Vårt syfte med denna uppsats var att undersöka vilka möjligheter förskolans miljö erbjuder yngre barn att intra-agera självständigt med böcker och hur denna intra-aktion tar sig uttryck. Vår önskan var att genom detta få en fördjupad förståelse för yngre barns förutsättningar att grundlägga en identitet som bokläsare i förskolan. Vi har genomfört två delstudier, varav den ena har undersökt miljön på sex förskolor med observation som metod och med stöd av observationsprotokoll. Den andra delstudien har undersökt barns och böckers intra-aktion på en av dessa förskolor. Denna delstudie genomfördes som en etnografiskt inspirerad mini-studie och med observation med stöd av ostrukturerade fältanteckningar som metod. Vi valde att använda ett posthumanistiskt perspektiv där materialitet ses som aktörer med agens att påverka sin omgivning. Vi använde oss av begreppen agens, aktör, affordance, materiellt-diskursiv och nätverk (hämtat från Actor-Network Theory). Våra huvudsakliga resultat visade att de förskoleavdelningar som ingick i studien erbjöd yngre barn tillgång till böcker, men att denna tillgång varierade mellan förskolorna. Böckernas placering, exempelvis högt eller lågt, i hylla eller låda, inverkade på vilken agens de fick. Vidare hade den omgivande miljöns affordance också påverkan, exempelvis en närplacerad soffa att sitta i för att kunna bläddra i böckerna. Observationerna av barns och böckers intra-aktion visade att barnböckerna hade stark agens och blev aktörer i många olika sorters nätverk med barnen. Andra aktörer i förskolans miljö både hindrade och underlättade barns självständiga intra-aktion med böcker, exempelvis gåvagnar, ljudleksaker, pedagoger och diskurser.

The activity-based approach to the study of travel behavior implies a shift in focus from discrete trips to activities. A fundamental tenet of this approach is that individuals, when making their own activity-travel decisions, tend to interact with other members within a household. However, most activity-based research to date has been conducted at the individual level, but not at the household level. It is now well recognized that incorporating intra-household interactions is crucial to the development of improved activity-based models, which allow for more accurate travel demand forecasts and policy evaluations. In this context, the studies described in this dissertation have been conducted to explore several critical issues that have remained largely neglected in past studies. One such issue is the identification of joint participation in activity and travel episodes, due to the fact that most activity-travel surveys have failed to collect information on involved persons. In this dissertation, an integrated spatio-temporal GIS toolkit is initially developed to automatically identify and visualize (3D) joint activity/travel episodes. Such identification makes it possible to uniquely and directly incorporate intra-household interactions into studies of activity/travel behavior. The research described in this dissertation utilizes the 2003 CHASE (Computerized Household Activity Scheduling Elicitor) survey collected in the Greater Toronto Area. Several aspects of activity/travel behavior are investigated.. First, quantitative models are developed and estimated for investigating household activity time use patterns while capturing intra-household interactions. Second, the dynamics of household time use patterns are explored through descriptive analysis and structural equations models. Finally, the household activity decision-making process is further delved into with a focus on the planning priority of joint activities. Overall, the research presented in this dissertation makes important contributions to activity-based time use and travel behavior research: (1) technically, the developed GIS toolkit is helpful to reduce costs of processing large activity-travel datasets; and (2) theoretically, the empirical results presented will form the basis toward the development and implementation of an improved activity-based model. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OFKaleigh C. Best, for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Anthropology, presented on May 12, 2023, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: AN INVESTIGATION INTO INTRAINDIVIDUAL VARIATION IN HUMAN SKELETAL SEXUAL TRAIT MORPHOLOGYMAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Izumi ShimadaSex estimation is the most vital component of the biological profile assessment as several other subsequent analyses across biological anthropology rely on the correct identification of biological sex. This is especially important in times of commingling, fragmentary and partial remains, in inconsistent sex estimation, or in studies of sex estimation variation. While a multitude of studies have contributed to the documentation of similarities and differences in the morphological expression of a specific trait and how well this trait can be used to classify the sex of an unknown individual, how the expression of these morphological traits relate to each other within the individual has been poorly studied. Further, although several intrinsic and extrinsic factors are known to contribute to sexual trait expression, how they interact to produce morphology, and how that morphology may change in response to different biological conditions is not well understood. This dissertation utilizes 3D scans of 235 individuals collected from the University of Tennessee Donated Skeletal Collection (UTK) and the Robert J. Terry Osteological Collection (Terry) to examine sexual trait expression across the cranium, mandible, os coxae, sacrum and scapula. Specifically, it evaluates: 1) if sexual trait expression is correlated between skeletal regions including localized