279 research outputs found

    Geoarchaeological Approaches to Pictish Settlement Sites: Assessing Heritage at Risk

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    Due to the poor preservation of Pictish period buildings and the occupation deposits within them, very little is known of daily life in early medieval Scotland. In lowland and coastal areas, Pictish buildings are generally truncated by deep ploughing, coastal erosion, or urban development, while those uncovered in upland areas seem to have no preserved floor deposits for reasons that remain poorly understood. Geoarchaeological techniques are particularly effective in clarifying site formation processes and understanding post-depositional transformations. They are also a powerful research tool for identifying floor deposits, distinguishing their composition, and linking this to daily activities. However, archaeologists are often reluctant to apply geoarchaeological methods if they suspect preservation is poor or stratigraphy is not visible in the field. This study therefore employs an innovative suite of geoarchaeological techniques to evaluate the preservation of Pictish period buildings and the potential that fragmentary buildings have to reconstruct daily life in early medieval Scotland. Alongside literature analysis and a desk-based comparison with national soil datasets, over 400 sediment samples from three key settlement sites were subjected to integrated soil micromorphology, x-ray fluorescence, magnetic susceptibility, loss-on-ignition, pH, electrical conductivity and microrefuse analysis. The combined data were successful in generating new information about the depositional and post-depositional history of the sites, preservation conditions of the occupation deposits, and activity areas within domestic dwellings. Most significantly, the integrated approach demonstrated that ephemeral and fragmented occupation surfaces retain surviving characteristics of the use of space, even if floors are not preserved well enough to be clearly defined in the field or in thin-section. A partnership with Historic Environment Scotland has channelled this work into research-led guidelines aimed at communicating geoarchaeological methods and principles to a wider audience

    DOT-M: A Dual Offline Transaction Scheme of Central Bank Digital Currency for Trusted Mobile Devices

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    In recent years, many major economies have paid close attention to central bank digital currency (CBDC). As an optional attribute of CBDC, dual offline transaction is considered to have great practical value under the circumstances for payment without network connection. However, there is no public report or paper on how to securely design or implement the dual offline transaction function specifically for CBDC. In this paper, we propose DOT-M, a practical dual offline transaction scheme designed for the mobile device user as either a payer or a payee. Precisely, adopting secure element (SE) and trusted execution environment (TEE), the architecture of trusted mobile device is constructed to protect security-sensitive keys and execution of the transaction protocol. According to the trusted architecture, the data structure for offline transaction is designed as well. On this basis, we describe the core procedures of DOT-M in detail, including registration, account synchronization, dual offline transaction, and online data updating. We also enumerate the exceptional situations that may occur during the dual offline transaction, and give specific handling methods for each situation. Moreover, six security properties of the scheme are analyzed under realistic assumptions. A prototype system is implemented and finally tested with possible parameters. The security analysis and experimental results indicate that our scheme could meet the practical requirement of CBDC offline transaction for mobile users from both aspects of security and efficiency

    Deep Learning Method for Power Side-Channel Analysis on Chip Leakages

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    Power side channel analysis signal analysis is automated using deep learning. Signal processing and cryptanalytic techniques are necessary components of power side channel analysis. Chip leakages can be found using a classification approach called deep learning. In addition to this, we do this so that the deep learning network can automatically tackle signal processing difficulties such as re-alignment and noise reduction. We were able to break minimally protected Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), as well as masking-countermeasure AES and protected elliptic-curve cryptography (ECC). These results demonstrate that the attacker knowledge required for side channel analysis, which had previously placed a significant emphasis on human abilities, is decreasing. This research will appeal to individuals with a technical background who have an interest in deep learning, side channel analysis, and security

