Investigating functional traits is an important tool for understanding fungal communities, yet ecological functions of fungal pigmentation remain poorly investigated. Recent studies support the thermal-melanism hypothesis for fungal color lightness in relation to macroclimate, but it remains unclear if microclimate also affects fungal pigmentation. In this study I use fruit bodies of wood-living polypores to further investigate this subject. While previous studies have used database-derived color lightness from photos often taken under unknown and non-standardized conditions, here I extract all color values from standardized photos taken in situ. In contrast to previous studies that have only examined fungal color lightness, I also studied the other components of the CIE L*a*b* color space, which may be related to e.g. protection, thermoregulation or signaling. I investigated community-level fungal pigmentation of pore surfaces and caps of polypores in fragmented forest patches in northern Sweden, in relation to microclimate proxies, deadwood availability and surrounding landscape structure. Two types of multiple linear regression models were used, one for community weighted means (CWM) and one for the coefficient of variance (CV) of patch level pigmentation. While no support was found for the thermal-melanism hypothesis in this study, saturation in the yellow spectrum was positively related to canopy cover and forest patch size. Variance in lightness of pore surfaces and in saturation in the red spectrum of caps was also positively related to diversity of decay stages and forest patch size respectively. These results indicate previously unknown relationships between fungal pigmentation and environment which warrant further research.

Nous interagissons quotidiennement avec une multitude de matériaux et nous pouvons sans effort identifier les différents matériaux. Nous qualifions facilement des caractéristiques à des matériaux particuliers comme matte, doux, dur, lisse, brillant, par exemple. Ces caractéristiques sont basées sur l’aspect visuel du matériau et les estimations des propriétés physiques sous-jacentes du système visuel. Cependant, la perception est un problème mathématiquement sous-constraint. La quantité de lumière atteignant notre œil dépend des propriétés de réflectance de la matière, l’éclairage de la scène et la géométrie des objets. Estimer les propriétés intrinsèques des matériaux nécessite une clarification de ces différents éléments les uns des autres. Pour estimer propriétés, intrinsèques des matériaux, il faut les étudier indépendamment les uns des autres. Dans cette thèse, j’étudie l’influence d’une propriété intrinsèque particulière : les réflexions spéculaires. J’étudie l’influence du contexte sur la brillance perçue et le rôle des autres matériaux dans la scène observée. D’autres matériaux pourraient fournir des informations supplémentaires sur les caractéristiques de la scène qui guident et façonnent le percept final. Nos résultats expérimentaux confirment que : 1. La perception de la brillance est influencée par le point de vue et la direction d’illumination. La brillance perçue est bien corrélée avec les propriétés des réflexions spéculaires sur la surface. 2. La brillance perçue est largement affectée par d’autres matériaux sur la surface indiquant que les participants prennent les informations d’autres matériaux en compte. 3. La procédure d’estimation conjointe du maximum de vraisemblance peut être utilisées pour quantifier précisément les effets contextuels dans la perception matérielle. La luminance et interagissent brillant physique et en même temps une influence sur la perception de l’autre. En conclusion, cette thèse met en évidence l’importance du contexte sur la brillance perçue. Je soutiens que la définition de constance de brillance néglige largement l’influence du contexte. La capacité du système visuel pour récupérer la réflectance de surface a été largement testée et une absence de constance de brillance ont été trouvé. Cependant, le jugement d’une seule surface dans l’isolement ne correspond pas à une tâche naturelle. D’autres matériaux et objets de la scène apportent des informations supplémentaires sur l’environnement au système visuel. Le percept final de la brillance est formé par des informations disponibles à partir de ces matériaux dans la même scène. / We interact with a multitude of different materials on a daily basis and we can effortless identify different materials. We easily add labels to particular materials like soft, hard, smooth, shiny, matte, for example. These labels are based on the visual appearances of the materials and the visual system's estimations of the underlying physical properties. However, mathematically material perception is an underconstrained problem. The light reaching our eye depends on the reflectance properties of the material, the illumination in the scene and the object's geometry. Estimating the intrinsic properties of materials requires to disambiguate these different factors from one another. In this thesis I will focus on one particular intrinsic property: Gloss. I will focus on the influence of the context onto perceived gloss and the role of other materials in the observed scene. Additional materials might provide supplementary information about the scene characteristics that guide and shape the final percept. Our experimental results confirm that: 1. Gloss perception is influenced by the viewpoint and the illumination direction. Perceived gloss correlates well with simple highlight properties on the surface. 2. Perceived gloss is largely influenced by other materials on the surface. Surfaces with two materials generate contrasting perceptual effects. 3. Maximum likelihood conjoint measurements can be used to precisely quantify contextual effects in material perception. Both, luminance and physical gloss interact and simultaneously influence each other. In conclusion, this thesis highlights the importance of the context onto perceived gloss. I argue that the definition of gloss constancy broadly neglects the influence of the context. The visual system's ability to recover the surface reflectance has extensively been tested and lacks of gloss constancy have been found. However, the judgement of a single surface in isolation does not correspond to a natural task. Other materials and objects in the scene provide the visual system with rich information about the environment (e.g. the illumination) and the final percept of the surface is formed by the additional information from these materials in the same scene.