anatomical regions, through matrix correlation and Pearson correlation tests, 2) if age affects morphological sexual trait expression through M/ANOVA and if so, how and when these changes occur using ANOVA and Tukey post-hoc tests, 3) if the magnitude and pattern of sexual trait expression varies between populations through M/ANOVA and matrix correlations, 4) using discriminate function analyses, how well geometric morphometric analyses capture sexual trait expression compared to published rates, and 5) through M/ANOVA and discriminant function analyses, which intraindividual skeletal regions are the most accurate in sex classification analyses compared to others. For each skeletal element, landmarks were placed on each scan and sexual trait expression and an intra observer placement study was conducted. The landmark configurations were then subjected to a generalized Procrustes analysis, variance- covariance matrices were generated, and a principal component (PC) analyses in MorphoJ for combined sex data, derived male and females from combined sex data, and for independently input males and females. PCs were visually interpreted and subjected to M/ANOVA for three age groups: 18-29, 30-45, and 45 and older. PCs were then subjected to stepwise linear discriminant function analyses with leave- one-out cross validation. The first five PCs for each element were then utilized for a matrix correlation test and evaluated using a strength of correlation test (Chan et al 2003) and for significance using a Pearson’s correlation test. Results indicate that for intraobserver error is low, with scores being mostly considered excellent in reliability. For UTK data, shape changes associated with sexual trait classification were found for each of the five elements. Within these tests, many influential regions were known to sex estimation analyses, but other, such as the basicranium are currently underutilized. M/ANOVA revealed that sex was significant for all five skeletal elements, with some contributions from age and ancestry impacting sexual trait expression, however these interactions were not within a consistent pattern. Through the results of the discriminant function analyses, it appears some skeletal elements, such as the os coxae, scored higher correct classification rates than those reported in the literature, while others were on par or below reported rates. The os coxae and regions around it, were the best elements for correct sex classification accuracy, with the scapula rated as the worst. In the Terry data, sexual trait related shape changes are presented for each of the skeletal elements studied. Known morphological regions, as well as some more subtle ones, were found to be influential. M/ANOVA revealed that all elements, but the scapula had statistically significant shape changes present for sex estimation. Age and ancestry appear to contribute minimally to sexual trait morphology, but again, not in a way that is consistent, either within the collection or similarly to UTK. By examining the discriminant function analyses, some correct sex-estimation rates were on higher or on par with those reported in the literature, but others, such as the scapula were lower. This may be due the size being a larger contributor for sex estimation than shape, and the geometric morphometric analyses minimizing its effects in these analyses. Also using these tests, the os coxae was selected as the best element for high levels of sex classification accuracy, but which element was next best was different than the UTK results. This likely indicates biocultural influences are affecting sexual trait morphology and should be considered in future analyses. Significant inter-element correlations were detected in both skeletal collections, with UTK having more pairings than Terry. The most common and most statistically significant inter-element correlation across collections was between the cranium-mandible, which may be reflective of the integrated nature of these two elements. Different element correlations existed between each collection, with no clear pattern in pairings present in both collections, which may suggest that biocultural influences are impacting sexual trait expression. However, in both collections, females had more overall correlations, and more statistically significant correlations than males, although there was less of a difference between sexes in Terry than in UTK. This result may be due to circulating hormones present during puberty, which may be contributing to more correlation between elements in females and not males. It also suggests that once again, biocultural differences between the Terry and UTK collections may be impacting the magnitude and patterns of correlation. This research highlights the complex dynamic nature of sexual trait expression in bone in relation to several intrinsic and extrinsic factors. It supports the idea that sexual trait expression is not concordant between skeletal regions among the same individual and that these inter-element correlations appear to be different between skeletal collections. Likewise, it suggests that age and ancestry may minimally be affecting sexual trait expression, but not in a consistent way across skeletal elements or between collections. It also suggests that while geometric morphometrics may help in capturing shape variation, it does not always translate to higher correct classification rates. This research also supports previous literature that the os coxae is the best element for sex estimation, although is not clear on what element is next best. Future studies in sexual trait expression should account for biocultural influences, as this research suggests that sexual trait expression is influenced by poorly understood intrinsic and extrinsic factors.