    Exploring Animal Behavior Through Sound: Volume 1

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    This open-access book empowers its readers to explore the acoustic world of animals. By listening to the sounds of nature, we can study animal behavior, distribution, and demographics; their habitat characteristics and needs; and the effects of noise. Sound recording is an efficient and affordable tool, independent of daylight and weather; and recorders may be left in place for many months at a time, continuously collecting data on animals and their environment. This book builds the skills and knowledge necessary to collect and interpret acoustic data from terrestrial and marine environments. Beginning with a history of sound recording, the chapters provide an overview of off-the-shelf recording equipment and analysis tools (including automated signal detectors and statistical methods); audiometric methods; acoustic terminology, quantities, and units; sound propagation in air and under water; soundscapes of terrestrial and marine habitats; animal acoustic and vibrational communication; echolocation; and the effects of noise. This book will be useful to students and researchers of animal ecology who wish to add acoustics to their toolbox, as well as to environmental managers in industry and government

    Ecosystem services from woody vegetation in East African rangelands

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    Drylands cover nearly half of the Earth's land surface and are dominated by croplands and rangelands. Dryland ecosystems worldwide are affected by land degradation. Increased population pressure, climate change and unsustainable land use threaten essential ecosystem services and adversely impact people’s livelihoods and well-being. Dryland inhabitants in developing countries are highly dependent on ecosystem services from woody plants, and tree-based restoration measures are thus of utmost importance. However, effective restoration requires a better understanding of the complexity and variability of these ecosystems and the needs of the people living there, a perspective that is often lacking. Restoration interventions have mostly focused on agricultural land and farmers and less on rangelands and (agro)pastoralists. Rangelands are characterized by a naturally low tree cover, and the importance of trees in these areas has thus often been overlooked. This study aims to contribute more knowledge on the importance of woody plants to rangeland inhabitants, focusing on the contribution of different species in providing important ecosystem services, as well as how people manage woody vegetation and how this management, in turn, affects woody vegetation. Two different sites with different dominant livelihood strategies were selected for this study; Chepareria in West Pokot County, Kenya, dominated by agro-pastoralists, and Rupa in Moroto District, Uganda, dominated by pastoralists. Findings from this study show that people in these two sites possessed significant knowledge of woody plants and their benefits. People perceived several ecosystem services from woody plants, most of which were associated with native species. The most valued ecosystem services were food, firewood, fodder and improved local climate. Although most ecosystem services identified in both sites were similar, the associated species often differed. In Chepareria, the land was dominated by privately managed enclosures, while in Rupa, it was mainly open common access communal land. In both sites, people actively managed woody plants to preserve and protect them, although with more emphasis on assisted natural regeneration in Rupa. Despite this, local people perceived that the native tree cover had decreased in both sites, negatively affecting the availability of critical ecosystem services. In Chepareria, the decline was attributed to land use change and increased grazing pressure, while in Rupa, it was attributed to a shift in livelihood strategies from livestock keeping to charcoal production. Due to insufficient data, results on links between land-use, access to land, preferred species and ecosystem services, and woody species presence and abundance in the landscape were inconclusive. The many differences between the two studied sites clearly highlight that restoration requires tailored strategies with a bottom-up approach that considers the local people's knowledge, experience, needs, and aspirations

