Regimes in Irish Prisons: ‘Inhumane’ and ‘Degrading’: An Analysis and the Outline of a Solution

Recent reports depict regimes in Irish prisons as ‘inhumane’, and as ‘increasingly oppressive and destructive’. This deterioration in conditions is part of a larger ‘punitive turn’ that can be identified in the Irish prison system since the late 1990s, and that is also evident in a huge increase in the scale of incarceration and much greater demonisation of those held in prison. In 1985, the Whitaker Report set standards for ‘basic living conditions’ in prisons. The Whitaker standards mirror similar ones in the European Prison Rules. For example, both stipulate that an imprisoned person should normally have a single cell. When current regimes in Irish prisons are examined in the light of five key ‘basic living conditions’ set out in Whitaker, a picture of severe deterioration is evident. Nearly sixty per cent of all those in prisons must now share cells. Close to two-thirds are subject to highly inappropriate, undignified and often unhygienic sanitary arrangements. Lock-up times, deemed ‘excessive’ in Whitaker’s day, have, in fact, worsened significantly. Access to structured activity such as education or work is now far more problematic. And contact with family is unreasonably restrictive. These deteriorating conditions reinforce each other. Likewise, the multiple factors behind the regression – such as overcrowding, segregation, prisons that are too large, and an overemphasis on ‘security’ – also compound each other. Rescuing the Irish prison system from the morass it is now in, and bringing it towards the kind of system the Whitaker Committee envisioned, is an enormous task. An outline of some of the changes required is suggested. These include a radical reduction in the numbers imprisoned, much greater use of open prisons and a renewed focus on balancing ‘custody’ with ‘care’. Moreover, given the problems now endemic in Ireland’s large closed prisons, major long-term adjustments in the prison estate need to be planned, so that we have a system of much smaller prisons. In particular, the fool-hardy Thornton Hall Project should be abandoned

Peak Population: Timing and Influences of Peak Energy on the World and the United States

Peak energy is the notion that the world’s total production of usable energy will reach a maximum value and then begin an inexorable decline. Ninety-two percent of the world’s energy is currently derived from the non-renewable sources (oil, coal, natural gas and nuclear). As each of these non-renewable sources individually peaks in production, we can see total energy production peak. The human population is tightly correlated with global energy production, as agriculture and material possessions are energy intensive. It follows that peak energy should have a significant effect on world population. Using a set of mathematical models, including M King Hubbert’s oil peak mathematics, we prepared three models. The first approached the peak energy and population problem from the point of view of a “black-box” homogeneous world. The second model divides the world into ten major regions to study the global heterogeneity of the peak energy and population question. Both of these models include various scenarios for how the world population will develop based on available energy and per capita consumption of that energy. The third model examines energy and climate change within the forty-eight contiguous American states in order to identify some of the “best” and some of the “worst” states in which to live in the year 2050. The black box model indicates that peak energy will occur in 2026 at a maximum production of 104.1 billion barrels of oil equivalent (BBOE). Total energy production in 2011 was 92.78 BBOE. Three scenarios of different energy consumption rates suggest a peak world population occurring between 2026 and 2036, at 7.6-8.3 billion. The regional model indicates that even as each region protects its own energy resources, most of the world will reach peak energy by 2030, and world populations peak between 7.5 and 9 billion. A certain robustness in our conclusion is warranted as similar numbers were obtained via two separate approaches. The third model used several different parameters in order to ascertain that, in general, states that are projected to slow towards flat-line population growth and to become milder due to climate change such as Rhode Island, New York and Ohio are far more suitable with regard to an energy limited world than states that are projected to grow in population as well as become less mild due to climate change such as Texas, Arizona and Nevada. Each of these models in its own way foreshadows necessary changes that the world will experience as the 21st century progresses. The economies of the world have been, and continue to be, built on energy. When energy production is unable to continue growing it must follow that economies will be unable to grow. As the world approaches and passes peak energy, the standard of living in the less developed areas of the world cannot improve without sacrifices being made in the developed world

