Rebel Group Compliance with International Humanitarian Law and Foreign State Sponsorship

While rebel groups are obligated to comply with international humanitarian law (IHL) only indirectly, many rebel groups express intent to comply with IHL. Previous research has examined the conditions that make compliance likely. While these studies emphasize legitimacy-seeking, little research considers whether there are tangible benefits for rebel groups that comply with IHL. Studying whether rebel groups that comply with IHL are more likely to receive either military or diplomatic support from a foreign state provides an opportunity to bridge the literature on rebel group compliance with the literature on foreign state sponsorship of rebel groups. This study considers rebel group compliance with IHL alongside more extensively studied determinants of rebel group sponsorship, such as regime type and relative military capabilities, in order to assess whether rebel groups that comply with IHL are more likely to receive support from a foreign state. The results of the Firth logit regressions performed in this analysis indicate that democratic sponsors are less likely to sponsor rebel groups that use child soldiers, but that when democratic and autocratic sponsors are considered jointly, rebel group compliance with IHL does not appear to influence sponsorship decisions. Advisor: Courtney Hillebrech

Effectiveness of road safety education in Nigeria using a quasi-experimental trial: Findings from the Road Safety Intervention Project

Road traffic injuries pose a serious public health problem worldwide, especially in low-income countries. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a post-license road safety education intervention programme in terms of increased knowledge and self-reported behaviour among commercial minibus drivers in Lagos, Nigeria. This was a quasi-experimental study conducted in three phases. Participating motor parks (selected by simple random sampling) were assigned to either the intervention or control group. All eligible minibus drivers were included with no matching. Data analysis was done with Epi-info version 3.5.1. Comparison was done in terms of group driver education versus no education, and pre- versus post-intervention. Out of an estimated 500 male drivers, 407 participated in the study. Most had some form of formal education. For both groups, pre-intervention knowledge scores were poor but improved significantly post-intervention in the intervention group. None of the drivers in the intervention group had good scores but this increased to 66,1% post-intervention. Their mean score increased from 34,4 ± 9,1 to 72,3 ± 10,2. Adherence to speed limits did not improve. The control group showed no significant changes. Post-license road safety education significantly improved knowledge but not self-reported adherence to speed limits. Similar, sustainable programmes should be offered to improve commercial drivers’ poor knowledge. Further studies are needed to determine deterrent factors to behaviour change.Keywords: road safety, intervention, commercial drivers, Nigeri

\u27\u27Aware\u27\u27 as the Essence of Japanese Literature : The Modern View

Historiography and Japanese Consciousness of Values and Norms, カリフォルニア大学 サンタ・バーバラ校, カリフォルニア大学 ロサンゼルス校, 2001年1

A Sense of Japanese Aesthetics: The Role of Materiality in the Work of SANAA

While the globalization of the styles and ideas has smoothed geographical and cultural borders,the contemporaryJapanesearchitecturehasretainedaverydistinctive style.SANAAisaninternationallysignificantandprize-winningfirmofarchitectswhose works seem to exemplify this kind of architecture.Some of the distinctive features of their work are simplicity, transparency and formal austerity,as well as a peculiar ambiguity in the expression of materiality. What role does the materiality play in creating something uniquely Japanese out of modern architecture? Through a case-study of Louvre-Lens Museum, the paper investigates the role that materiality plays in realising the Japanese aesthetics, focusing primarily on two key material features that have been identified in SANAA’s work: transparency and whiteness. Some concepts of Japanese aesthetics are investigated in order to have a better understanding of the idea of ambiguity and weakness embedded in Japanese culture, including the concepts of mono no aware, superflat and philosophy of Rikyu Grey. By analysing the materiality and luminance conditions of interior space of the Louvre-Lens Museum and impact of the environment and time on exterior materiality, the paper suggests that materiality turns out to be a vital tool in the creation of a more tactile and ambiguous experience of vision, which transformed the focus of architecture from form to sensibility and perception. The Japanese aesthetic of simplicity, ambiguity and ephemerality is subtly applied through the seemingly neutral expression of materiality in SANAA’s architecture

