine participants, aged 18-19 completed both test occasions. This study found that ENDS provided no significant difference in estimated VO2max mean (±SD), with ENDS 63.3 (±5.5) and without ENDS 64.2 (±5.0), nor %SpO2 during standard load. A significant increase showed in %SpO2 for higher individual load by 3%, with ENDS 97.1 (±1.3) and without ENDS 94.1 (±4.5). The participants experienced the test as more strenuous with ENDS than without ENDS applied, without significant difference. Despite this, the participants had a positive attitude towards the usage of ENDS. Conclusion This study regarding healthy young adult ice hockey players showed that ENDS provided no significant difference in aerobic capacity. Oxygen saturation however resulted in a positive significant difference at the higher individual load. The majority of the participants in this study propose a positive compliance with ENDS. The results are interpreted with caution due to the small sample.

This project explores the use if illegitimacy within Western discourse over the last three centuries. Illegitimacy was used in Victorian literature as a literary device to drive plot but evolved into a touchstone for Western discourse to explore the bounds of what is considered respectable society. Over time, as illegitimacy has become more mainstream, I contend illegitimate identities have been utilized to serve as a mirror for Western hegemony. In the first chapter, I explore the origins of illegitimacy being used as a literary device in novels by Victorian authors Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins. In the second chapter, I examine the role illegitimacy plays in the origin stories of canonical comic book superheroes Batman and Superman. Lastly, in the third chapter, I scrutinize the role illegitimacy plays in defining the human condition within science fiction as human culture continues to advance technologically towards a post human world. / by Ryan Dessler. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

Esse estudo busca realizar reflexões sobre os significados, sentidos, tensões e contradições relacionados ao termo “independente” e sua contraparte, o termo “mainstream”, ligados ao processo de desenvolvimento das histórias em quadrinhos enquanto formação cultural. Essas reflexões são orientadas pelo conjunto de ideias de Raymond Williams, especialmente os conceitos de tecnologia, hegemonia e culturas alternativas, opositoras, residuais e emergentes. O trabalho está estruturado em cinco momentos. Primeiro as histórias em quadrinhos são abordadas como forma cultural e observamos as relações entre cultura e tecnologia no seu processo de formação. A seguir observamos particularidades desse processo dentro do contexto brasileiro. O terceiro momento apresenta os conceitos de Williams sobre culturas alternativas e antecipa a parte voltada para as intensas manifestações culturais da década de 1960 e seus desdobramentos. Finalmente, busca-se traçar uma visão geral do cenário de mudanças que se desenvolve a partir da década de 1980, enfatizando as histórias em quadrinhos publicadas no Brasil. A partir da observação do surgimento e consolidação de eventos como o Troféu HQ Mix e as feiras e bienais de quadrinhos, relacionados a novos processos de publicação e distribuição, buscamos analisar as obras e perfis de quatro autores contemporâneos de quadrinhos e compreender melhor os significados de termos como “independente”, “autoral”, “comercial”, “mainstream”, “alternativo” e outros, de uso comum nas diversas práticas das histórias em quadrinhos. Entre os resultados obtidos, notamos que: muitas das produções “independentes” contemporâneas apresentam características temáticas, estilísticas e materiais praticamente indistinguíveis das produções “mainstream”; algumas produções “mainstream” incorporam temas e propostas de culturas alternativas à hegemonia; o uso termo “independente” muitas vezes encobre as condições desfavoráveis de produção e sustento de diversos profissionais; considerando rigorosamente as culturas opositoras como um conjunto de ações de dimensão revolucionária, é difícil encontrar obras que efetivamente atendam a essa condição. / This study seeks to reflect on the meanings, senses, tensions and contradictions related to the term “independent” and its counterpart, the term “mainstream”, connected to the process of development of comics as a cultural formation. These reflections are guided by Raymond William’s set of ideas, especially the concepts of technology, hegemony and alternative, oppositional, residual, and emerging cultures. We structured the work in five moments. First, we approach comics as a cultural form and observe the relations between culture and technology in its process of formation. Next, we observe particularities of this process within the Brazilian context. In a third moment, we present Williams’ concepts on alternative cultures and anticipate the part devoted to the intense cultural manifestations of the 1960s and their unfolding. Finally, we attempt to give an overview of the scenario of changes that develops from the 1980s, emphasizing the comics published in Brazil. From the observation of the emergence and consolidation of events such as the HQ Mix Trophy and the comics fairs and biennials related to new publication and distribution processes, we sought to analyze the works and profiles of four contemporary comic authors and to better understand the meanings of terms such as "independent", "authorial", "commercial", "mainstream", "alternative" and others, commonly used in various comic book practices. Among the results obtained, we noticed that: many contemporary "independent" productions present thematic, stylistic and material characteristics practically indistinguishable from "mainstream" productions; some "mainstream" productions incorporate themes and proposals of cultures that are alternatives to hegemony; the use of the term “independent” often covers the unfavorable conditions of production and livelihood of several professionals; rigorously considering the opposing cultures as a set of actions of a revolutionary dimension, it is difficult to find works that effectively meet this condition.