    Achieving sustainable wastewater treatment through Nexus thinking

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    This present habilitation thesis in wastewater systems explores the theoretical and practical implications of achieving sustainability through and in wastewater treatment. It herby uses the discussions on circularity, sustainability and nexus thinking while investigating their relationship amongst each other and in their relation to wastewater treatment. This thesis consists of seven main chapters. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the approach in which the present manuscript delves into the aspects of circularity, sustainability and nexus concepts and wastewater treatment. Chapter 2 to 5 contain the manuscripts that relate to (a) conceptual considerations, (b) examples of circularity, (c) sustainability assessments and (d) nexus applications. Chapter 6 provides a series of lessons learned from the collated findings. Chapter 7 holds the appendix with supplemental information from the respective manuscripts. The work is based on a variety of publications that the author and her team members produced primarily between January 2016 and October 2019 (and in part until the submission of this thesis). While they include 5 published first-author peer-reviewed publications some sections also contain further relevant co-authored publications. Water security is key for a sustainable world. Wastewater can play a critical role towards provisioning water sustainably to address water scarcity and water stress. However, wastewater treatment is currently itself not sustainable. For wastewater treatment to be put on a sustainable footing, systemic change of the sector and the way wastewater is viewed needs to occur. Wastewater treatment can provide a series of resources for circular use – with nature-based solutions offering co-benefits over grey infrastructure that extend to other nexus sectors such as food and energy. However, circularity does not necessarily equate with sustainability. Environmental components are just one of the three dimensions of sustainability, but data for indicators for social and economic aspects of wastewater treatment are scarce. Moving towards sustainable solutions may only be possible by employing tools that step away from an ever-better understanding of current systems and shifting towards modes of analysis that help generate target and transformation knowledge in inter- and transdisciplinary research and project settings. These views mandate a radical revision of current curricula of engineers and other disciplines to include courses on social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability. Training in designing, conducting and evaluating participatory processes that include a variety of stakeholders may significantly improve future generations’ capacities to design, construct, and operate sustainable wastewater treatment systems that provide treated wastewater as a sustainable source of water in a water secure world.:ABSTRACT vii ZUSAMMENFASSUNG (ABSTRACT in German) ix ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xi 1 Introduction 2 1.1 Scope 2 1.2 The structure of this work 8 1.3 References 10 2 Conceptual explorations 14 2.1 Learning from Integrated Management Approaches to Implement the Nexus 15 2.1.1 Introduction 16 2.1.2 Methods 19 2.1.3 Results 21 2.1.4 Discussion 26 2.1.5 Conclusion 27 2.1.6 References 29 2.2 Making the Water–Soil–Waste Nexus Work: Framing the Boundaries of Resource Flows 33 2.2.1 Introduction 34 2.2.2 An Overview of Integrated Approaches Related to the WSW Nexus 36 2.2.3 The System Boundaries of Integrated Environmental Management Approaches 38 2.2.4 What Is Different This Time?—The Boundary of the Water–Soil–Waste Nexus System 41 2.2.5 Illustrating the Boundaries of the WSW Nexus System—Case Studies 43 2.2.6 Conclusions 48 2.2.7 References and Notes 50 3 Examples of circularity 56 3.1 The Role of Constructed Wetlands for Biomass Production within the Water-Soil-Waste Nexus 59 3.1.1 Introduction 60 3.1.2 Methods 63 3.1.3 Results and discussion 63 3.1.4 Conclusions 68 3.1.5 References 70 3.2 Constructed Wetlands for Resource Recovery in Developing Countries 73 3.2.1 Introduction 74 3.2.2 Methods 76 3.2.3 Results 80 3.2.4 Discussion 91 3.2.5 Conclusions 99 3.2.6 References 102 4 Assessing sustainability of wastewater systems 110 4.1 Assessing Sustainability of Wastewater Management Systems in a Multi-Scalar, Transdisciplinary Manner in Latin America 113 4.1.1 Introduction 114 4.1.2 Materials and Methods 116 4.1.3 Results 124 4.1.4 Discussion 129 4.1.5 Conclusion 132 4.1.6 References 134 4.2 Selecting Sustainable Sewage Sludge Reuse Options