Environmental determinants of landmine detection by dogs: Findings from a large-scale study in Afghanistan

This article’s purpose is to examine the strengths and weaknesses of mine-detection dogs in different environments. The experiments employed a total of 39 dogs in Afghanistan between October 2002 and July 2003. The results are discussed here

The Role of Research in Mine Action: A Response to Gasser

Some years ago, a businessman came to me and said that he would like to start commercially farming lobsters, something that had not been attempted at the time. His key question was, “How long will the development research take?” “I would think two to four years before a scaling-up exercise to make it commercially viable,” I answered. Looking genuinely surprised he replied, “Really! I was thinking it should take about two weeks.” This anecdote portrays a problem that emerges in almost every area of human enterprise. Those-who-do want and need to do right now. Those-who-create need time to design, build, and prove their creation

The Effect of Reinforcement Rate Variations on Hits and False Alarms in Remote Explosive Scent Tracing with Dogs

Detection animals offer untapped potential in terms of locating landmines and explosive ordnance in the field and in the laboratory. In this study, the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining investigated the effect of low, medium, and high levels of reward on the performance of six dogs searching filters for explosive odor

Global Environmental Demining Issues

The environmental impact of any human action cannot be underestimated—even humanitarian demining—given the global repercussions in this era of explosive growth. The authors discuss the consequences of thoughtless action and provide valuable context concerning the vast extent to which human beings impact the environment

Optimising the Use of REST for Mine Detection

Remote Explosive Scent Tracing (REST) is a detection technology involving the transfer of odours to an animal detector using filters. Like Remote Scent Tracing (RST), the technology could potentially be used to detect anything that has an odour. REST technology was used originally by Mechem in Mozambique and Angola in the early 1990s. Despite the potential it demonstrated at that time, it received little attention or investment through the late 1990s until a revival of interest occurred in recent years. Currently, it is being used operationally for mine detection in Afghanistan and is likely to be implemented for road clearance in Sudan and Angola by the end of 2004. It is also used operationally for explosives detection at several airports in Europe

Effects of Weather on Detection of Landmines by Giant African Pouched Rats

Although APOPO has trained mine detection rats for many years, no published data exist on how weather parameters relate to detection accuracy. Using data taken during routine training, we show that there was little relationship between the detection success of rats and rainfall but find that rates decreased, on average, with increasing temperatures and increased with higher humidities. Individual rats vary in terms of sensitivity to temperature in tha

Perceived Social Support and Stress: a Study of 1st Year Students in Ireland

Social support is consistently associated with positive outcomes for students, in terms of wellbeing and academic achievement. For first year students, social support offers a way to deal with stressors associated with the challenge of transitioning to university. The current research was conducted with a range of first year students (n = 315) early in their first semester in university. Both male and female students reported moderate levels of social support and perceived stress, while those with higher levels of social support reported lower levels of stress. Gender differences were apparent in both the levels and sources of social support that students perceived as available to them. Female students reported higher levels of social support and stress than males, suggesting that university initiatives for enhancing social support and dealing with stress may require a gender-specific focus. The results are discussed in terms of recommendations for developing students’ social supports during first year, in order to mitigate for the experience of stress and to enhance student experience of their educational journey

Detection of Landmines by Dogs: Environmental and Behavioural Determinants

The overall aim of the study was to explore the effects of environmental variables on mine detection by dogs. Operational mine detection dogs were used to search for mines in a test mine field, near Kabul, Afghanistan. The key variable used in the analysis was whether a mine was found or missed by the dog. Measured during the study were: o Weather patterns through the year of the study. Weather variables (temperature, wind, humidity) at the time the dog crossed the mine. Dog behaviour. Vegetation over the mine. A soil sample was taken from over the mine and from a sample of false indication sites in each box. Analysis for explosive chemicals was by two labs using gas chromatography

Throwing Out Mines: The Effects of a Flail

The authors discuss a study conducted on flail machines to prove the effectiveness of this technology in destroying anti-personnel mines