Transportation, Terrorism and Crime: Deterrence, Disruption and Resilience

Abstract: Terrorists likely have adopted vehicle ramming as a tactic because it can be carried out by an individual (or “lone wolf terrorist”), and because the skills required are minimal (e.g. the ability to drive a car and determine locations for creating maximum carnage). Studies of terrorist activities against transportation assets have been conducted to help law enforcement agencies prepare their communities, create mitigation measures, conduct effective surveillance and respond quickly to attacks. This study reviews current research on terrorist tactics against transportation assets, with an emphasis on vehicle ramming attacks. It evaluates some of the current attack strategies, and the possible mitigation or response tactics that may be effective in deterring attacks or saving lives in the event of an attack. It includes case studies that can be used as educational tools for understanding terrorist methodologies, as well as ordinary emergencies that might become a terrorist’s blueprint

Agency, pedagogy and e-learning in TAFE educational development

The study is a deconstructive autoethnographic examination of the ways in which various discourses of agency shape the pedagogy of educational developers supporting the use of e-learning in Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutions

The Effects of the Internet on Marketing

With the use of the Internet, marketers are able to reach consumers where they work, play, shop, and live more efficiently than without it. Through e-commerce, social media, mobile phones, and much more, businesses are able to spread brand awareness, increase market share, and unveil new products. With this great opportunity comes an equally great responsibility, as businesses have now come under extreme scrutiny by their customers. In the Information Age, news travels faster and farther than ever before, with the news of ethical mishaps reaching even the smallest of shareholders. The most crucial element in e-commerce is trust and in order to build and maintain trust businesses ought to operate ethically. When trust is established, online business can flourish, bringing in revenue and loyal customers that might not have been earned elsewhere

Autonomous characters in virtual environments: The technologies involved in artificial life and their affects on perceived intelligence and playability of computer games

Computer games are viewed by academics as un֊grounded hack and patch experiments. "The industry lacks the formalism and requirement for a "perfect" solution often necessary in the academic world " [Woob]. Academic Artifical Intelligence (AI) is often viewed as un-implementable and narrow minded by the majority of ทon-AI programmer. "Historically, AI tended to be focused, containing detailed problems and domain-specific techniques. This focus makes for easier study - or engineering - of particular solutions. " [СһаОЗ .By implementing several well known AI techniques into the same gaming environment and judging users reactions this project aims to make links between the academic nature of AI, as well as investigate the nature of practical implementation in a gaming environment. An online Java implemented version of the 1970'ร classic Space Invaders has been developed and tested, with the Aliens being controlled by 6 different approaches to modelling AI functions. In total information from 334 individuals games was recorded. Different types of games AI can create highly varied gaming experience as highlighted by the range of values and high standard deviation values seen in the results. The link between complex behaviour, complex control systems and perceived intelligence was not supported. A positive correlation identified between how fun the users found the game and how intelligent they perceived the Aliens to be, would seem to be logical. As games get visually more and more impressive, the need for intelligent characters cannot be denied because it is one of the few way in which games can set themselves apart from the competition. Conclusions identified that computer games must remain focussed on their end- goal, that of producing a fun game. Whilst complex and clever AI can help to achieve it, the AI itself can never overshadow the end result

How does the public process impact the selection of a nuisance wildlife management plan?

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2008.Includes bibliographical references (p. 51-56).Since the 1950s the human relationship with wildlife in the United States shifted dramatically; from primarily consumptive to primarily recreational. Over the same time period a trend of humans moving into suburban communities further from the urban core developed. These people inadvertently enhanced their new suburban environment to be more appealing to certain generalist species known as nuisance wildlife. Policy decisions for nuisance wildlife species are made at a national or state level; however, municipalities manage most nuisance wildlife-human conflicts. An individual town or city is responsible for controlling populations of nuisance species both financially and tactically. Given that a municipality must select a wildlife management tactic when conflict occurs, do different decision-making processes yield different outcomes? This study identifies the link between public process and management outcomes; a connection that informs municipalities of the decision-making methods that lead to the most effective wildlife management.Through an examination of resident Canada goose management in four small Massachusetts cities and towns this study demonstrates the processes used to select nuisance wildlife management plans and the success or failure of those plans. Through the trials of the municipalities examined, it is clear that management plans selected in the most straightforward and transparent manner, and those that engage the public experienced the greatest success. I contend that open decision-making significantly reduced the risk of public conflict or controversy, and ensured the longevity of the selected management plan.by Julianne Siegel.M.C.P