through a Systematic Assessment Framework: Methodology and Case Study in Latin America 137 4.2.1 Introduction 138 4.2.2 Methods 139 4.2.3 Results and discussion 141 4.2.4 Conclusion 154 4.2.5 References 156 5 Applying the Nexus 160 5.1 Considering Resources Beyond Water: Irrigation and Drainage Management in the Context of the Water–Energy–Food Nexus 161 5.1.1 Introduction 163 5.1.2 Integrating resource management through Nexus thinking 165 5.1.3 Assessing the negative and positive environmental effects of irrigation, and the provision of ecosystem services 169 5.1.4 The role of stakeholders in governing irrigation 171 5.1.5 Conclusion 173 5.1.6 References 175 5.2 Co-generating knowledge in nexus research for sustainable wastewater management 177 5.2.1 Introduction 178 5.2.2 Material and Methods 180 5.2.3 Results 184 5.2.4 Discussion 202 5.2.5 Conclusions 204 5.2.6 References 206 6 Lessons learned and outlook 210 6.1 Increased circularity does not equate in increased sustainability. 212 6.2 Data scarcity hampers quantitative knowledge generation. 214 6.3 Moving from systems’ understanding to comprehensive knowledge generation for systemic change. 217 6.4 Participation and inclusion of stakeholders is important and should not be an afterthought. 218 6.5 References 221 7 Supplemental Information (SI)/Supplemental Material (SM) 226 7.1 SI for 4.1 ‘Assessing Sustainability of Wastewater Management Systems in a Multi-Scalar, Transdisciplinary Manner in Latin America’ 226 Appendix A 226 Appendix B 233 Appendix C 240 Appendix D 241 Appendix E 243 Appendix F 251 7.2 SI for 4.2 ‘Selecting Sustainable Sewage Sludge Reuse Options through a Systematic Assessment Framework: Methodology and Case Study in Latin America’ 256 7.3 SI for 5.1 ‘Co-generating knowledge in nexus research for sustainable wastewater management’ 261 7.3.1 SM1: Expert interview questionnaire assessing information on stakeholder’s perspectives. 261 7.3.2 SM2: Wickedness Analysis questions 264 7.3.3 SM3: Detailed results of the stakeholder perspective of wastewater treatment in each case 265 7.3.4 SM4: Detailed responses to the workshop/training evaluations 272 8 Contribution of the author in collaborative publications 283 9 Eidesstattliche Versicherung 285Diese Habilitationsschrift untersucht die theoretischen und praktischen Implikationen der Erreichung von Nachhaltigkeit durch und in der Abwasserbehandlung. Sie nutzt die Diskussionen ĂŒber Kreislaufwirtschaft, Nachhaltigkeit und Nexus-Denken und untersucht deren Beziehung untereinander und in ihrem VerhĂ€ltnis zur Abwasserbehandlung. Dieses Manuskript besteht aus sieben Hauptkapiteln. Kapitel 1 gibt einen Überblick ĂŒber den Ansatz, in dem das vorliegende Manuskript die Aspekte der Kreislaufwirtschaft, Nachhaltigkeit und Nexus-Konzepte und Abwasserbehandlung untersucht. Kapitel 2 bis 5 enthĂ€lt die Manuskripte, die sich auf (a) konzeptionelle Überlegungen, (b) Beispiele fĂŒr Kreislaufwirtschaft, c) Nachhaltigkeitsbewertungen und (d) Nexusanwendungen beziehen. Kapitel 6 enthĂ€lt eine Reihe von Einsichten, die aus den gesammelten Erkenntnissen gezogen wurden. Das letzte Kapitel enthĂ€lt die Zusatzdaten und -informationen einiger der Artikel. Die Arbeit basiert auf einer Vielzahl von Publikationen, die die Autorin und ihre Teammitglieder hauptsĂ€chlich zwischen Januar 2016 und Oktober 2019 (und teilweise bis zur Einreichung dieser Arbeit) erstellt haben. WĂ€hrend sie 5 veröffentlichte Erstautoren-Peer-Review-Publikationen umfassen, enthalten manche Abschnitte auch weitere relevante, mitverfasste Veröffentlichungen. Wassersicherheit ist unumgĂ€nglich fĂŒr eine nachhaltige Welt. Abwasser kann eine SchlĂŒsselrolle bei der Bereitstellung einer nachhaltigen Wasserquelle spielen, um Wasserknappheit und Wasserstress zu bewĂ€ltigen. Die Abwasserbehandlung selbst ist jedoch derzeit nicht nachhaltig. Damit die Abwasserbehandlung auf eine nachhaltige Grundlage gestellt werden kann, mĂŒssen die Sektoren und die Art und Weise, wie Abwasser betrachtet wird, verĂ€ndert werden. Die Abwasserbehandlung kann eine Reihe von Ressourcen fĂŒr die Kreislaufwirtschaft bereitstellen – naturbasierte Lösungen bieten weitere Vorteile gegenĂŒber grauer Infrastruktur, die sich auf andere Nexus-Sektoren wie Nahrung und Energie erstrecken. Kreislaufwirtschaft ist jedoch nicht unbedingt gleichbedeutend mit Nachhaltigkeit. Umweltkomponenten sind nur eine der drei Dimensionen der Nachhaltigkeit, aber Daten fĂŒr Indikatoren fĂŒr soziale und wirtschaftliche Aspekte der Abwasserbehandlung sind rar. Der Übergang zu nachhaltigen Lösungen ist möglicherweise nur möglich, wenn Instrumente eingesetzt werden, die sich von einem immer besseren VerstĂ€ndnis aktueller Systeme entfernen