Thesis (M.Sc. Agriculture (Horticulture)) -- University of Limpopo, 2017 / Avocado ‘Hass’ fruit characteristically change skin colour from green to deep purple or black during ripening. However, there is an ongoing debate about the use of ‘Hass’ avocado fruit skin colour change as an indicator for ripening and whether pre- and post-harvest factors can alter this relationship. Thus, the aim of the study was to investigate the effect of harvest season, harvest time, ripening temperature and ripening days on ‘Hass’ avocado fruit skin colour change during ripening. The experiment was carried out as 2 x 3 x 3 x 5 factorial with three replicates. The experiment consisted of four treatment factors: 2 x harvest season (2014 and 2015), 3 x harvest time (May-early, June-mid and July-late), 3 x ripening temperature (16, 21 and 25°C) and 5 x ripening days (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8). Fruit were stored at industry recommended temperature of 5.5°C. After storage, fruit were ripened at 16, 21 and 25°C, therefore, evaluated at 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 days for subjective and objective skin colour, fruit firmness, ripening percentage and chilling injury. Harvest season, harvest time, ripening temperature and ripening days had a significant effect (P<0.001) on ‘Hass’ avocado fruit skin subjective colour development during ripening. However, amongst the treatment factors; harvest time, ripening temperature and ripening days were the predominant factors in skin subjective colour development variation. Hence, late harvest fruit showed an improved skin colour development at higher temperature (25°C) at day 4 to ripening when compared with early and mid-harvest fruit. Moreover, skin lightness showed a decreasing trend during all harvest time and ripening temperature throughout days to ripening during 2014 and 2015 harvest season. Furthermore, ripening at higher temperature (25°C) resulted in rapid decrease on fruit firmness when compared with lower temperature (16°C), irrespective of harvest season and harvest time. In addition, mid-season fruit showed significantly higher chilling damage during the 2014 harvest season. In conclusion, the study showed that harvest season, harvest time, ripening temperature and ripening days factors had a significant influence on ‘Hass’ avocado fruit skin colour development, firmness and susceptibility to chilling injury. / Agricultural Sector Education Training Authority (AgriSeta) and Postharvest Innovation Programme (PHI)