Software package applications for designing rail freight interchanges

Ph.D. ThesisRail freight transport has a crucial role to play in the economy, delivering significant reductions in logistics costs, pollution, and congestion. Typically, the conventional architecture and layout of the rail freight interchange constrain the capacity and performance of the whole railway system. A well-designed rail freight interchange can enhance the system performance by maximizing vehicle usage and minimizing last mile distribution cost. Therefore, the study of rail freight interchange operation is considered crucial to understand how to increase and improve the attractiveness for rail freight transport. This thesis uses game engines to develop software packages that are used for the design of new rail freight interchanges, considering multistakeholder decisions drivers. A novel and modular approach has been applied with the purpose of developing and deploying simulation tools that can be used by multiple stakeholders to: -Understand the impact of multiple-criteria decision analysis on rail freight interchange layouts; -Use a genetic algorithm to identify the most suitable components of the future interchange to be designed, considering the multi-stakeholders’ priorities; - Quickly enable the design of a wide variety of rail freight interchanges from the information selected by a decision maker in a computer-based userfriendly interface. This research has proposed a framework for software development. Three case studies are used to illustrate adaptability of a number of applications for different scenarios. The findings of the research contribute to a better understanding of the impacts of the multiple stakeholder’s decisions on rail freight interchange designs. Key words: Rail Freight Interchanges, Multi stakeholders decision, genetic algorith

Lawyering from Below: Activist Legal Support in Contemporary Canada and the US

A vast literature has considered the proactive use of law as a tool by progressive social movements, but far less attention has been paid to the way activists respond to involuntary engagement with law as a result of repression and criminalization. This dissertation explores the legal support infrastructure of grassroots protest movements in Canada and the US by tracing the evolution of contemporary activist legal support through two periods. The tactic of jail solidarity and an emerging legal collective model are highlighted as the key features of the global justice organizing era (1999-2005) while in the second age of austerity era (2008-2018), I discuss evolving approaches to law collective work in various protest movements and highlight a renewed focus on anti-repression as a framing praxis of both organizing and legal support. Grounded in my own activist legal support work over more than two decades, this research rests on data arising from detailed interviews and analysis of more than 125 archival documents. I develop two areas of inquiry. First, I trace critiques of movement lawyering in the legal literature to demonstrate that those critiques are often shared by legal support organizers. Divergent opinions on the appropriate role of lawyers and norms of professional ethics in law collective practice reflect long-standing contradictions in progressive lawyering practice. Accordingly, I argue that the legal work of non-lawyer activists ought to be understood as a complementary if also sometimes disruptive model of movement lawyering. Second, I demonstrate that an analysis of radical legal support speaks to the post-arrest experiences of protesters and the impact of such repression on mobilization phenomena largely absent from the literature on state repression of social movements. I consider this dynamic through the lens of legal mobilization, arguing that the pedagogical work of law collectives, understood as a site of social movement knowledge production, plays a significant role in mediating the complex relationship between repression and mobilization. I conclude by exploring the legal consciousness of activist legal support organizers and argue that the education and organizing praxes of law collectives are evidence of a form of prefigurative, counter-hegemonic legality

Cognitive Machine Individualism in a Symbiotic Cybersecurity Policy Framework for the Preservation of Internet of Things Integrity: A Quantitative Study

This quantitative study examined the complex nature of modern cyber threats to propose the establishment of cyber as an interdisciplinary field of public policy initiated through the creation of a symbiotic cybersecurity policy framework. For the public good (and maintaining ideological balance), there must be recognition that public policies are at a transition point where the digital public square is a tangible reality that is more than a collection of technological widgets. The academic contribution of this research project is the fusion of humanistic principles with Internet of Things (IoT) technologies that alters our perception of the machine from an instrument of human engineering into a thinking peer to elevate cyber from technical esoterism into an interdisciplinary field of public policy. The contribution to the US national cybersecurity policy body of knowledge is a unified policy framework (manifested in the symbiotic cybersecurity policy triad) that could transform cybersecurity policies from network-based to entity-based. A correlation archival data design was used with the frequency of malicious software attacks as the dependent variable and diversity of intrusion techniques as the independent variable for RQ1. For RQ2, the frequency of detection events was the dependent variable and diversity of intrusion techniques was the independent variable. Self-determination Theory is the theoretical framework as the cognitive machine can recognize, self-endorse, and maintain its own identity based on a sense of self-motivation that is progressively shaped by the machine’s ability to learn. The transformation of cyber policies from technical esoterism into an interdisciplinary field of public policy starts with the recognition that the cognitive machine is an independent consumer of, advisor into, and influenced by public policy theories, philosophical constructs, and societal initiatives

Cross-Service Investigation of Geographical Information Systems

This research investigated the armed services current uses of GIS, and asked the question whether or not a joint GIS program could benefit the DOD. An information technology implementation model was presented as a framework to implement a joint GIS program. It was found that all four armed services use GIS for forward deployments. The Army has its Combat Terrain Information System (CTIS). The Navy\u27s digital nautical charts are a GIS. The Marine Corps has created their Geographically Linked Information Display Environment (GLIDE) program, which is similar to a map repository. Finally, the Air Force has its GeoBase program for installation GIS, and GeoReach is the expeditionary deployment base-planning subset. The research methodology combined a case study and a Delphi study. The case study research examined a single Army GIS unit for current GIS implementation methods and uses. The Delphi study asked eight DOD GIS experts their opinions about current GIS uses and the possibility of a joint GIS program. Through the case study and Delphi research, it was found that information flow between the services is limited and that a joint GIS program may bring improved and new planning and executing capabilities for the DOD