Energy, Climate and Population: Growth, Peaks, and Declines 1900-2100

This dissertation is derived from numerical models that quantitatively examine energy, climate, and population. Future energy production in each chapter is modelled using the single-cycle Hubbert technique. Population figures are taken from United Nations projections. Per capita energy consumption is projected in each chapter either using regression modelling, or as a set of goals unique to the study. Annual energy demand is a product of per capita energy consumption and population. Renewable energy demand is defined as the total energy demand minus the projected non-renewable energy production. Emissions from energy production are calculated from global-averages for each source. The global-scale model of energy production and consumption suggests that peaking non-renewable energy will create renewable energy demand equal to 50% of global energy by 2054 and by 2028 in order to achieve climate goals. Similar modelling of regional-scale energy consumption goals highlights specific challenges for that energy transition, including population growth, development, and dependence on imported energy. A sensitivity analysis of the global model inputs uncovers that increasing current per capita energy consumption 3% negates the total global non-hydro renewable energy contribution. Additionally, doubling fossil fuel reserves results in 32% reduction in non-hydropower renewable energy demand by 2100. After determining the changes required to achieve certain goals in Sub-Saharan Africa, a search for a sufficient historical analogue provided evidence that the changes necessary would be globally unprecedented. Next I determine potential emissions savings in the US, EU, and Russia given a sample climate plan. The results indicate that even with total decarbonisation by 2100, the rest of the world cannot industrialise via fossil fuels. Finally, evaluation of competing goals of development and carbon emissions in China and India reiterates that developing nations will have to choose between development and realistic climate goals. The overall conclusions of this dissertation suggest that limiting global warming is not likely. A renewable energy infrastructure will need to be built regardless of environmental concerns. Reducing the gap in global economic and social inequality world via energy availability is a potential means of reducing the influence of population growth on each of the models in this dissertation

Energy, Climate and Population: Growth, Peaks, and Declines 1900-2100

This dissertation is derived from numerical models that quantitatively examine energy, climate, and population. Future energy production in each chapter is modelled using the single-cycle Hubbert technique. Population figures are taken from United Nations projections. Per capita energy consumption is projected in each chapter either using regression modelling, or as a set of goals unique to the study. Annual energy demand is a product of per capita energy consumption and population. Renewable energy demand is defined as the total energy demand minus the projected non-renewable energy production. Emissions from energy production are calculated from global-averages for each source. The global-scale model of energy production and consumption suggests that peaking non-renewable energy will create renewable energy demand equal to 50% of global energy by 2054 and by 2028 in order to achieve climate goals. Similar modelling of regional-scale energy consumption goals highlights specific challenges for that energy transition, including population growth, development, and dependence on imported energy. A sensitivity analysis of the global model inputs uncovers that increasing current per capita energy consumption 3% negates the total global non-hydro renewable energy contribution. Additionally, doubling fossil fuel reserves results in 32% reduction in non-hydropower renewable energy demand by 2100. After determining the changes required to achieve certain goals in Sub-Saharan Africa, a search for a sufficient historical analogue provided evidence that the changes necessary would be globally unprecedented. Next I determine potential emissions savings in the US, EU, and Russia given a sample climate plan. The results indicate that even with total decarbonisation by 2100, the rest of the world cannot industrialise via fossil fuels. Finally, evaluation of competing goals of development and carbon emissions in China and India reiterates that developing nations will have to choose between development and realistic climate goals. The overall conclusions of this dissertation suggest that limiting global warming is not likely. A renewable energy infrastructure will need to be built regardless of environmental concerns. Reducing the gap in global economic and social inequality world via energy availability is a potential means of reducing the influence of population growth on each of the models in this dissertation

Investigative Techniques of N-Way Vendor Agreement and Network Analysis Demonstrated with Fake Antivirus