<p>The purpose of this dissertation is to study the fantastic in the tales of the Italian children’s author Gianni Rodari. This analysis is grounded in the hypothesis that the fantastic is primarily characterized by two <i>esthetic qualities</i>, play and lightness, both of which are manifested at different levels in these texts, as well as in the relation between children and adults.</p><p>As a background for the textual analysis in the present work, an introductory review is provided of previous research, followed by a historical and theoretical consideration of fantastical children’s literature, together with a study of Rodari’s own relation to the fantastic. For previous research, the results clearly indicate an arbitrary relationship to Rodari’s texts, such that the fantastic is admittedly recognized, but is often confused with the fairy-tale. However, the present review of the history of Italian fantastical literature for children indicates that Rodari is writing in a fantastical and humorous tradition that begins with <i>Pinocchio</i>, a tradition that is <i>inter alia </i>characterized by its ability to bridge the gap between children’s and adult literature. Based on theoretical definitions of the fairy-tale (Propp, Thompson, Lüthi) and the fantastic (Todorov, Rabkin, Jackson, Held), the present work presents its own model for the study of Rodari’s texts, which are also compared with the author’s own poetics,<i> The Grammar of Fantasy.</i></p><p>A narratological analysis of a tale with both a children’s and an adult version (in itself an example of <i>crosswriting</i>) demonstrates that the fantastic and the humoristic are given freer rein when Rodari is writing for children. This appears to be linked to his concept of the child as the ideal reader, a reader primarily defined by an open and unprejudiced attitude to literature, rather than by age <i>per se</i>. The dissertation’s study of play and lightness (lack of weight) clearly confirms the hypothesis that these elements are a major component of the fantastic in Rodari’s texts; the results nevertheless indicate that play dominates on the level of language, and lightness on that of content.</p><p>One of the most important results of this dissertation is that Rodari’s texts, in addition to possessing certain stylistic characteristics, do not demonstrate any deeper similarities to fairy tales. Instead, the author’s tales share numerous characteristics with the traditional concept of the fantastic such as a clear reaction to the supernatural element, and a particular interest in both the material nature of language and existential liminal regions. At the same time, the results indicate several specific characteristics that distinguish the fantastic in Rodari from that which is written for adults, such as its explicit grounding in the child’s everyday existence and imaginative world, as well as its backgrounding of frightening aspects, with prominence instead being given to playfulness.</p>

The purpose of this dissertation is to study the fantastic in the tales of the Italian children’s author Gianni Rodari. This analysis is grounded in the hypothesis that the fantastic is primarily characterized by two esthetic qualities, play and lightness, both of which are manifested at different levels in these texts, as well as in the relation between children and adults. As a background for the textual analysis in the present work, an introductory review is provided of previous research, followed by a historical and theoretical consideration of fantastical children’s literature, together with a study of Rodari’s own relation to the fantastic. For previous research, the results clearly indicate an arbitrary relationship to Rodari’s texts, such that the fantastic is admittedly recognized, but is often confused with the fairy-tale. However, the present review of the history of Italian fantastical literature for children indicates that Rodari is writing in a fantastical and humorous tradition that begins with Pinocchio, a tradition that is inter alia characterized by its ability to bridge the gap between children’s and adult literature. Based on theoretical definitions of the fairy-tale (Propp, Thompson, Lüthi) and the fantastic (Todorov, Rabkin, Jackson, Held), the present work presents its own model for the study of Rodari’s texts, which are also compared with the author’s own poetics, The Grammar of Fantasy. A narratological analysis of a tale with both a children’s and an adult version (in itself an example of crosswriting) demonstrates that the fantastic and the humoristic are given freer rein when Rodari is writing for children. This appears to be linked to his concept of the child as the ideal reader, a reader primarily defined by an open and unprejudiced attitude to literature, rather than by age per se. The dissertation’s study of play and lightness (lack of weight) clearly confirms the hypothesis that these elements are a major component of the fantastic in Rodari’s texts; the results nevertheless indicate that play dominates on the level of language, and lightness on that of content. One of the most important results of this dissertation is that Rodari’s texts, in addition to possessing certain stylistic characteristics, do not demonstrate any deeper similarities to fairy tales. Instead, the author’s tales share numerous characteristics with the traditional concept of the fantastic such as a clear reaction to the supernatural element, and a particular interest in both the material nature of language and existential liminal regions. At the same time, the results indicate several specific characteristics that distinguish the fantastic in Rodari from that which is written for adults, such as its explicit grounding in the child’s everyday existence and imaginative world, as well as its backgrounding of frightening aspects, with prominence instead being given to playfulness.

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This project is a story of findings. The main intention is to design a workstation for nautical archeologists who are excavating and researching the ruins of the oldest known shipwreck of the world. The use of the building is projected to change over time to house the findings of the research and exhibit this world heritage and the process that brought it into light. Permanence as a concept is the subject of the major inquiry of the architectural investigation through the project. The means to achieve longevity in architecture are explored. Self-sustainability, interrelation of structure and space, lightness, and locality are the issues that are studied pertaining to the question of "temporariness" and "permanence" in architecture. / Master of Architecture

The diploma thesis discusses gender relationships, construction of romantic love, and questions of infidelity in the novel Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. These concepts are examined by means of feminist literary theories that deal with gender as an analytic category and that draw on resistant reading and reader response criticism as major theoretical and methodological points of analysis. The first analytical part focuses on the ways in which femininity and masculinity of the main characters are constructed within the context of patriarchal society under socialism. The second part of the analysis is devoted to various forms of love that appear among the characters. It investigates the role of these love schemes within the presented relationships and focuses on motives of infidelity while considering the gender identity of the characters. By employing gender analysis, this diploma thesis offers a new perspective that reflects on the reproduction of gender stereotypes and departs from existing interpretations of Kundera's major novel.

