Dilemmas in providing humanitarian intervention in ethnic conflict: a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Development Studies

This thesis explores the difficulties of providing humanitarian assistance in ethnic conflict situations, explaining the problems and offering suggestions to mitigate the consequences. Ethnic conflicts are complex situations that result from and exacerbate uneven development, political instability, social inequality and poverty. Humanitarian intervention has evolved to become as complex as the conflict itself. Humanitarian agencies are increasing in number and diversification, expanding their capacity to address emergency situations. As a consequence, the repercussions of assistance have also increased and the exploitation of aid by warring parties and the creation of dependency have become central concerns. The commitment of political institutions is important for the success of humanitarian intervention yet it often remains in doubt. Unwillingness to be involved in the problems of another state or region has minimal appeal where no national security issues are at stake. The tendency to misinterpret or obfuscate the causes and processes of conflict has compromised the capability of political actors to address the conflict and its consequences. The conflicts in Rwanda, Bosnia and the Solomon Islands illustrated the multifarious problems associated with humanitarian assistance and the subsequent consequences. It is suggested the capability of humanitarian intervention in the future relies on its re-evaluation in an effort to deal with the specific aspects of the given conflict and minimise the inappropriate allocation of aid. Furthermore, reform of the processes of development in conflict and post-conflict situations is required in an effort to bolster the resilience of recipient populations to the processes conducive to conflict. The support and commitment from political actors also remains critical for the success of humanitarian intervention. The need for early assessment and pre-emptive or reconciliatory diplomacy are key objectives yet must be backed by military capabilities necessary for the protection of the providers and the beneficiaries of relief aid

Dynamically parallel CAMSHIFT: GPU accelerated object tracking in digital video

The CAMSHIFT algorithm is widely used for tracking dynamically sized and positioned objects in real-time applications. In spite of its extensive study on the platform of sequential CPU, its research on massively parallel Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) platform is quite limited. In this work, we designed and implemented two different parallel algorithms for CAMSHIFT using CUDA. The first design performs calculations on the GPU, but requires iterative data transfers back to the host CPU for condition checking, which bottlenecks the entire program. In the second design, we propose an enhanced parallel reduction-based CAMSHIFT using dynamic parallelism to reduce overhead of data transfers between the CPU and GPU. Test results for a 400 by 400 search window show that the second design is up to five times faster than the first design and nine times faster than a pure CPU implementation. We also investigate the deployment of dynamic parallelism for multiple object tracking using CAMSHIFT --Leaf iv

Mute Swans and Their Chesapeake Bay Habitats:Proceedings of a Symposium

The symposium “Mute Swans and their Chesapeake Bay Habitats,” held on June 7, 2001, provided a forum for biologists and managers to share research findings and management ideas concerning the exotic and invasive mute swan (Cygnus olor). This species has been increasing in population size and is considered by many to be a problem in regard to natural food resources in the Bay that are used by native waterfowl during the winter months. Other persons, however, feel that resource managers are attempting to create a problem to justify more killing of waterfowl by hunters. Some persons also believe that managers should focus on the larger issues causing the decline of native food resources, such as the unabated human population increase in the Bay watershed and in the immediate coastal areas of the Bay. The symposium, sponsored by the Wildfowl Trust of North America and the U.S. Geological Survey, provided the atmosphere for presentation of mute swan data and opinions in a collegial setting where discussion was welcomed and was often informative and enthusiastic. An interesting historic review of the swan in regard to the history of mankind was presented, followed by a discussion on the positive and negative effects of invasive species. Biologists from different parts of the continent discussed the population status of the species in several states in the east and in the Great Lakes area. Data on the food habits of this species were presented in regard to submerged aquatic vegetation, and an interesting discussion on the role that the food habits of Canada geese in regard to native vegetation was presented. Findings and recommendations of the Mute Swan Task Force were presented. Finally, a representative of the Friends of Animals gave a thought-provoking presentation in defense of the mute swan. The presentations, in general, provided the necessary information and recommendations to allow managers to proceed with management of this controversial species with new and valuable perspectives

Understanding And Predicting Bagging Performance Through The Use Of CFD And DEM Simulations

This thesis will focus on rear discharge bagging performance for Rear Discharge Rear Collect (RDRC), Select Series Lawn & Garden tractors. The problem under investigation pertains to adequately transporting cut grass from the mower deck to the dedicated hopper, without the plugging of the rear discharge chute or the deck mounted chute. The most problematic weather related factors are dew and rain, with the former being the most severe. Conditions creating this problem typically occur during the spring months and when the grass is at its healthiest state. Field research and data have been collected to gain a better understanding of any and all factors involved as well as what factors can be controlled, what factors are uncontrollable, and what factors can be held constant. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations have been conducted to aid in geometry factor identification, field data validation, and field performance predictions. During this study, a path was identified that leveraged the airflow generated by the mower blades through the rear discharge and mower deck chutes, in moving cut grass from the mower deck to the hopper. Further development of the chutes airflow has aided in increased bagging performance and decreased plugging during tough mowing conditions. Consequently, a better understanding of the CFD and DEM models result in improvements to future model analyses