Fake AntiVirus (FakeAV) malware experienced a resurgence in the fall of 2013 after falling out of favor after several high profile arrests. FakeAV presents two unique challenges to investigators. First, because each criminal organization running a FakeAV affiliate system regularly alters the appearance of their system, it is sometimes difficult to know whether an incoming criminal complaint or malware sample is related to one ring or the other. Secondly, because FakeAV is delivered in a “Pay Per Install” affiliate model, in addition to the ring-leaders of each major ring, there are many high-volume malware infection rings who are all using the same malware. Indeed, a single criminal could participate in multiple affiliate programs using the same spreading and distribution system. Because of this, traditional malware clustering may identify common code, but fail to achieve distinction or attribution of the individual affiliate actors profiting from the scam. By combining n-way vendor agreement and live network capture, malware samples can quickly be associated with particular affiliate infrastructure and/or managing affiliate programs, while identifying and helping to prioritize investigations

A wetting and drying scheme for ROMS

This paper is not subject to U.S. copyright. The definitive version was published in Computers & Geosciences 58 (2013): 54-61, doi:10.1016/j.cageo.2013.05.004.The processes of wetting and drying have many important physical and biological impacts on shallow water systems. Inundation and dewatering effects on coastal mud flats and beaches occur on various time scales ranging from storm surge, periodic rise and fall of the tide, to infragravity wave motions. To correctly simulate these physical processes with a numerical model requires the capability of the computational cells to become inundated and dewatered. In this paper, we describe a method for wetting and drying based on an approach consistent with a cell-face blocking algorithm. The method allows water to always flow into any cell, but prevents outflow from a cell when the total depth in that cell is less than a user defined critical value. We describe the method, the implementation into the three-dimensional Regional Oceanographic Modeling System (ROMS), and exhibit the new capability under three scenarios: an analytical expression for shallow water flows, a dam break test case, and a realistic application to part of a wetland area along the Georgia Coast, USA.We acknowledge support for studies demonstrated in this manuscript that were supported by the National Science Foundation,Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships (IIP)under the 3470Z. Defne etal./ Renewable Energy 36(2011)3461e3471 Partnerships for Innovation Program Grant IIP-0332613,and from the Strategic Energy Institute at Georgia Institute of Technology via a Creating Energy Options grant and the 104B Georgia Water Resources Institute Funding Program,and also by the Department of Energy,Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program award number DE-FG36-08GO18174 and by the state of Georgia

Renesting Decisions and Annual Fecundity of Female Dickcissels (Spiza Americana) in Illinois

T.-Renesting decisions and annual fecundity are crucial for interpreting other demographic information, yet are infrequently reported. We used radiotelemetry to monitor female Dickcissels (Spiza americana) throughout the 1999 and 2000 breeding seasons in south- eastern Illinois. Overall fecundity (regardless of whether females remained in the study area throughout the breeding season) was 0.61 ? 0.13 female fledglings per year. Of females that re- mained within the study area, 94% fledged young (1.25 ? 0.15 female fledglings per year). Most females (62%) that experienced nest failure emigrated from the study area (moved \u3e10 km) in 2.8 ? 0.6 days; others (36%) initiated subsequent nests in 8.5 ? 0.8 days. After fledging \u3e1 young, 95% of females ceased breeding for the season. Successful and failed nest sites were indistin- guishable on the basis of vegetative characteristics. Moreover, replacement nests had similar vegetative characteristics and were similar distances from habitat edges, compared with initial nests, which suggests that female Dickcissels do not or cannot improve nest-site characteris- tics in response to nest failure. We observed two behaviors unusual in female Dickcissels: one bird that fledged two broods in one season, and the return of five females banded in 1999 to the study site in 2000

Renesting Decisions and Annual Fecundity of Female Dickcissels (Spiza Americana) in Illinois

