@article{Andres2013, author = {Andres, Katharina}, title = {'Fashion's Final Frontier': The Correlation of Gender Roles and Fashion in Star Trek}, series = {Culture Unbound}, volume = {5}, journal = {Culture Unbound}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-128827}, pages = {639-649}, year = {2013}, abstract = {Since its creation in 1966, Star Trek has been a dominant part of popular culture and as thus served as the source for many cultural references. Star Trek's creator Gene Roddenberry wanted to realize his vision of a utopia but at the same time, he used the futuristic setting of the show to comment on the present time, on actual social and political circumstances. This means that each series can be regarded as a mirror image of the time in which it was created. The clothing of the characters in the different series is one part of that image. The uniforms of The Original Se-ries show influences of the 1960s pop art movement as well as the mini-skirt trend that experienced its peak in that decade. In the course of almost 40 years, howev-er, many things changed. In the 1990s, in Deep Space Nine and Voyager, a unisex uniform replaced the mini-dresses, with few exceptions; the colorful shirts gave way to ones that were mostly black. This trend continues into the new century. This essay interprets the evolution of the female officers' uniforms from femi-nized dresses to androgynous clothing over the development of the series as a reflection of the change of gender roles in contemporary American society. The general functions of the female characters' uniforms are the central object of its analysis while the few, but noteworthy exceptions to this pattern are given specif-ic attention. Finally, one of the most intriguing lines of enquiry is, how the pre-quel series Enterprise, supposed to be set before The Original Series, but pro-duced and aired from 2001 to 2005, fits in the picture.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Dietz2013, author = {Dietz, Andreas}, title = {Central Asian Snow Cover Characteristics between 1986 and 2012 derived from Time Series of Medium Resolution Remote Sensing Data}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-101221}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2013}, abstract = {The eminent importance of snow cover for climatic, hydrologic, anthropogenic, and economic reasons has been widely discussed in scientific literature. Up to 50\% of the Northern Hemisphere is covered by snow at least temporarily, turning snow to the most prevalent land cover types at all. Depending on regular precipitation and temperatures below freezing point it is obvious that a changing climate effects snow cover characteristics fundamentally. Such changes can have severe impacts on local, national, and even global scale. The region of Central Asia is not an exception from this general rule, but are the consequences accompanying past, present, and possible future changes in snow cover parameters of particular importance. Being characterized by continental climate with hot and dry summers most precipitation accumulates during winter and spring months in the form of snow. The population in this 4,000,000 km² vast area is strongly depending on irrigation to facilitate agriculture. Additionally, electricity is often generated by hydroelectric power stations. A large proportion of the employed water originates from snow melt during spring months, implying that changes in snow cover characteristics will automatically affect both the total amount of obtainable water and the time when this water becomes available. The presented thesis explores the question how the spatial extent of snow covered surface has evolved since the year 1986. This investigation is based on the processing of medium resolution remote sensing data originating from daily MODIS and AVHRR sensors, thus forming a unique approach of snow cover analysis in terms of temporal and spatial resolution. Not only duration but also onset and melt of snow coverage are tracked over time, analyzing for systematic changes within this 26 years lasting time span. AVHRR data are processed from raw Level 1B orbit data to Level 3 thematic snow cover products. Both, AVHRR and MODIS snow maps undergo a further post-processing, producing daily full-area mosaics while completely eliminating inherent cloud cover. Snow cover parameters are derived based on these daily and cloud-free time series, allowing for a detailed analysis of current status and changes. The results confirm the predictions made by coarse resolution predictions from climate models: Central Asian snow cover is changing, posing new challenges for the ecosystem and future water supply. The changes, however, are not aimed at only one direction. Regions with decreasing snow cover exist as well as those where the duration of snow cover increases. A shift towards earlier snow cover start and melt can be observed, posing a serious challenge to water management authorities due to a changed runoff regime.