Regional Variation in Gravel-Based Lithic Economies: Archaeological Investigations at Stark Farm (22OK778) and Grand Village (22AD501)

The lithic economies of the Late Mississippian and Early Contact periods have in the past been characterized as simple and lacking complexities, however this is a flawed assumption (Binford 1980:10). This thesis aims to highlight the variations and complexities that existed in gravel-based lithic economies exploring how these variations present themselves in the archaeological record. These variations will be examined through several quantitative methods including mass, cortex, flake and biface analysis. I will also use historical accounts and archaeological reports to place these assemblages in the Late Mississippian and Early Contact periods. This research compares the gravel-based lithic assemblages from two sites, the Grand Village of the Natchez (22AD501) in Natchez, Mississippi and Stark Farm (22OK778) in Starkville, Mississippi. These two sites were selected because they have many commonalities. The assemblages analyzed from each site are roughly contemporaneous and both make excellent use of gravel resources for the production of stone tools. However, their lithic economies differ greatly in both how resources were gathered and how those resources were prepared prior to tool production. Primarily, this research examines how gravel resources are gathered, how source area distances affect resource preparation, and how indigenous communities negotiate their geographic and geological surroundings to maintain lithic economies. The conclusion of the study is that the variations we observe in the archaeological record are outcomes of indigenous decision-making. These decisions range from what tools to produce, where to source materials, and whether or not to engage in resource maximization strategies such as thermal alteration, repeated core usage and bifacial tool production. All of these decisions are affected by two basic factors, resource acquisition strategies and context. Resource acquisition strategies are driven by the distance to resources and the time it takes to both gather and process them. This process informs how indigenous manufacturers made decisions based on the choices available to them through their geographic and geological surroundings. Meanwhile, the contexts in which lithic tool are found molds what tools are likely utilized in that space. Together, these two factors highlight how indigenous communities negotiated and manipulated their lithic economies to benefit their communities

Use of Climatic Water Balance Metrics as Site Productivity Predictors

Estimates of long-term forest site productivity are required to inform multiple forest management objectives including growth and yield assessments, silvicultural planning, and biomass/carbon projections. Estimates traditionally have been quantified in the form of site index by measuring the average height-age relationships of dominant and codominant trees or using regional site index equations. Site index implementation requires that trees are free from suppression and that height growth results from the integration of the biological determinants of growth. While useful in even-aged stands, early age height growth suppression is common in uneven-aged forest structures making existing site indices difficult to assess. Additionally, the individual biological determinants of growth are not identified and do not provide a basis for site index to be mapped across the landscape or predicted under alternative climate scenarios. This research aims to characterize the major physiographic and climatic determinants of growth. We obtained site index estimates for 203 ponderosa pine, 343 Douglas-fir, 232 lodgepole pine and 99 western larch trees throughout the state of Montana using regional equations (Milner 1992). Terrain descriptors (slope, aspect and elevation), climate normals (min/max temperatures, vapor pressure deficit), and climatic water balance (actual evapotranspiration and deficit) were derived for each site index tree at various resolutions (list range of resolutions ). Regression analysis was performed using a hierarchy of terrain, climate and mixed models. Slope, aspect, and elevation were able to explain approximately half the variation in site index for ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine and western larch. Geographically localizing the model increased the variance explained by the terrain models for all species except western larch. A simple climatic water balance interaction model (AET x DEF) was unable to explain much of the variation in site index. However, when climatic water balance was added to the terrain model the variance explained increased for all species. A biophysical model utilizing only water balance and climate variables explained more of the variation in site index than terrain based models for all species. Implications of spatial accuracy of the climatic data products and fine scale variation in tree data are discussed and recommendations for future research are provided

Matthew J. Perry, Attorney At Law

Attorney, Matthew J. Perry member of Lodge 1926 writes to Sadie D. Brewer regarding Odd Fellows vs. Daniels on September 7, 1956

A study of the effectiveness of teacher training for identification of students with visual problems

Six elementary school teachers identified students in their classes they felt had visual problems. The teachers were then given instructions about the visual system and ten days to observe their students. Another selection of students with visual problems was made after the observation period. All students were screened and the sensitivity of three teachers improved while that of the other three did not. Teacher motivation was indirectly measured by class participation and the three teachers who became more sensitive were also the ones deemed more motivated due to high class participation. To increase teacher motivation we suggest strong administration support and providing the training during regularly scheduled inservice times in order to avoid increasing the burden on already overworked teachers