T.-Renesting decisions and annual fecundity are crucial for interpreting other demographic information, yet are infrequently reported. We used radiotelemetry to monitor female Dickcissels (Spiza americana) throughout the 1999 and 2000 breeding seasons in south- eastern Illinois. Overall fecundity (regardless of whether females remained in the study area throughout the breeding season) was 0.61 ? 0.13 female fledglings per year. Of females that re- mained within the study area, 94% fledged young (1.25 ? 0.15 female fledglings per year). Most females (62%) that experienced nest failure emigrated from the study area (moved \u3e10 km) in 2.8 ? 0.6 days; others (36%) initiated subsequent nests in 8.5 ? 0.8 days. After fledging \u3e1 young, 95% of females ceased breeding for the season. Successful and failed nest sites were indistin- guishable on the basis of vegetative characteristics. Moreover, replacement nests had similar vegetative characteristics and were similar distances from habitat edges, compared with initial nests, which suggests that female Dickcissels do not or cannot improve nest-site characteris- tics in response to nest failure. We observed two behaviors unusual in female Dickcissels: one bird that fledged two broods in one season, and the return of five females banded in 1999 to the study site in 2000

The epidemiology of malaria in Kutubu, Southern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea, before and during a private sector initiative for malaria control

Papua New Guinea (PNG) has a significant malaria burden, is resource constrained, and has isolated populations with limited access to health services. Home-based management is a key element of the national program that supports strategies of early detection, diagnosis and treatment. We describe the epidemiology of malaria near Lake Kutubu in the Southern Highlands Province through reported data on suspected and confirmed malaria in patients accessing public health facilities or using a novel, incentivised, social marketing approach for malaria treatment at the village level. Monthly case data reported by nine health facilities and 14 village-based providers, known as Marasin Stoa Kipas (MSK), were extracted from outpatient registers and MSK malaria case forms. Descriptive statistics of diagnostic use, monthly incidence, test positivity rate and species distribution were estimated. Summary statistics of service delivery demonstrate patient access and diagnostic coverage in program areas. From May 2005 to September 2013, 15,726 individuals were tested with either rapid diagnostic test and/or microscopy at health facilities, and 42% had a positive result for malaria (n= 6604); of these 67.1% (n=4431) were positive for P. falciparum (alone or mixed) and 32.9% were positive for non-P. falciparum species (alone or mixed). From October 2007 to September 2013, 9687 individuals were tested with either RDT and/or microscopy at MSK sites and 44.2% (n=4283) tested positive for malaria; of these, 65.3% (n=2796) were positive for P. falciparum, while 34.7% (n=1487) were positive for non-P. falciparum species. Up to April 2010 there was an intermittent and upward trend in the reported incidence of all species of confirmed malaria, reaching 50 per 1000 population per month for both sites combined, followed by a steady decline to four per 1000 population per month in 2013, with P. vivax the most common infection. This study is the most recent longitudinal overview of malaria in the Southern Highlands since 2003. It outlines patient access to a community-based model of care. The analysis shows changes in health facility versus MSK use, a strongly decreasing trend in incidence of confirmed malaria from 2010 to 2013, and a shift from predominantly P. falciparum to P. vivax infection

Renesting Decisions and Annual Fecundity of Female Dickcissels (Spiza americana) in Illinois

ABSTRACT.-Renesting decisions and annual fecundity are crucial for interpreting other demographic information, yet are infrequently reported. We used radiotelemetry to monitor female Dickcissels (Spiza americana) throughout the 1999 and 2000 breeding seasons in southeastern Illinois. Overall fecundity (regardless of whether females remained in the study area throughout the breeding season) was 0.61 ± 0.13 female fledglings per year. Of females that remained within the study area, 94% fledged young (1.25 ± 0.15 female fledglings per year). Most females (62%) that experienced nest failure emigrated from the study area (moved \u3e10 km) in 2.8 ± 0.6 days; others (36%) initiated subsequent nests in 8.5 ± 0.8 days. After fledging ~1 young, 95% of females ceased breeding for the season. Successful and failed nest sites were indistinguishable on the basis of vegetative characteristics. Moreover, replacement nests had similar vegetative characteristics and were similar distances from habitat edges, compared with initial nests, which suggests that female Dickcissels do not or cannot improve nest-site characteristics in response to nest failure. We observed two behaviors unusual in female Dickcissels: one bird that fledged two broods in one season, and the return of five females banded in 1999 to the study site in 2000