Der Einsatz von Bildern in den unterschiedlichsten Bereichen ist enorm gestiegen, da Bilder die Fähigkeit haben Erlebnisse, sowie Emotionen zu erzeugen und die Phantasie anzuregen. Zudem lässt die rasante Entwicklung im Multimediabereich die Anzahl der fotografierten und gespeicherten Bilder steigen. Die Suche nach dem „besten Bild“ für z.B. eine Kampagne gestaltet sich schwierig, da die Inhalte mehrerer Bilder zu einem Thema nicht selten eine hohe Ähnlichkeit aufweisen. Die Bilder können sich allerdings sehr deutlich in ihren Low-Level Features, wie Farbton, Sättigung und Helligkeit, unterscheiden. Jedoch ist der Emotional Gap zwischen diesen Low-Level Features und der dahinter steckenden High-Level-Semantik im inhaltsbasierten Image Retrieval nur marginal untersucht. Im Fokus dieser Arbeit steht die Analyse des Einflusses der emotionalen Wirkung eines Bildes auf die Qualität der Image Retrieval Ergebnisse. Dies umfasst zum einen die Untersuchung der von Farbeigenschaften eines Bildes ausgelösten Emotionen, sowie die Evaluation der Ergebnisse einer emotionalen Bildsuche. Durch verschiedene Experimente kann gezeigt werden, dass die Helligkeit und der Farbton die emotionale Wahrnehmung eines Bildes maßgeblich beeinflussen. Anhand der Ergebnisse konnte eine emotionale Annotation von Bildern und somit die Einbindung von Emotionen in den Suchprozess ermöglicht werden. Die anschließende Evaluierung der Suchergebnisse zeigt, dass die Qualität der Ergebnisse des Image Retrievals verbessert werden konnte. / The use of pictures in a variety of areas has increased tremendously in recent years, as they stimulate a person’s imagination and help to create first experiences and emotions. Furthermore, the rapid developments in multimedia have led to an escalation of the number of digitally stored pictures and photographs. Consequently, finding the ‘best picture’ for a convincing advertising campaign has been becoming increasingly difficult due to the abundance of available pictures. To further complicate this search process, a lot of pictures related to a specific topic are very similar with regard to their content. However, their low-level features, such as hue, saturation, and luminance, might differ considerably. Therefore, this work focusses on the influence of emotional characteristics on the image retrieval process. This includes the study of emotions caused by the color properties of a picture, as well as the evaluation of the results of an emotional image retrieval processes. Results of different experiments show that a picture’s luminance and color have the power to influence emotion. The subsequent evaluation of the results shows an improvement of emotional image retrieval processes. Consequently, one can conclude that the consideration of emotions for ranking affects the quality of the results of the Image Retrieval positively.

The thesis focuses on the translations of Czech literature in Finland, specifically on the person of eminent translator from Czech into Finnish, Kirsti Siraste. It describes the historical context of the second half of the 20th century when Siraste worked as an active translator, the ideology of the era which influenced the whole social climate, i. e. the translator's and publisher's work as well; and the position of Czech literature in Finland at that time. The thesis also maps the comprehensive situation of literary translation in Finland because Czech literature is a part of literary translation production as a whole. Another focus point of the thesis is the research of norms in literary translation and Finnish literary production as well. The last part of the thesis is a translatological analysis of one of Siraste's translations, specifically The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. The analysis consists of a comparison of the Czech and the Finnish text focusing on political references, which might become a subject of (self-)censorship, and other realities in the text; and other integral parts of translatological analysis - characteristics of Milan Kundera as a writer, and his work, the Czech version of the novel as a whole, the translation in the context, and the reception of the...