Super-Resolution is a widely studied problem in the field of computer vision, where the purpose is to increase the resolution of, or super-resolve, image data. In Video Super-Resolution, maintaining temporal coherence for consecutive video frames requires fusing information from multiple frames to super-resolve one frame. Current deep learning methods perform video super-resolution, yet most of them focus on working with natural datasets. In this thesis, we use a recurrent back-projection network for working with a dataset of computer-generated graphics, with example applications including upsampling low-resolution cinematics for the gaming industry. The dataset comes from a variety of gaming content, rendered in (3840 x 2160) resolution. The objective of the network is to produce the upscaled version of the low-resolution frame by learning an input combination of a low-resolution frame, a sequence of neighboring frames, and the optical flow between each neighboring frame and the reference frame. Under the baseline setup, we train the model to perform 2x upsampling from (1920 x 1080) to (3840 x 2160) resolution. In comparison against the bicubic interpolation method, our model achieved better results by a margin of 2dB for Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR), 0.015 for Structural Similarity Index Measure (SSIM), and 9.3 for the Video Multi-method Assessment Fusion (VMAF) metric. In addition, we further demonstrate the susceptibility in the performance of neural networks to changes in image compression quality, and the inefficiency of distortion metrics to capture the perceptual details accurately. / Superupplösning är ett allmänt studerat problem inom datorsyn, där syftet är att öka upplösningen på eller superupplösningsbilddata. I Video Super- Resolution kräver upprätthållande av tidsmässig koherens för på varandra följande videobilder sammanslagning av information från flera bilder för att superlösa en bildruta. Nuvarande djupinlärningsmetoder utför superupplösning i video, men de flesta av dem fokuserar på att arbeta med naturliga datamängder. I denna avhandling använder vi ett återkommande bakprojektionsnätverk för att arbeta med en datamängd av datorgenererad grafik, med exempelvis applikationer inklusive upsampling av film med låg upplösning för spelindustrin. Datauppsättningen kommer från en mängd olika spelinnehåll, återgivna i (3840 x 2160) upplösning. Målet med nätverket är att producera en uppskalad version av en ram med låg upplösning genom att lära sig en ingångskombination av en lågupplösningsram, en sekvens av intilliggande ramar och det optiska flödet mellan varje intilliggande ram och referensramen. Under grundinställningen tränar vi modellen för att utföra 2x uppsampling från (1920 x 1080) till (3840 x 2160) upplösning. Jämfört med den bicubiska interpoleringsmetoden uppnådde vår modell bättre resultat med en marginal på 2 dB för Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR), 0,015 för Structural Similarity Index Measure (SSIM) och 9.3 för Video Multimethod Assessment Fusion (VMAF) mätvärde. Dessutom demonstrerar vi vidare känsligheten i neuronal nätverk för förändringar i bildkomprimeringskvaliteten och ineffektiviteten hos distorsionsmätvärden för att fånga de perceptuella detaljerna exakt.

The increasing threats to the environment have led the consumers to enhance their concern for environment. As a result, consumers nowadays intend to purchase environmentally friendly products as part of showing their concern for environment. This changing trend of consumer behavior has also driven the businesses to act accordingly and introduce sustainability within business process including production, offerings and distribution with an objective of protecting environment. Apart from the environmental benefits, getting involved in the environmentally friendly activities also enable the businesses to enjoy higher profit margins, positive brand image, higher employee commitment and above all competitive advantage. Current literature shows that, because of enormous benefits businesses are also getting involved in transforming sustainable consumption through different marketing activities to avoid poor sales of green products. Brand generated contents, defined as contents shared and controlled by the business itself on its owned or earned platforms, is often used by the marketers and businesses to share information or justifying premium pricing of green products. The primary purpose of this study is to develop insights and understand the relationship between different factors driven by brand generated contents and green purchase intention. The study is implemented by a quantitative study where 156 respondents have shared their perceptions and thoughts related to different factors of brand generated contents on social media platforms that they perceive to influence their purchase intentions to green products. Even though green consumerism and green purchase intention is not a new concept within field of research, connecting it with brand generated content is a completely new phenomenon. Existing literature suggests that researchers have tried to measure the green purchase intention mostly based on uncontrollable factors by marketers or different traditional consumer theory. Some other researchers have also tried to connect green purchase intention with user-generated content completely overlooking its counterpart, brand generated content. Five constructs have been developed based on existing literature: knowledge awareness, perceived concern for environment, perceived product value, attitude and trust of contents. A survey questionnaire was developed with three sections- demographic section to comprehend the respondents, behavioral section to understand purchase behavior of respondents related to green products and final section to understand the perception of consumers. The finding demonstrates interesting insights with perceived concern for environment and attitude to be positively significant and trust of content to be negatively significant to green purchase intentions. However, the finding is believed to assist the marketing practitioners and businesses to develop marketing strategies for green products and develop contents accordingly. Furthermore, the study aims to contribute theoretically within the field of brand generated content and green purchase intention by filling the gap and linking each other. Finally, the study has significant potential of contributing to society by helping in promoting environmentally friendly products and protecting the environment.

