Global Hotspots of Conflict Risk between Food Security and Biodiversity Conservation

This work contributes to the Belmont Forum/FACCE-JPI DEVIL project (grant number NE/M021327/1), and AM is supported by a BBSRC EastBio Studentship (http://www.eastscotbiodtp.ac.uk/). The Conservation Biology Institute are acknowledged for provision of data as well as BirdLife International, IUCN, NatureServe, and USGS for their contribution of the species range map data used in producing data available from the Biodiversity Mapping website (http://biodiversitymapping.org).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Rethinking Pacific Studies Twenty Years On

This essay reflects on developments in the field since the 1995 publication of “Rethinking Pacific Islands Studies” first explored a number of intellectual or academic foundations of such programs. It suggests that the pragmatic rationale for Pacific studies, which often has more to do with influence than understanding, and the laboratory rationale, which values Pacific Islanders primarily as objects of study, are both alive and well twenty years on, albeit with more attention among practitioners to issues of positionality, research ethics, and the politics of knowledge. The essay discusses the challenges of realizing the empowerment rationale advocated in the original article but argues that there has been some progress in giving primacy to indigenous perspectives, interests, and epistemologies in Pacific studies scholarship. The essay concludes with a discussion of how the empowerment rationale has informed curriculum and program development at the Center for Pacific Islands Studies at the University of Hawai‘i–Mānoa over the past two decades

Calibration of neural networks using genetic algorithms, with application to optimal path planning

Genetic algorithms (GA) are used to search the synaptic weight space of artificial neural systems (ANS) for weight vectors that optimize some network performance function. GAs do not suffer from some of the architectural constraints involved with other techniques and it is straightforward to incorporate terms into the performance function concerning the metastructure of the ANS. Hence GAs offer a remarkably general approach to calibrating ANS. GAs are applied to the problem of calibrating an ANS that finds optimal paths over a given surface. This problem involves training an ANS on a relatively small set of paths and then examining whether the calibrated ANS is able to find good paths between arbitrary start and end points on the surface

Remote Sensing Information Sciences Research Group: Santa Barbara Information Sciences Research Group, year 4

Information Sciences Research Group (ISRG) research continues to focus on improving the type, quantity, and quality of information which can be derived from remotely sensed data. Particular focus in on the needs of the remote sensing research and application science community which will be served by the Earth Observing System (EOS) and Space Station, including associated polar and co-orbiting platforms. The areas of georeferenced information systems, machine assisted information extraction from image data, artificial intelligence and both natural and cultural vegetation analysis and modeling research will be expanded

Stratigraphy and Sedimentology of the Siegas Formation (Early Llandovery) of Northwestern New Brunswick

Guidebook to the geology of Northeastern Maine and neighboring New Brunswick: The 72nd annual meeting of the New England Intercollegiate Geological Conference, Presque Isle, Maine, October 10-13, 1980: Trip C-

Gas Exploration in the Devonian Shales of Kentucky

Devonian black shales constitute a major economic resource in Kentucky. These shales, known variously as the Ohio, Chattanooga, and New Albany Shales, are between 50 and 1, 700 feet thick and occur both in outcrop and in the subsurface, buried as deep as 4,200 feet below sea level. Total gas in place for the Devonian shales in Kentucky is estimated to be between 63 and 112 trillion cubic feet; between 2 and 28 percent is recoverable. Known shale gas accumulations include the giant Big Sandy Field of eastern Kentucky and adjacent \/Vest Virginia, as well as a number of smaller fields in eastern and western Kentucky. Geochemical evidence shows that Devonian shales haw acted as effective source rocks for the bulk of the oil in both the Illinois and Appalachian Basins. This finding is consistent with a vitrinite reflectance map of the Devonian shales of Kentucky, which shows that much of the New Albany Shale and the Ohio Shale has reached a level of thermal maturity adequate for abundant oil generation. Devonian shale gas is thermogenic, and associated with the widespread generation of oil. The predominance of gas production from fractured Devonian shales is attributed to evaporational fractionation during hydrocarbon migration through the organic-rich, low permeability reservoirs. Natural fractures of different types are essential for effective gas production from Devonian shales. One common fracture type is closely associated with fault zones. Such fractured reservoirs may be poorly sealed, and productive only at the relatively low rates of migrating gas. Another common fracture type is closely associated with low-amplitude flexures. These fractured reservoirs should be well sealed, and productive at relatively high rates. Devonian shale reservoirs are commonly underpressured, but have a geological history of overpressuring that has been important in facilitating fracturing. Horizontal extension fractures in the Ohio Shale of the Big Sandy Field indicate a past episode of overpressuring that exceeded the lithostatic pressure gradient. Current underpressuring of Devonian shale reservoirs is probably caused by cooling resulting from uplift and erosion since the period of maximum burial in the Mesozoic. Calculation of paleoreservoir pressure using published values of eroded overburden and aquathermal pressure gradient suggests that reservoir pressure in the Devonian shales of the Big Sandy Field exceeded the lithostatic pressure gradient, locally resulting in horizontal extension fractures observed in core. Regions of maximum potential for Devonian shale gas production can be identified interior to the Rome Trough in eastern Kentucky, and interior to the Moorman Syncline in western Kentucky. In these regions, the lack of surface faulting increases the potential for maintaining a good seal to the Devonian shale gas accumulations. Thermal maturity in these regions is adequate for the generation of oil and associated gas, with accompanying overpressuring. The degree of gas generation and overpressuring would have increased to the southeast in the Rome Trough, and to the west in the Moorman Syncline. Intensive drilling in the deep Rome Trough has resulted in the development of the Big Sandy Field. In contrast. the deep Moorman Syncline is virtually unexplored. In addition to avoiding surface faulting and seeking out maximum thermal maturity, effective exploration in the deep Moorman Syncline must locate those specific flexures that would have resulted in extensive reservoir fracturing in the overpressured Devonian shales

Remote sensing information sciences research group

Research conducted under this grant was used to extend and expand existing remote sensing activities at the University of California, Santa Barbara in the areas of georeferenced information systems, matching assisted information extraction from image data and large spatial data bases, artificial intelligence, and vegetation analysis and modeling. The research thrusts during the past year are summarized. The projects are discussed in some detail

Remote Sensing Information Sciences Research Group, year four

The needs of the remote sensing research and application community which will be served by the Earth Observing System (EOS) and space station, including associated polar and co-orbiting platforms are examined. Research conducted was used to extend and expand existing remote sensing research activities in the areas of georeferenced information systems, machine assisted information extraction from image data, artificial intelligence, and vegetation analysis and modeling. Projects are discussed in detail

Utilizing Self-Determination Theory in Teaching the Research and Evaluation Course

Research is an important component in counselor preparation. However, students often are not motivated in taking the research course. The author explores and applies the Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Ryan & Deci, 2000) to teaching the research and evaluation course. Self-Determination Theory posits that student will be autonomously motivated to learn when basic needs of autonomy, relatedness, and competence are present in the classroom. Strategies to increase all three basic needs are discussed in this paper

South African NGOs in transition and the challenge of participatory development.

Thesis (M.Dev.Studies)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.Abstract not available