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Communal land disputes have troubled many communities in the world for a long time now (Barak, 2002; UN, 2013; Nolon, Sean, et al. 2013; Najar, I. M, 2014; Eck, K, 2014; Agegnehu, K.S. et al. 2021). In Liberia, these disputes have manifested in various forms including those that may be intra-communal, inter-communal, and those that may occur between a community and a foreign investor or company, or those that may occur between a community and a non-member.    Among the distinct land disputes mentioned supra, land disputes between the community and foreign investors, or in short, community-investors land disputes have received a lot of attention over the past decade. Numerous research and documentation regarding the cause of community-investor land disputes have been researched and documented in Liberia, while intra-communal land disputes have received little attention and it is less understood.   To understand the phenomena, the study used a combination of qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis techniques. Semi-structured and structured questionnaires were developed for this study. The structured questionnaire was administered to household heads within the study community. While the semi-structured questionnaire was administered to local leaders, key staff of the Liberia Land Authority (LLA), and a member of the CSO working group (CSWG) on land rights reform in Liberia. The number of household heads to participating in the study was determined using Yamane’s sample size calculation formula, and the number of qualitative respondents will be selected using a purposive sample approach. Both methods are elaborated in the methodological section below.  This study aims to understand how intra-communal disputes and how could be mitigated in Liberia   Keywords: Intra-communal, land, disputes, mitigation / <p>This thesis have been approved and graded.</p>

<p> The motor driven treadmill is often used in research as a convenient tool for simulating overground running. There has been varied opinion in the literature regarding the accuracy of this assumption. The major difference that has been quantified is the variation in treadmill belt speed as a result of the forces applied by a runner. In comparison, the earth does not vary its speed during overground running. The aim of the present study was to more clearly define the causes of treadmill belt-speed variation and to elucidate its effects on running mechanics. </p> <p> An in-lab fabricated tachometer was used to determine accurate treadmill belt speed while the treadmill was challenged by five subjects weighing 55.2 to 99.6 kg running at four speeds of 2.6, 3.1, 3.5 and 4.0 m/s. The actual running velocity was found on average to be 0.62% higher than the treadmill display setting. The intra-step belt-speed variation ranged from 4.2 to 8.6 % of average belt velocity. Linear regression analysis showed that 86 % of the variance in intra-step belt-speed variation was attributed to total body mass and a further 10 % attributed to running speed. </p> <p> The effect that this variation had on running mechanics was determined from the power transfer between the foot and belt, as calculated from the product of the change in belt speed and the horizontal ground reaction force. The horizontal force, as calculated using a segmental acceleration approach, did not show complete agreement with simultaneously recorded forceplate data. It was found that an average of 4.49 J flowed to the treadmill during the eccentric phase of running and 3.37 J of energy flowed to the runner during the concentric phase of running. Despite inaccuracies in the calculation, the mathematical approach used in this study permitted insight into the theoretical benefit of belt-speed variation in treadmill running. </p> / Thesis / Candidate in Philosophy

<p> This study investigated the circulatory response to double-arm weightlifting exercise and compared the responses during free weight and machine equipment weightlifting in eight patients (mean age = 57.6±10 years) with well-documented coronary artery disease. Subjects performed bench press and overhead press exercises at 40 and 60% of 1 repetition maximum using both the free weights and machine equipment. Intra-arterial pressure was measured in the subclavian artery using a Millar catheter-tip pressure transducer. Arterial pressures rose in parallel with both modes of lifting (free weight and machine equipment), while heart rate did not increase substantially. Mean peak systolic (169 to 197 mmHg) and diastolic (95 to 119 mmHg) pressures recorded during the final repetitions of each weightlifting set did not, however, exceed values considered to be acceptable for dynamic exercise. Individual subjects recorded diastolic pressures as high as 150 mmHg during one or more of the weightlifting exercises, and individual mean arterial pressures reached values as high as 181 mmHg during overhead press machine equipment exercise at 60% of 1RM. While these high arterial pressures associated with weightlifting exercise increased myocardial oxygen demand (RPP=9643 to 15290), the increase in diastolic pressure may have augmented oxygen supply (DPTI=3448 to 3926 mmHg.s.min-1). However, because of the proportionately larger increase in RPP compared to DPTI, the ratio of oxygen supply to demand decreased with arm weightlifting exercise (DPTI:RPP=0.3741 to 0.2629). Nevertheless, the estimated myocardial oxygen supply to demand relationship appears to be more favourable during double-arm weightlifting exercise compared to estimated values from previous maximal cycle ergometer testing. These results suggest that double-arm weightlifting exercise at 40 to 60% of 1RM is safe and appropriate for patients with coronary artery disease and can be performed using either free weights or machine weightlifting equipment.</p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)