}, subject = {Zentralasien}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Schwindt2013, author = {Schwindt, Daniel}, title = {Permafrost in ventilated talus slopes below the timberline - A multi-methodological study on the ground thermal regime and its impact on the temporal variability and spatial heterogeneity of permafrost at three sites in the Swiss Alps}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-90099}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2013}, abstract = {In the central Alps permafrost can be expected above 2300 m a.s.l., at altitudes where mean annual air temperatures are below -1 °C. Isolated permafrost occurrences can be detected in north-exposed talus slopes, far below the timberline, where mean annual air temperatures are positive. Driving factors are assumed to be a low income of solar radiation, a thick organic layer with high insulation capacities as well as the thermally induced chimney effect. Aim of this study is to achieve a deeper understanding of the factors determining the site-specific thermal regime, as well as the spatially limited and temporally highly variable permafrost occurrences in vegetated talus slopes. Three supercooled talus slopes in the Swiss Alps were chosen for investigation. Substantially different characteristics were a central criterion in the selection of study sites. Located in the Upper Engadin, climatic conditions, altitude as well as dimensions of the talus slopes are comparable for the study sites Val Bever and Val Susauna; major differences are rooted in the nature of talus substrate and in humus- and vegetation distribution. Characteristics of the Br{\"u}eltobel site, located in the Appenzeller Alps, diverge with regard to climatic conditions, altitude and dimensions of the talus slope; humus- and vegetation compositions are comparable to the Val Susauna site. Confirmation and characterisation of ground ice is accomplished by the application of electrical resistivity and seismic refraction tomography. The estimation of the spatial permafrost distribution is based on quasi-3D resistivity imaging. For the confirmation of permafrost and the analysis of its temporal variability electrical resistivity monitoring arrays were constructed and installed at all study sites, to allow year-round measurements. In addition to resistivity monitoring, the - up to now - first seismic refraction tomography winter monitoring was conducted at the Val Susauna to analyse the permafrost evolution during the winter half-year. Investigations of the ground thermal regime were based on the analysis of temperature logger data. Besides recording air- and ground surface temperatures, focus was set on the temperature evolution in vents and in the organic layer. To analyse the relationship between permafrost distribution on the one hand and humus- and vegetation distribution on the other hand, an extensive mapping of humus characteristics and vegetation composition was conducted at Val Susauna. The existence of permafrost could be proven at all study sites. Spatially, permafrost bodies show a narrow transition to neighbouring, unfrozen areas. As observed at Val Susauna, the permafrost distribution strongly correlates with areas with exceptionally thick organic layer, high percentages of mosses and lichens in the undergrowth and dwarf grown trees. The temporal variability of permafrost has proven to be exceptionally high, with the magnitude of seasonal variations distinctly exceeding intra-annual changes. Thereby, the winter season is characterised by a significant supercooling. During snowmelt a growth in volumetric ice content is induced by refreezing of percolating meltwater on the supercooled talus. The results confirmed the fundamental influence of the chimney effect on the existence and temporal variability of permafrost in talus slopes. Divergences in the effectiveness of the thermal regime were detected between the study sites. These are based on differences in the nature of talus material, humus characteristics and vegetation composition. During summer, the organic material is usually dry at the daytime, inducing a high insulation capability and a protection of the subsurface against high atmospheric temperatures. Bouldery talus slopes typically show an organic layer that is fragmented by large boulders, which induces a strongly reduced insulation capability and allows an efficient heat exchange by convective airflow and percolating precipitation water. In the winter half-year, the thermal conductivity of the organic layer increases massively under moist or frozen conditions, allowing an efficient, conductive cooling of the talus material. The convective cooling in bouldery talus slopes affects an earlier onset and a higher magnitude of supercooling than under consistent humus conditions. Here, conductive heat flow is dominant and the cooling in autumn is buffered by a prolonged zero curtain. The snow cover has proven to be incapable of prohibiting an efficient supercooling of the talus slope in winter, almost independent from thickness.}, subject = {Engadin}, language = {en} }