und sich in Richtung Analysemodi bewegen, die dazu beitragen, Ziel- und Transformationswissen in inter- und transdisziplinĂ€ren Forschungs- und Projektumgebungen zu generieren. Diese Ergebnisse schreiben eine radikale Überarbeitung der aktuellen LehrplĂ€ne von Ingenieuren und anderen Disziplinen vor, um Kurse ĂŒber soziale, wirtschaftliche und ökologische Dimensionen der Nachhaltigkeit aufzunehmen. Schulungen in der Konzeption, DurchfĂŒhrung und Bewertung partizipatorischer Prozesse, die eine Vielzahl von Akteuren einbeziehen, können die KapazitĂ€ten der zukĂŒnftigen Generation zur Planung, Konstruktion und zum Betrieb nachhaltiger Abwasserbehandlungssysteme, die behandeltes Abwasser als nachhaltige Wasserquelle in einer wassersicheren Welt bereitstellen, erheblich verbessern.:ABSTRACT vii ZUSAMMENFASSUNG (ABSTRACT in German) ix ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xi 1 Introduction 2 1.1 Scope 2 1.2 The structure of this work 8 1.3 References 10 2 Conceptual explorations 14 2.1 Learning from Integrated Management Approaches to Implement the Nexus 15 2.1.1 Introduction 16 2.1.2 Methods 19 2.1.3 Results 21 2.1.4 Discussion 26 2.1.5 Conclusion 27 2.1.6 References 29 2.2 Making the Water–Soil–Waste Nexus Work: Framing the Boundaries of Resource Flows 33 2.2.1 Introduction 34 2.2.2 An Overview of Integrated Approaches Related to the WSW Nexus 36 2.2.3 The System Boundaries of Integrated Environmental Management Approaches 38 2.2.4 What Is Different This Time?—The Boundary of the Water–Soil–Waste Nexus System 41 2.2.5 Illustrating the Boundaries of the WSW Nexus System—Case Studies 43 2.2.6 Conclusions 48 2.2.7 References and Notes 50 3 Examples of circularity 56 3.1 The Role of Constructed Wetlands for Biomass Production within the Water-Soil-Waste Nexus 59 3.1.1 Introduction 60 3.1.2 Methods 63 3.1.3 Results and discussion 63 3.1.4 Conclusions 68 3.1.5 References 70 3.2 Constructed Wetlands for Resource Recovery in Developing Countries 73 3.2.1 Introduction 74 3.2.2 Methods 76 3.2.3 Results 80 3.2.4 Discussion 91 3.2.5 Conclusions 99 3.2.6 References 102 4 Assessing sustainability of wastewater systems 110 4.1 Assessing Sustainability of Wastewater Management Systems in a Multi-Scalar, Transdisciplinary Manner in Latin America 113 4.1.1 Introduction 114 4.1.2 Materials and Methods 116 4.1.3 Results 124 4.1.4 Discussion 129 4.1.5 Conclusion 132 4.1.6 References 134 4.2 Selecting Sustainable Sewage Sludge Reuse Options through a Systematic Assessment Framework: Methodology and Case Study in Latin America 137 4.2.1 Introduction 138 4.2.2 Methods 139 4.2.3 Results and discussion 141 4.2.4 Conclusion 154 4.2.5 References 156 5 Applying the Nexus 160 5.1 Considering Resources Beyond Water: Irrigation and Drainage Management in the Context of the Water–Energy–Food Nexus 161 5.1.1 Introduction 163 5.1.2 Integrating resource management through Nexus thinking 165 5.1.3 Assessing the negative and positive environmental effects of irrigation, and the provision of ecosystem services 169 5.1.4 The role of stakeholders in governing irrigation 171 5.1.5 Conclusion 173 5.1.6 References 175 5.2 Co-generating knowledge in nexus research for sustainable wastewater management 177 5.2.1 Introduction 178 5.2.2 Material and Methods 180 5.2.3 Results 184 5.2.4 Discussion 202 5.2.5 Conclusions 204 5.2.6 References 206 6 Lessons learned and outlook 210 6.1 Increased circularity does not equate in increased sustainability. 212 6.2 Data scarcity hampers quantitative knowledge generation. 214 6.3 Moving from systems’ understanding to comprehensive knowledge generation for systemic change. 217 6.4 Participation and inclusion of stakeholders is important and should not be an afterthought. 218 6.5 References 221 7 Supplemental Information (SI)/Supplemental Material (SM) 226 7.1 SI for 4.1 ‘Assessing Sustainability of Wastewater Management Systems in a Multi-Scalar, Transdisciplinary Manner in Latin America’ 226 Appendix A 226 Appendix B 233 Appendix C 240 Appendix D 241 Appendix E 243 Appendix F 251 7.2 SI for 4.2 ‘Selecting Sustainable Sewage Sludge Reuse Options through a Systematic Assessment Framework: Methodology and Case Study in Latin America’ 256 7.3 SI for 5.1 ‘Co-generating knowledge in nexus research for sustainable wastewater management’ 261 7.3.1 SM1: Expert interview questionnaire assessing information on stakeholder’s perspectives. 261 7.3.2 SM2: Wickedness Analysis questions 264 7.3.3 SM3: Detailed results of the stakeholder perspective of wastewater treatment in each case 265 7.3.4 SM4: Detailed responses to the workshop/training evaluations 272 8 Contribution of the author in collaborative publications 283 9 Eidesstattliche Versicherung 28