Forskning visar att platsmarknadsföring som strategi används alltmer frekvent. Städer och platser uppfattas inte längre som konstanta utan befinner sig i en ständig utvecklingsprocess och behöver hanteras därefter. Då många platser konkurrerar om bland annat besökare, invånare och studenter är det viktigt att kunna differentiera sitt platsvarumärke och kommunicera platsens identitet på önskat sätt. Tidigare forskning har visat att invånare är en av de viktigaste intressenterna för destinationsmarknadsföringsorganisationer (DMO) på grund av deras inflytande på en plats. Invånarna är dock svåra att styra i önskad riktning då de är en heterogen grupp där åsikter, preferenser och attityder skiljer sig åt. Om detta inte sker finns en risk att invånarna inte känner delaktighet med platsen och dess platsvarumärke. Därför är syftet med denna studie att bidra till förståelsen för invånare som platsvarumärkesambassadörer (PVA) med nytta för DMO:s. Genom en kvalitativ innehållsanalys har 272 stycken Instagraminlägg samlats in från tre olika svenska DMO-konton på Instagram. I ett nästa steg analyserades dessa genom att applicera fyra roller och fyra intentioner som identifierats i tidigare forskning (Uchinaka, Yoganathan & Osburg 2019). Resultatet visar att invånarnas roller och intentioner skiljer sig åt mellan de olika platserna och därför inte kan generaliseras. Dessa variationer diskuteras och slutligen resulterar i förståelse för invånare som PVA:s. Med resultatet som stöd, uppmanar forskarna i denna studie att DMO:s bör intressera sig för invånarna på platsen vars platsvarumärke de verkar för. Det, då det mest effektiva sättet att skapa och bibehålla ett framgångsrikt platsvarumärke är genom samarbete med dess invånare. / In recent years, place marketing as a strategy has been more frequently implemented. Cities and places today are not seen as constant but as continual processes of development, in need of being treated with the dynamic in mind. As many places compete for, among other things, visitors, residents, and students it is of great importance to be able to differentiate and communicate the place's identity. Previous research has shown that residents are one of the most important stakeholders for destination marketing organizations (DMO) due to their influence on a place. However, residents are difficult to steer in the desired direction as they are a heterogeneous group where opinions, preferences and attitudes differentiate. If this does not happen, there is a risk that the residents do not feel involved with the place and its place brand. Therefore, it is crucial for DMO:s to understand the residents of the place in order to work effectively with the place brand. Hence, the purpose of this study is to contribute to the understanding of residents as place branding ambassadors online with use for DMO:s. Through a qualitative content analysis, 272 Instagram posts have been collected from three different Swedish DMO accounts on Instagram. Furthermore, these were analyzed by applying four roles and four intentions identified in previous research (Uchinaka, Yoganathan & Osburg 2019). Findings reveal that residents' roles and intentions differ between places and therefore can not be generalized. This variation is being discussed and the outcome of the discussions is understanding for residents as place brand ambassadors. With support from the result, the researchers of this study urge DMO:s to invest their interest in the residents of the place in order to create and maintain a successful place brand. (This study is written in Swedish.)

Companies are increasingly drawing on their user communities to generate promising ideas for new products, which are then marketed as "user-designed" products to the broader consumer market. We demonstrate that nonparticipating, observing consumers prefer to buy from user-rather than designer-driven firms because of an enhanced identification with the firm that has adopted this user-driven philosophy. Three experimental studies validate a newly proposed social identification account underlying this effect. Because consumers are also users, their social identities connect to the user-designers, and they feel empowerment by vicariously being involved in the design process. This formed connection leads to preference for the firm's products. Importantly, this social identification account also effectively predicts when the effect does not materialize. First, we find that if consumers feel dissimilar to participating users, the effects are attenuated. We demonstrate that this happens when the community differs from consumers along important demographics (i.e., gender) or when consumers are nonexperts in the focal domain (i.e., they feel that they do not belong to the social group of participating users). Second, the effects are attenuated if the user-driven firm is only selectively rather than fully open to participation from all users (observing consumers do not feel socially included). These findings advance the emerging theory on user involvement and offer practical implications for firms interested in pursuing a user-driven philosophy. Data, as supplemental material, are available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2014.1999. (authors' abstract)

