Providing destruction in games is usually achieved by having pre-calculated fracturingpoints, swapping models at appropriate times while hiding the crimes witha puff of smoke or an explosion. An area of continued research is procedural destructionwhere an object will fracture in a realistic way depending on appliedforces such as gravity, explosions or load. This thesis proposes and begins the implementation for a triangle based surfacerepresentation capable of supporting procedural destruction in real-time for anunderlying point-based simulation; deriving the methodology from the paper byM. Pauly et al [12]. Too wide project scoping prevented the implementation from fully realising theinitial goals; where the surface and physics simulations was never married intoa single simulation. It is one half of a larger project on procedural destruction,focusing primarily on the surface representation where the second half is detailedin the report by C. Stegmayr [14]. Even without a complete simulation, performance is an evidently limiting factor.For more detailed simulations, with a simple test mesh and a small step size whenpropagating a fracture, frame times quickly raise up to almost 247 ms/frame.There are multiple areas of improvement for the implementation to reduce frametimes; however, scalability and performance are still major points of concern dueto inherent challenges with running multiple fractures in parallel. Unless scalingcan be improved, it is worth pursuing alternative approaches.

In this work we have investigated English lexico-semantic group of destruction and compared it with the Lithuanian one. Since the group of destruction is very wide, we limited our research to english phrasal verbs and their equivalents in Lithuanian language - prefixed verbs.

This thesis seeks to answer the question of the meaning of the destruction of the urban environment in the 1992-95 Bosnian war. The inquiry begins with the destruction of the Old Bridge in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina. This event constitutes an exemplary instance of the destruction of urban environments. The destruction of the Old Bridge is not, however, an isolated event: urban destruction was widespread during the Bosnian war. It is argued that a clue to the meaning of this destruction lies in the fact that it is shared spaces that are destroyed. The `logics' of urban destruction are then considered. Such destruction cannot be properly Accounted for by either the traditional notion of military necessity or the regimes established to protect cultural heritage. Rather, it is argued that the destruction of urban environment comprises `urbicide'. Urbicide is defined as the destruction of that which characterises the urban: heterogeneityI.t is argued that destroying buildings represents the destruction of the conditions of possibility of heterogeneity. The thesis then addresses the relation between shared spatiality and heterogeneity. Drawing on Heidegger's account of Being-in-the-world, it is argued that existence is both spatial and shared. The fundamental sharing of existential spatiality constitutes existence as a heterogeneous Being-with-others. The Heideggerian notion of Mitsein (Being-with) is proposed as an initial account of the nature of this heterogeneity. This account of Mitsein is developed through a consideration of the work of Jean-Luc Nancy. In particular the implication of Being in community is noted. An account is given of the politics of Being-with at stake in urbicide. In conclusion it is argued that urbicide comprises an ethno-nationalist attempt to cover over the Heterogeneous nature of existence. The proper starting point for a response to ethno-nationalist violence must be a recognition of the heterogeneity and community at stake in urbicide.

Many rural communities utilize heritage resources as a tourism strategy to attract urban residents who desire the amenities found in historic communities. Current research finds that increased investment and popularity may cause these places to evolve through three phases (town-scape, heritage-scape and leisure-scape); a process referred to as creative destruction (Mitchell 1998). The purpose of this study is to determine if changes to the built form accompany this evolutionary sequence. A comparative analysis of two small Ontario communities at different stages of development (St. Jacobs and Creemore) is undertaken. Three objectives guide the research. The first objective is to assess the changes that have occurred to built form in a heritage-scape (Creemore) and leisure-scape (St. Jacobs) setting. To meet the first objective, three research methods, townscape assessment, individual building evaluation, and business survey are used. This study found that today, significantly more buildings have heritage value in Creemore, a heritage-scape, than in St. Jacobs, a leisure-scape. More new development that is not sensitive to the heritage character of the area has taken place in St. Jacobs than in Creemore. Therefore, heritage buildings are compromised as villages move through the stages of creative destruction and experience the conditions associated with the landscapes of heritage-scape and leisure-scape. During the landscape of heritage-scape, community members are aware of the heritage character and the importance of the historical built environment. Here, most business owners take initiatives to maintain and even enhance the built environment. The second objective is to understand the factors responsible for the identified heritage structure in each village. The role of the private sector, public and civic sectors is assessed to meet this objective. The study found that community involvement is integral to retaining the heritage character of the area and had tremendous impact on the conservation of heritage resources and the enhancement of the small town Ontario character. As important are the County and Township policies which define how and where the community will grow. Both the County and Township policies guiding land use in Creemore are more detailed and focused on heritage protection than are those pertaining to St. Jacobs. Both of these factors were stronger in Creemore, a heritage-scape than St. Jacobs, a leisure-scape. The final objective is to provide recommendations for future development on the assumption that both towns will continue to face growth pressures. The research offers five recommendations: strengthen policy and enhance its implementation, devise design guidelines and ensure documentation of resources, educate community members on heritage resources and ways to protect them, strengthen community ties to foster greater appreciation for heritage resources and the streetscape, and devise a balanced tourism strategy to maintain the resources that ultimately draw tourists to the villages.

Thesis (M.A. in National Security Affairs (Homeland Security and Defense))--Naval Postgraduate School, December 2006. / Thesis Advisor(s): Michael Freeman, James Russell. "December 2006." Includes bibliographical references (p. 67-72). Also available in print.