Cell Phone Repairers in Cameroon, 2000-2013

This article focuses on cell phone repairers in Cameroon history. It examines how the cell phone has been appropriated by Cameroonians by repairing and extending its life. It questions the ways the repairers have understood the inner parts of the cell phones. How has the repairing of cell phones led to sustaining the livelihood of the repairers? It appears that life would have been unimaginable in the second half of the 21st century without better communication. In Africa mobile phone communication has expanded exponentially over the last decade and will hopefully continue to do so during the coming decades. Cell phones have become an absolute necessity but behind and inside this gadget lay a complex world that is mostly out of sight. Using mostly interviews with the people implicated in the process, this paper contends that technology comes with its own creativity and youths are always the firebrands to understand and use it more than any other age group

Using vehicle activated signs as an integrated measure to improve road safety in South Africa

Road safety is an aspect of major concern on road networks, not only on a local scale in South Africa, but also on a global scale. South Africa is experiencing an unacceptably high rate of fatal road traffic crashes and as a result has one of the highest per capita rate of road fatalities in the world. The Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 – 2020 was published in 2011 by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to guide and assist countries with the improvement of road safety. The management of vehicle speeds is one of numerous important interventions identified in the Global Plan. The technical and economic feasibility of using a specific Road safety is an aspect of major concern on road networks, not only on a local scale in South Africa, but also on a global scale. South Africa is experiencing an unacceptably high rate of fatal road traffic crashes and as a result has one of the highest per capita rate of road fatalities in the world. The Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 – 2020 was published in 2011 by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to guide and assist countries with the improvement of road safety. The management of vehicle speeds is one of numerous important interventions identified in the Global Plan. The technical and economic feasibility of using a specific technology, namely Vehicle Activated Signs (VAS), to contribute to the overall improvement of road safety on a national level in South Africa were investigated, with particular emphasis on the improvement of road safety through the reduction of fatal road traffic crashes. VAS are part of a range of measures that can be used to curb vehicle speeds, similar to conventional measures like speed cameras and traffic calming devices. VAS technology has seen limited use in South extrapolation of results from SCC’s VAS effectiveness study, and the application of these results to the South African road safety and road user statistics for the one year period March 2011 to March 2012. Key factors relating to speed and general driver obedience were also taken into consideration. It was established that the use of VAS would lead to a moderate reduction in the number of fatal road traffic crashes that occur annually, which in turn holds financial and socio-economic benefits for South Africa. A comparison of selected products available from two South African based electronic road sign manufacturing companies with conventional VAS was also carried out, focussing on product function, use and cost. It has been concluded that it would be technically and economically feasible to introduce VAS on the South African road network to improve the prevailing road safety situation

Switchgrass and Miscanthus Biomass and Theoretical Ethanol Production from Reclaimed Mine Lands in West Virginia

Awareness of environmental issues surrounding current energy practices has opened doors for new possibilities for energy solutions. The 2003 Energy Independence and Security Act mandates that by the year 2022, 16 billion gallons per year of fuel in the United States (U.S.) will be coming from cellulosic bioenergy sources. Herbaceous crop species like switchgrass have been proposed as potential cellulosic crops to meet future energy needs. Switchgrass is a native warm season grass to North America and has been studied on marginal lands and reclaimed mine lands for biomass production capabilities in the U.S. Another species which has been considered for bioenergy production capabilities in Europe, Miscanthus, is also a warm season perennial grass that has high biomass production capabilities. Currently, there are no studies done on the cellulosic bioenergy production capabilities of Miscanthus on reclaimed mine lands in the U.S. This study looks at Miscanthus and switchgrass as two potential cellulosic energy crops on reclaimed mine lands as a post-mining land use option for bioenergy production. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)