Locally generated content comprises nearly 80% of front page content for most American newspapers, with Associated Press and other wire service content comprising between 15% and 20% across various circulation categories. However, newspapers with daily circulation between 30,000 and 50,000 provide a sharp distinction – a “curve” or “groove” – publishing an average of barely 60% locally generated content on their front page, pulling nearly 40% from wire services. The anomaly declines somewhat for publications with daily circulation between 50,000 and 100,000. This statistical content analysis of 42 American newspapers of diverse circulation sizes also reveals a universal focus on domestic politics, which comprises nearly a third of all locally generated and wire content, and reveals key commonalities across circulation categories and regional boundaries. / text

This thesis focuses on the phenomenon of live-streaming of computer games in the Czech Republic. This thesis is based on an approach of online ethnography and tries to describe what meaning do the producers of content (who are labeled as performers in this thesis) ascribe to streaming, what are their motivations to stream, how they present themselves on the streams and what is the content of those streams. The live-streaming of computer games in this thesis is put into context of user-generated content. The main part of this thesis is a qualitative research realized through an online observations of streams and through interviews with the performers, who stream on the streaming service Twitch. The findings show that streaming is entertaining and time passing activity for the performers, but also a form of a social contact. Some motivations of the performers include the satisfaction of their viewers and recurring contact with them. There were no financial motivations involved among the performers. Performers mostly do not stylize themselves into any specific role, however some of them do take on themselves the roles of teachers, who teach their viewers to be a better gamer, or the roles of entertainers. During the stream the performers mostly put their attention to only a single game and also to an...

The shift of media from traditional forms to new digital ones has raised the possibility of new kinds of media services, including mobile television. In today's communications market, mobile phones are of increasing importance to users and, since mobile devices are connected most of the time, they have a high degree of location independence. The availability of 3G technology and the mobile devices needed to implement mobile television are now established and available. Mobile television is expected to be an important new service that could penetrate the market place and provide new applications, as well as create a market for new players and new investments, if the appropriate price, content and philosophy for content design are found. This research explores the many potential application areas for mobile TV, with a particular focus on advertising. Various organisations that seek success in this market can utilise the potential for advertising on mobile TV. Ultimately, mobile device users are able to use mobile TV for entertainment and information sourcing. However, a number of challenging issues remain to be addressed. The features that appealed to the consumers were studied in this research. Surveys were conducted to obtain an understanding of consumers' opinions and needs regarding the mobile TV experience. Many users clearly do like to interact with video content on mobile devices. Interactive mobile TV advertising can benefit users who will be able to use an essentially 'free' mobile TV service, funded by an advertising model. This research proposes an environment for interactive advertising on mobile TV and discussion of an implementation of the proposed designs.

"A quantitative understanding of the complex interactions between cells, soluble factors, and the biological and mechanical properties of biomaterials is required to guide cell remodeling towards regeneration of healthy tissue rather than fibrocontractive tissue. The goal of this thesis was to elucidate the interactions between the boundary stiffness of three-dimensional (3D) matrix and soluble factors on valvular interstitial cell (VIC) phenotype with a quantitative approach. The first part of the work presented in this thesis was to characterize the combined effects of boundary stiffness and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) on cell-generated forces and collagen accumulation. We first generated a quantitative map of cell-generated tension in response to these factors by culturing VICs within micro-scale fibrin gels between compliant posts (0.15-1.05 nN/nm) in chemically-defined media with TGF-β1 (0-5 ng/mL). The VICs generated 100 to 3000 nN/cell after one week of culture, and multiple regression modeling demonstrated, for the first time, quantitative interaction (synergy) between these factors in a 3D culture system. We then isolated passive and active components of tension within the micro-tissues and found that cells cultured with high levels of stiffness and TGF-β1 expressed myofibroblast markers and generated substantial residual tension in the matrix yet, surprisingly, were not able to generate additional tension in response to membrane depolarization signifying a state of continual maximal contraction. In contrast, negligible residual tension was stored in the low stiffness and TGF-β1 groups indicating a lower potential for shrinkage upon release. We then studied if ECM could be generated under the low tension environment and found that TGF-β1, but not EGF, increased de novo collagen accumulation in both low and high tension environments roughly equally. Combined, these findings suggest that isometric cell force, passive retraction, and collagen production can be tuned by independently altering boundary stiffness and TGF-β1 concentration. In the second part, by using the quantitative information obtained from the first part, we investigated the effects of dynamic changes in stiffness on cell phenotype in a 3D protein matrix, quantitatively. Our novel method utilizing magnetic force to constrain the motion of one of two flexible posts between which VIC-populated micro-tissues were cultured effectively doubled the boundary stiffness and resulted in a significant increase in cell-generated forces. When the magnetic force was removed, the effective boundary stiffness was halved and the tissue tension dropped to 65-87% of the peak value. Surprisingly, following release the cell-generated forces continued to increase for the next two days rather than reducing down to the homeostatic tension level of the control group with identical (but constant) boundary stiffness. The rapid release of tension with the return to baseline boundary stiffness did not result in a decrease in number of cells with α-SMA positive stress fibers or an increase in apoptosis. When samples were entirely released from the boundaries and cultured free floating (where tension is minimal but cannot be measured), the proportion of apoptotic cells in middle region of the micro-tissues increased more than five-fold to 31%. Together, these data indicate that modest temporary changes in boundary stiffness can have lasting effects on myofibroblast activation and persistence in 3D matrices, and that a large decrease in the ability of the cells to generate tension is required to trigger de-differentiation and apoptosis. "

"The present study utilizes the ultrasonic travel-time technique to diagnose grid-generated turbulence. The statistics of the travel-time variations of ultrasonic wave propagation along a path are used to determine some metrics of the turbulence. The motivation for this work stems from the observation of substantial delta-t variation in ultrasonic measuring devices like flow meters and circulation meters. Typically, averaging can be used to extract mean values from such time series. The corollary is that the fluctuations contain information about the turbulence. Experimental data were obtained for ultrasonic wave propagation downstream of a heated grid in a wind tunnel. Such grid-generated turbulence is well characterized and features a mean flow with superimposed velocity and temperature fluctuations. The ultrasonic path could be perpendicular or oblique to the mean flow direction. Path lengths were of the order of 0.3 m and the transducers were of 100 kHz working frequency. The data acquisition and control system featured a very high-speed analog to digital conversion card that enabled excellent resolution of ultrasonic signals. Experimental data for the travel-time variance were validated using ray acoustic theory along with the Kolmogorov “2/3” law. It is demonstrated that the ultrasonic technique, together with theoretical models, provides a basis for turbulent flow diagnostics. As a result, the structure constant appearing in the Kolmogorov “2/3” law is determined based on the experimental data. The effect of turbulence on acoustic waves, in terms of the travel time, was studied for various mean velocities and for different angular orientations of the acoustic waves with respect to the mean flow. Average travel time in the presence of turbulence was shorter then in the undisturbed media. The effect of the time shift between the travel times in turbulent and undisturbed media is associated with Fermat’s principle. The travel time and log-amplitude variance of acoustic waves were investigated as functions of travel distance and mean velocity over a range of Reynolds number varying from 4000 to 20000. Experimental data are interpreted using classical ray acoustic approach and the parabolic acoustic equation approach together with the perturbation method. It was experimentally demonstrated that there is a strong dependence of the travel time on the mean velocity even in the case where the propagation of acoustic waves is perpendicular to the mean velocity. The effect of thermal fluctuations, which result in fluctuations of sound speed, was studied for two temperatures of the grid: (no grid heating) and . A semi analytical acoustic propagation model that allows determination of the spacial correlation functions of flow field is developed based on the classical flow meter equation and statistics of the travel time of acoustic waves traveling through the velocity and the thermal turbulence. The basic flow meter equation is reconsidered in order to take into account sound speed fluctuations and turbulent velocity. The resulting equation is written in terms of correlation functions of travel time, sound speed fluctuation and turbulent velocity fluctuations. Experimentally measured travel time statistics data with and without grid heating are approximated by Gaussian function and used to solve the integral flow meter equation in terms of correlation functions analytically."

"Much work has been done to develop intelligent tutoring systems in domains such as algebra, geometry, and computer programming. Our work is to develop an intelligent tutoring system to train US soldiers. One main difference in this domain is that one of the main skills to be learned is cooperation between teammates, so the tutor must emphasize collaboration as a skill. In addition, to help train this skill the system must be able to run in real-time, and provide both computer generated teammates, as well as intelligent opposing forces. This system is the first real-time, multi-user, model tracing tutor with simulated teammates. The goal of this thesis is to build a prototype system to validate that this is a valid approach for this domain."