Two experiments were performed to investigate conditions affecting the Müller-Lyer illusion and its decrement with practice. The first experiment was a methodological study concerned with the setting of the variables before adjustment by the subject. The results indicated that the method employed may determine whether a decrement occurs with repeated trials. The evidence suggested the most suitable method to employ in the succeeding experiment. The second experiment was performed to investigate the effects of practice with another illusion figure on the magnitude of illusion on the Müller-Lyer figure. The practice figure was the same as the Müller-Lyer illusion figure except that circles were replaced by the obliques. It was found that the magnitude of the initial illusion is a decreasing monotonic function of the amount of preliminary training. This finding is interpreted as meaning that in pretraining subjects are practiced in disregarding the context (circles) of the horizontal lines of the figure and this transfers positively to the Müller-Lyer task. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

Notre thèse peut être résumée en une phrase qui apparaît dans le roman de Stephen King The Shining : « Cet endroit inhumain transforme les humains en monstres ». En effet, les romans de Stephen King montrent une vision pessimiste et sinistre de la société américaine contemporaine et une identité éclatée de l’individu. À travers une analyse des figures de l’horreur, telles que les doubles, les monstres et les zombies, nous avons exposé les forces conflictuelles intérieures et extérieures inhérentes à l’individu. Ces forces, qui conditionnent ce dernier, conduisent à l’effacement de son identité et le forcent à adopter une nouvelle identité superficielle qui à son tour mène à son anéantissement et à sa destruction. Ainsi, notre étude a permis de démontrer que l’auteur utilise le fantastique, surtout à travers les figures de l’horreur, pour refléter la condition de l’être humain dans sa société dans les années soixante-dix et quatre-vingt. Il dépeint une société qui réifie l’individu en le privant de son libre arbitre et en le soumettant à des normes préétablies. À travers notre démarche méthodologique à la fois thématique et structuraliste, nous avons pu explorer la construction de l’identité personnelle et sociale, analyser tout ce qui affecte son développement, et finalement découvrir ce qui mène à son éclatement. La quête et la construction identitaire sont donc centrales à notre étude, car elles nous donnent une image de la relation de l’individu américain avec lui-même et avec son milieu social. Et c’est à travers le rôle des figures de l’horreur et de la figure de la mort que notre étude prend forme. / Our dissertation can be summarized in one sentence that is recurrent in Stephen King’s The Shining: “This inhuman place makes human monsters.” Indeed, Stephen King’s novels reflect the reality of the American individual and American society at its worst: a fragmented identity and a grim image of society. The study of the figures of horror, such as the double, monsters and zombies, show the conflicting forces inherent in the individual. Those forces lead to the obliteration of identity, to the adoption of a new shallow one, and finally to the annihilation and downfall of the individual. In our study, we show that the use of the fantastic, as portrayed mainly through the horrific figures, reflects the condition of the American individual in his society in the 70s and the 80s – it is a society that objectifies the individual by depraving him of freedom and subjecting him to pre-determined standards. By submitting the novels to thematic and structuralist approaches, we analyze the shaping of the individual and collective identity, the influences on its development and the causes of its bursting. The question of identity is central to our study as it is a way to explore the relation of the individual to himself and to his environment. We have endeavoured to show that by using the figures of horror and death.

No description available.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. / A U.S.-led naval operation in October 2003 interdicted a shipment of uranium-enrichment components on-board a German cargo ship traveling from Dubai to Libya. In December 2003, Libya announced it would halt its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs and eliminate its existing stockpiles under international verification and supervision. The George W. Bush Administration proclaimed the interdiction a triumph for the newly created Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), an activity which was announced five months earlier to interdict, through the threat or actual use of force, land, sea, and air trafficking of WMD at the earliest possible point. Despite increasing international support, numerous joint exercises, and the successful Libyan intercept, the PSI faces serious legal, intelligence, and operational challenges to sustained effectiveness. This thesis takes a close look at these challenges and considers how they can be overcome. I conclude that overcoming these challenges will require a multilateral trusted information network to augment secretive bilateral intelligence sharing, a PSI-specific legal umbrella to replace current reliance on only partially applicable international laws and resolutions, and an interoperable, team approach to operations that takes advantage of industry's technological improvements in detection technology and is conscious of air-intercept restrictions. / Major, United States Air Force

This study determines if participatory tourism planning has played a role in the creative destruction process on Salt Spring Island. This is important because it links together two bodies of literature that have formerly only been studied separately. Three objectives are identified. The first is to determine Salt Spring’s stage in the model of creative destruction. The second is to assess the role played by planning in the development of the Island. The third is to provide recommendations to ensure that the Island does not evolve any further along the creative destruction path. These objectives were met using a mixed methods approach. Data collection included two questionnaires (one for residents and one for tourists), semi-structured interviews with key informants, and content analysis of the local newspaper and planning documents. Results suggest that Salt Spring is in the stage of advanced commodification. This state has been achieved in the absence of any participatory tourism planning. The tourism planning that has taken place, has been motivated by a preservationist discourse. This partially explains why the Island has maintained its current position in the model of creative destruction. It is recommended that the tourism plan currently being developed include local participation and be used to create a policy to guide future development.