    Bio-Inspired Soft Artificial Muscles for Robotic and Healthcare Applications

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    Soft robotics and soft artificial muscles have emerged as prolific research areas and have gained substantial traction over the last two decades. There is a large paradigm shift of research interests in soft artificial muscles for robotic and medical applications due to their soft, flexible and compliant characteristics compared to rigid actuators. Soft artificial muscles provide safe human-machine interaction, thus promoting their implementation in medical fields such as wearable assistive devices, haptic devices, soft surgical instruments and cardiac compression devices. Depending on the structure and material composition, soft artificial muscles can be controlled with various excitation sources, including electricity, magnetic fields, temperature and pressure. Pressure-driven artificial muscles are among the most popular soft actuators due to their fast response, high exertion force and energy efficiency. Although significant progress has been made, challenges remain for a new type of artificial muscle that is easy to manufacture, flexible, multifunctional and has a high length-to-diameter ratio. Inspired by human muscles, this thesis proposes a soft, scalable, flexible, multifunctional, responsive, and high aspect ratio hydraulic filament artificial muscle (HFAM) for robotic and medical applications. The HFAM consists of a silicone tube inserted inside a coil spring, which expands longitudinally when receiving positive hydraulic pressure. This simple fabrication method enables low-cost and mass production of a wide range of product sizes and materials. This thesis investigates the characteristics of the proposed HFAM and two implementations, as a wearable soft robotic glove to aid in grasping objects, and as a smart surgical suture for perforation closure. Multiple HFAMs are also combined by twisting and braiding techniques to enhance their performance. In addition, smart textiles are created from HFAMs using traditional knitting and weaving techniques for shape-programmable structures, shape-morphing soft robots and smart compression devices for massage therapy. Finally, a proof-of-concept robotic cardiac compression device is developed by arranging HFAMs in a special configuration to assist in heart failure treatment. Overall this fundamental work contributes to the development of soft artificial muscle technologies and paves the way for future comprehensive studies to develop HFAMs for specific medical and robotic requirements

    Landscape-Level Long-Term Biological Research and Monitoring Plan for the Crane Trust

