This study looks at how professional male athletes—particularly undersized athletes—are represented throughout televised sport. Based on the assumption that televised sport is a gendered and predominantly masculine genre, the focus of this analysis is to demonstrate whether or not professional male athletes are evaluated differently based on physical stature, and whether or not such representations reinforce a dominant—mythic—male ideology. Grounded mainly in Gramscian hegemony and Peircean semiotics, the subsequent analysis compares broadcast commentary and visuals taken from the 2010 men’s Olympic ice hockey tournament and the 2010 men’s FIFA World Cup. In both events, it was generally found that taller athletes were praised more positively than smaller athletes. These findings appear to support common sports-related stereotypes, such as, the apparent media-reinforced expectation that professional male athletes be almost inhuman, mythical representations of ordinary men, i.e., the best athletes should be large, intimidating, aggressive, and hyper-masculine symbols.

del Pezzo surfaces are isomorphic to either P¹ x P¹ or P² blown up <i>a</i> times, where <i>a</i> ranges from 0 to 8. We will look at lines on del Pezzo surfaces isomorphic to P² blown up <i>a</i> times with <i>a</i> ranging from 0 to 6. We will show that when we count points of bounded height on one of these surfaces, the number of points on lines give us the primary growth order, but the secondary growth order calculates the number of points on the rest of the surface and hence is a better representation of the geometry of the surface.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of performing an isometric conditioning contraction (CC) consisting of two sets of five seconds maximal voluntary contraction in physically active individuals prior to three sets of Loaded Squat Jumps (LSJ). Method: 5 males and 4 females (mean ± SD: age 25 ± 2 years, height 175 ± 10 cm, body mass 70 ± 15 kg) were assessed on their power output, force production, jump height and velocity on three sets of LSJ on two separate sessions. Each participant attended two sessions in randomized order: a control session (CON) and an experimental session (EXP) separated by at least two hours. The EXP session consisted of a 10 min warm-up followed by 2 x 5 seconds isometric CC, this was proceeded by another two minutes of rest before three sets of LSJ were performed, each set separated by a two-minute rest. During the CON session a two-minute rest, followed by three sets of LSJ, replaced the isometric CC sequence. Results: No significant improvement was found on any of the physical parameters assessed, comparing the CON and EXP session (p &gt; 0.05). The results showed a variance on individual response were some subjects performed better after the CC and others did not . Conclusion: In conclusion, this study evaluated the effect of performing an isometric CC prior three sets of LSJ. The results indicate that an isometric CC consisting of two sets of five seconds maximal voluntary contraction is insufficient to enhance the performance in an LSJ.

During the last years commercial Wind Power Turbines (WPT) has become larger regardingto the generator sizes and hub heights. Available hub heights around 100 meters is nowcommon, which has led to profitability for WPT located in forests where there normally are tolow wind speeds. The current knowledgement regarding turbulence and the variation in thewind profile for the outcome of the power production for the WPT in forests is limited.In this Master of Science thesis an investigation concerning forest located wind power plantshas been made. The purpose has been to investigate if plants located in forest perform lesscompared to wind power turbines located at more common locations.The analyses are based on statically material for determining the availability,production/generator size, production/hub height, production/swept area and how thetopography affect the production results.The analyses show that the variation in production result for WPT located in forest comparedto turbines located at other locations is small. The availability is high and the productionresults are good.

del Pezzo surfaces are isomorphic to either P¹ x P¹ or P² blown up <i>a</i> times, where <i>a</i> ranges from 0 to 8. We will look at lines on del Pezzo surfaces isomorphic to P² blown up <i>a</i> times with <i>a</i> ranging from 0 to 6. We will show that when we count points of bounded height on one of these surfaces, the number of points on lines give us the primary growth order, but the secondary growth order calculates the number of points on the rest of the surface and hence is a better representation of the geometry of the surface.

The growth of Pb film on Si(111) is an unusual metal-semiconductor system. For a certain temperature range, Pb films have been found to grow in steep-edge and flat-top islands with uniform height on Si(111). This specific film morphology has been correlated to Quantum Size Effect (QSE) that the object size or film thickness affects the electronic structure of the films and results in certain thicknesses more stable than others. The X-ray diffraction technique has the advantages of long penetration length and high statistics, therefore it has been used to investigate the influence of QSE on the growth of Pb on the Si(111) 7x7 surface. It is demonstrated that the structure of Pb islands and the associated wetting layer are consistent with effects of quantum confinement. Specular reflectivity of 3 monolayer (ML) Pb films grown on the substrate at 227K has conclusively shown that the Pb islands do not reside on top of a Pb wetting layer, but directly on top of the Si substrate. The nucleating Pb nanocrystals transform the highly disordered Pb wetting layer beneath the islands into well-ordered fcc Pb. The surface then consists of fcc Pb islands directly on top of the Si surface with the disordered wetting layer between the islands. Moreover, it is found that QSE leads to novel behavior for the coarsening evolution of the Pb islands. The diffuse X-ray scattering experiments have been carried out as functions of temperature, deposition rate and coverage. A structural evolution of Pb islands was observed after deposition at very low coverages (0.2 -- 1.0 ML above the wetting layer coverage). Contrary to the classical scaling theory of nucleation and Ostwald ripening, a much lower island density is achieved with coarsening after deposition at high rather than low flux rates. The time constants of coarsening are found to be orders of magnitudes shorter than what is expected from the Gibbs-Thompson analysis. The rapid evaporation of unstable 3-layer islands shown in complementary STM suggests the role of QSE in the more efficient decay mechanism operating at low temperatures. These results have important applications for the controlled growth of nanostructures.

Crown fires, the fastest spreading of all forest fires, can occur in any forest type throughout the United States and the world. The occurrence of crown fires has become increasingly frequent and severe in recent years. The overall aim of this study is to estimate the forest canopy fuel parameters including crown base height (CBH) and crown bulk density (CBD), and to investigate the potential of using airborne lidar data in east Texas. The specific objectives are to: (1) propose allometric estimators of CBD and CBH and compare the results of using those estimators to those produced by the CrownMass/FMAPlus software at tree and stand levels for 50 loblolly pine plots in eastern Texas, (2) develop a methodology for using airborne light detection and ranging (lidar) to estimate CBD and CBH canopy fuel parameters and to simulate fire behavior using estimated forest canopy parameters as FARSITE inputs, and (3) investigate the use of spaceborne ICEsat /GLAS (Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite/Geoscience Laser Altimeter System) lidar for estimating canopy fuel parameters. According to our results from the first study, the calculated average CBD values, across all 50 plots, were 0.18 kg/m³ and 0.07 kg/m³, respectively, for the allometric equation proposed herein and the CrownMass program. Lorey’s mean height approach was used in this study to calculate CBH at plot level. The average height values of CBH obtained from Lorey’s height approach was 10.6 m and from the CrownMass program was 9.1 m. The results obtained for the two methods are relatively close to each other; with the estimate of CBH being 1.16 times larger than the CrownMass value. According to the results from the second study, the CBD and CBH were successfully predicted using airborne lidar data with R² values of 0.748 and 0.976, respectively. The third study demonstrated that canopy fuel parameters can be successfully estimated using GLAS waveform data; an R² value of 0.84 was obtained. With these approaches, we are providing practical methods for quantifying these parameters and making them directly available to fire managers. The accuracy of these parameters is very important for realistic predictions of wildfire initiation and growth.

Synthetically generated terrain models are useful across a broad range of applications, including computer generated art & animation, virtual reality and gaming, and architecture. Existing algorithms for terrain generation suffer from a number of problems, especially that of being limited in the types of terrain that they can produce and of being difficult for the user to control. Typical applications of synthetic terrain have several factors in common: first, they require the generation of large regions of believable (though not necessarily physically correct) terrain features; and second, while real-time performance is often needed when visualizing the terrain, this is generally not the case when generating the terrain. In this thesis, I present a new, design-by-example method for synthesizing terrain height fields. In this approach, the user designs the layout of the terrain by sketching out simple regions using a CAD-style interface, and specifies the desired terrain characteristics of each region by providing example height fields displaying these characteristics (these height fields will typically come from real-world GIS data sources). A height field matching the user's design is generated at several levels of detail, using a genetic algorithm to blend together chunks of elevation data from the example height fields in a visually plausible manner. This method has the advantage of producing an unlimited diversity of reasonably realistic results, while requiring relatively little user effort and expertise. The guided randomization inherent in the genetic algorithm allows the algorithm to come up with novel arrangements of features, while still approximating user-specified constraints.

<p><p><strong>Abstract</strong></p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>The aim was to evaluate height measurements made with the single view metrology method and to investigate the influence of standing position and different phases of gait and running on vertical height.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Ten healthy men were recorded simultaneously by a 2D web camera and a 3D motion analysis system. They performed six trials, three standing and three during gait and running. The vertical height was measured with the single view metrology method and in Qualisys Track Manager. The results were compared for evaluation. The vertical height in the different postures was compared to the actual height.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The measurements made with the single view metrology method were significantly higher than the measurements made with Qualisys Track Manager (p<0.001). The vertical height in the two standing positions was significantly lower than the actual height (p<0.05). The vertical height in midstance was significantly lower than actual height in the walking trials (p<0.05). No significant difference was found between maximum vertical height and actual height during running (p>0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The single view metrology method measured vertical heights with a mean error of +2.30 cm. Posture influence vertical body height. Midstance in walking is the position where vertical height corresponds best with actual height, in running it is the non-support phase.</p><p> </p></p><p> </p>

The purpose of the ODS (Occupant Detection System) project is to develop a car safety camera system that is able to discriminate human occupants in order to activate safety features depending on the human size. In order to discriminate the size of an occupant anthropometric measurements need to be performed. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of anthropometric measurements of human height and weight with a Kinect for Windows v2 sensor for discrimination of different occupants inside a vehicle. The goal was to find valid anthropometric methods for determination of human height and weight from landmarks on the upper body, then test if it is possible to perform these methods with the Kinect for Windows v2 sensor. The execution of this study was performed as a literature study with anthropometric tests on ATD-dummies (anthropomorphic test device) and on human test subjects. Measurements were performed first physically and then with the Kinect v2 sensor to obtain data in form of distance of 8 regions of the body. Three tests were performed, first on dummies, second was a pilot study and last the measurement study. The result revealed that it is hard to estimate human weight from body landmarks due to lack of information, therefor no tests were performed in this area. For height the result showed that the most valid methods were the measurements on arm span and ulna, both on physical measurements and with the camera. The conclusion is that it is possible estimating height from body landmarks but the positioning of the camera needs to be change in order for the measurements to be more accurate. This study has contributed to a greater understanding of measurement technology, automotive safety and anthropometric measurements.