The Lara Phenomenon: Powerful Female Characters in Video Games

The content of games is an understudied area in social scientific research about video games. The purpose of the present study is to contribute to the understanding of the portrayal of gender and race in games. Previous research on game content has revealed that stereotypical masculine characters dominate video games and that those characters are generally White. Nowadays, quite a few video games have women in leading parts; Tomb Raider's Lara Croft is the prototypical example. In our study we investigated the so-called 'Lara phenomenon,' that is, the appearance of a competent female character in a dominant position. We also studied the portrayal of men and the race of both male and female characters. We did a content analysis on the introductory films of 12 contemporary video games. Our results show that female characters appeared as often in leading parts as male characters did. They were portrayed with a sexualized emphasis on female features. Most game characters belonged to the dominant White race, the heroes exclusively so

Neutron workplace spectrometry (Energy And Direction) using Tl detectors: First approach and response functions.

The response of albedo dosemeters depends on the energy and angle of the incident neutron radiation. For their use as personal dosemeters, a field-calibration factor has to be applied. The presently used single sphere method for field calibration can be extended and optimised by putting five albedo dosemeters on the surface of a polyethylene sphere and two TL cards in the centre. To investigate the potential of this extension, reference measurements and Monte Carlo calculations were performed and the fluence response of the detectors at different positions on and within the sphere was determined. Calculated response functions demonstrate that information on the energy and directional distribution of neutron fluence can be extracted with this simple set-up for unknown neutron fields

Reconstruction of individual cumulative radon exposures by low-level in vivo measurements and biokinetic modeling.

In vivo skull measurements of Pb-210 have been performed to assess the individual, chronic exposures of two persons living for 28 years in a house with a distinctly enhanced radon concentration of more than 10,000 Bq/m(3). A partial body counter consisting of 4 HPGe detectors, which were placed close to parietal positions of the head, was used in the study. The lower limit of detection of Pb-210 activity in the skeleton was found to be 40 Bq. Lead-210 activities of up to 152 Bq were found in the test persons, whereas no activity could be measured in an unexposed control person. The cumulative uptake of Pb-210 into the body was assessed for each single test person by using the ICRP respiratory tract and the biokinetic models. A fairly good agreement (within a factor of 2) between in vivo measurements and model was achieved for these two test persons. The technique used in the study may be a useful tool to evaluate assumptions, which have to be made for the reconstruction of individual, cumulative exposures to high radon concentrations

Study long-term radon progency in humans for retrospective evaluation of radon exposure 412 Springer.

An individual in vivo monitor using seven Germanium detectors with a total area of 24,000 mm^2 was prepared for ^210Pb skull measurements. System calibration with anthropomorphic head phantoms and a straightforward efficiency estimation yielded a minimum detectable activity (MDA) of 6.7 Bq and a lower limit of detection (LLD) of 14 Bq (CL: 95%). Two selected persons were measured for 1 h each to reconstruct their cumulative radon exposure. From the added pulse height spectrum a ^210Pb activity in the skull of 3.1±7.2 Bq (result with 95%-CL) was estimated, but clear conclusions on their radon exposure using a new metabolism model of lead in man could not be drawn. Further improvements in the selection of highly exposed persons as well as head calibration and Lackground reduction are necessary using this attempt for retrospective exposure reconstruction