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    Our obligation is to make sure we are effectively utilizing science to meet the objectives of the Platte River Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust (1981) laid out in its charter “to rehabilitate and preserve a portion of the habitat for Whooping Cranes and other migratory birds in the Big Bend reach of the Platte River between Overton and Chapman (i.e., Central Platte River Valley), Nebraska”. The original declaration is aimed at maintaining “the physical, hydrological, and biological integrity of the Big Bend area as a life-support system for the Whooping Crane and other migratory species that utilize it.” It was clear from the institution’s founding that to accomplish this goal it was necessary to study the effectiveness of land conservation and management actions in providing habitat for Whooping Cranes and other migratory bird species. Quality habitat necessarily comprises all the components that Whooping Cranes and other migratory bird life require to complete their migrations –food and shelter– including nutrient rich diet items such as invertebrates, vascular plants, herpetofauna, fish, and small mammals as well as suitable roosting and foraging locations including wide braided rivers and undisturbed wet meadows (Allen 1952; Steenhof et al. 1988; Geluso 2013; Caven et al. 2019, 2021). Article “A” of the Crane Trust’s (1981) declaration is “to establish a written habitat monitoring plan which can be used to describe change in
[habitat] within the Big Bend of the Platte River
utilized by Sandhill Cranes and Whooping Cranes
.” Following initial inventories including avian (Hay and Lingle 1982), vegetation (Kolstad 1981; Nagel 1981), small mammals (Springer 1981), herpetofauna (Jones et al. 1981), insects (Ratcliffe 1981), and fish (Cochar and Jenson 1981), a variety of excellent research has continued at the Crane Trust (https://cranetrust.org/conservation-research/publications/). However, despite the clarity of the Trust’s original declaration, long-term habitat monitoring has not progressed unabated throughout the history of the Crane Trust.https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/zeabook/1130/thumbnail.jp

    Video game trailers: how storytelling is used to create identification and appeal with audiences

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    Video game trailers are an effective promotional form of intermediation that enables audiences to navigate and engage with old and new media. Although video game trailers function as advertisements designed to sell a game, they are also stories that provoke social media commentary and debate. Trailers aim to draw the viewer in, convey sound and imagery, and evoke an involuntary reaction of excitement and awe. In this thesis, I will be using the games Fallout 4, Watch Dogs 2, and Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate. In the case studies, I investigate how viewers make sense of the promotional and storytelling aspects of video game trailers. I examine how video game trailers have the potential to arouse emotions and interest before viewers even play the game. Trailers provide an insight into the basic gameplay, not only into the gameplay but also into the story and the characters (protagonists and antagonists). They show audiences the video game theme genre and provide the viewer with a visual and auditory tool to entice possession. This project explores these themes, showing how video game trailers have an inherited cinematic quality but also how trailers actually spend little time presenting actual gameplay. There is a clear connection with movie trailers, teasing the events that will take place in the game and asking the player what will happen next. In this study, I used the methods of narrative analysis and textual analysis to analyse comments from YouTube, Facebook, and a survey of video gamers. The textual analysis of the trailers raises questions of representation and authenticity. In this research, I identified an incongruity between the representation of the core features of a game and the promotion of those features in the trailer. The narrative analysis of the trailers focused on storytelling and emplotment in the trailers. A key theme that has emerged from the analysis is that superheroes engage in vigilantism, a justifiable form of self-administered violence. Gamers may feel at ease with the violence used to correct perceived injustices. There is potential for gamers to consider the moral grey area of vigilante violence and romanticised vigilantism. With their enhanced ability to simulate complex interactive narratives for actual and simulated authenticity, video games offer a sophisticated engagement with players that contributes significantly to their widespread and universal support. The role of culturally created characters in the experience of playing a video game helps stimulate philosophical research. I explore whether normative audience expectations can speed up the development of cultural expectations about the relationship between the player and the narrative of the game and its audience. In this context, I examine case study video game trailers and ask what it means to revise our understanding of the relationship between power, law, and morality while playing the game. I examine and critique how the narrative, and thus the mechanics of a specific game, shapes our understanding of connection, power, law, or morality; I contend that prestige reflects normative privilege and law
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