The Gray Zone of Irregular Forces: Politically Sanctioned, Local Defense, and Organized Crime Groups in the Philippines

The persistent presence of armed groups in local communities is largely due to ineffective community security management, weak rule of law, and the constant shift in peace and security policy guidelines. Compounding the problem is the limited capacity of local government units and the lack of strong political will of officials to address security issues. Irregular forces offering private security services thrive in this environment. Armed groups gain legitimacy since they fill security service gaps in communities and because they assist government security forces in their counterinsurgency operations. Gray zone activities are activities by armed groups that happen in-between the space of nonviolent and violent actions, legal and illegal policy environment, and legitimate and illicit engagements. The tenuous policy environment creates the political opportunity for these groups, and the dysfunctional rule of law and ineffective management of security provide the context for irregular forces to mobilize and operate. The paper looks at the threat landscape and the contemporary security problems that make it difficult to clearly distinguish what is legal, legitimate, and appropriate in appraising irregular forces. It likewise highlights the problematic nature of politically sanctioned groups or groups created based on peace agreements and how vulnerable they are to cross over to criminal groups, if not terror groups

A study of relativistic fluids with applications to cosmology: A variational approach

This thesis examines relativistic fluids. We have used the variational approach to develop tools for studying the dynamics of relativistic fluids to apply this to cosmological modelling. Studies like these go beyond the standard model in cosmology. Researchers believe that such extensions to the standard cosmological model are pivotal to resolving some of the long-standing cosmological problems. An example of such problems is the origin, growth (from quantum electromagnetic fluctuations to large-scale magnetic fields during inflation) and evolution of cosmological magnetic fields that exhibit as large-scale (cosmological) magnetic fields in late time. One other example is the coincidence problem. The standard approach in such studies is to use modelling in the form of the single-fluid formalism. As an alternative one can consider the single-fluid and multi-fluid formalisms that incorporate aspects of electrodynamics and thermodynamics, respectively in the context of the variational approach. This might help us make progress in trying to either resolve some of these problems or at least open up new ways of addressing them. In this regard, we have extended the well-known M¨ueller-Israel-Stewart (hereafter MIS) formalism to allow us to examine the effect on fluid flow in which the components of the multi-species fluids interact thermodynamically. We use the extension to the MIS theory in the context of interacting species to study the growth of dark matter and dark energy, and find that either interaction or entrainment involving dark energy and dark matter suggests a mutual relative modulation of the growth behaviour of the two densities. This may aid in resolving the coincidence problem. Our examination of inflation-generated, large-scale magnetic fields reveals a super-adiabatically evolving mode from the beginning of the radiation-dominated epoch to either much later during the epoch or probably extending far into the era of matter domination which may account for late time, large-scale magnetic fields

Venomous Spiders of the Southeastern US: An Unexpected Threat

Background: Environmental health specialists recommend that residents of the Southeastern US, including Georgia, have the ability to identify the three venomous spiders indigenous to this area. It is necessary to recognize the black widow, brown widow, and brown recluse spiders and to be familiar with the likely habitats of these insects and with the symptoms of bites. The primary author, who serves as an Environmental Health Specialist and is a hobbyist who works with distressed wood, frequently encounters all three of these spiders. Methods: A literature review supports the fact that these three venomous spiders are indigenous to Georgia. Results: Spiders, a common sight in rural and urban areas of Georgia, are often not considered as being especially dangerous. Three common species of spiders found in Georgia are, however, venomous. Conclusions: Recognition of spiders is particularly appropriate for the protection of food service workers, employees working in tourist accommodations, and hobbyists who routinely invade spider habitats. The evaluation of educational efforts may be assessed by the numbers of reported cases of spider bites among these populations

Expanding Space for Women in the Security Sector: A Philippine Case Study

Many of the provinces in the Philippines still have small enclaves populated by armed rebel groups and/or organized criminal syndicates.  These groups have the capability to disrupt the security, stability and development progress of communities.  Women pay a disproportionately high price during armed conflict as existing inequalities are magnified and women become more vulnerable to sexual violence.  Despite the significant role of women in peace and conflict, women are underrepresented in spaces dealing with conflict management, peacekeeping and peacebuilding. The session looks at security sector institutions in the Philippines, particularly the institutional responses on mainstreaming the agenda of women, peace, and security. It argues that interventions and affirmative actions on gender mainstreaming, while notable, are still obviously lacking. Pushing and expanding the boundaries of gender rights in security discourses, especially in the context of a non-international armed conflict, remain a challenge.https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/wps/1003/thumbnail.jp

A Retrospective Study of EPA\u27s Record of Decision Report on the Woolfolk Arsenic and Lead Contamination in Fort Valley, Georgia

Abstract Heavy metal contamination is a major anthropogenic challenge in communities with heavy presence of chemical industries. Most of the contamination is due to the improper disposal of chemical waste. The study involved the evaluation of the levels of arsenic and lead regarding remediation activities carried out by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It compared the results of the EPA’s 1993 soil analysis of arsenic and lead, and a subsequent soil analysis of the same mapped areas. It also covered the evaluation of the level of arsenic dust in the attics of residential properties and evaluation of the EPA’s record of testing of arsenic-exposed residents of Fort Valley, Georgia. The results revealed that there is a high level of arsenic still present in the mapped areas cleaned by EPA. Therefore, there is a need for continuous monitoring of health status of the people who live in the affected area. Keywords: Environmental Protection Agency, Arsenic Contamination, Lead Contamination, Woolfolk Chemical Company, Fort Valley, Georgi

Spiritual Health: The Often-Overlooked Dimension of Health

Background: Spiritual health, one of the six dimensions of health (physical, social, intellectual, emotional, environmental, and spiritual), is often overlooked and has become less prominent in the literature and in public forums. This once-touted dimension of health is now seldom considered. Methods: A review revealed that literature on spiritual health is sparse and, when found, is dated. Results: The existing literature indicates that spiritual health relates to various aspects of well-being, including medical/physical health, mental/psychological health, and educational/intellectual health. It is likely that the decline of consideration of spiritual health is due to the decrease in public discussion of spiritual matters and to the tendency of our society to focus on “political correctness.” Conclusions: Although the fear of alienating others by political incorrectness is foremost in the minds of many, this does not negate the fact that spiritual health is of benefit and can lead many to experiencing a better standard of health. It is our contention that spiritual health is often overlooked but has benefits that need not be concealed by political correctness. Spiritual health should be returned to the mainstream of public health, where its benefits can be enjoyed by those who choose to use them

Fire analysis of steel frames with the use of artificial neural networks

The paper presents an alternative approach to the modelling of the mechanical behaviour of steel frame material when exposed to the high temperatures expected in fires. Based on a series of stress-strain curves obtained experimentally for various temperature levels, an artificial neural network (ANN) is employed in the material modelling of steel. Geometrically and materially, a non-linear analysis of plane frame structures subjected to fire is performed by FEM. The numerical results of a simply supported beam are compared with our measurements, and show a good agreement, although the temperature-displacement curves exhibit rather irregular shapes. It can be concluded that ANN is an efficient tool for modelling the material properties of steel frames in fire engineering design studies. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved