Intelligent pigments and plastics for CO2 detection

A novel CO2 intelligent pigment is incorporated into a thermoplastic polymer to create a long-lived CO2-sensitive plastic film which is characterised and then compared to a traditional solvent-based CO2 indicator film

Evaluation of NRA tracking studies. Future projects and technical development

Fish tracking is a valuable technique for the provision of detailed information on the behaviour patterns of individual fish especially during estuarine and riverine migration. 2. Tracking studies help in the provision of a comprehensive description of the variety offish behaviour patterns in response to factors such as water flow, obstructions and water quality. 3. There are advantages to be gained by complementing fish tracking studies with data collected from fish counters and vice versa. 4. An overall evaluation of NRA fish tracking projects is presented in the wider context of NRA strategic research objectives. 5. The requirement for future development of tracking equipment, improved data analysis techniques, better communication and more immediate report preparation is identified. 6. Individual project evaluation is given for NRA (or the appropriate Water Authority predecessor) tracking studies conducted on the Ribble estuary, the River Tamar, River Torridge, Rivers Test and Itchen, River Lodden, the Welsh River Dee, River Glaslyn, River Taff, River Tawe, River Tywi, River Usk, Rivers Avon and Stour and the River Frome. 7. An outline for future strategic research is provided which identifies particular areas for study:- i) Identification of environmental factors which control the entry of fish into rivers. ii) Improvement of the understanding of the relationship between water flow and upstream movement of salmonids. iii) Examination of the detailed movements and behaviour of fish in relation to obstructions. iv) Closer definition of water quality requirements for salmonid fish. v) Definition of habitat preferences of salmonids in rivers. vi) Subsidiary topics such as the movements of non-salmonid fish and the downstream migration of kelts and juvenile salmonids

Vacillating on Darfur: responsibility to protect, to prosecute, or to feed?

The international community has responded to the crisis in Darfur in a seemingly haphazard manner. Yet, a closer examination reveals a complex normative environment where states must respond to three related, but sometimes conflicting, sets of human rights norms – the responsibility to protect, international criminal justice, and humanitarianism. Using competing theoretical explanations of state behavior – those based on self-interest and those based on norms – allows us to examine the relationship between these norms and map the international response to Darfur

A Literature Review on Vital Elements to a Successful Health Education Program in Central America

The prevalence of poor health in developing regions of Central America is a growing concern in the world today. Inadequate sanitation, unavailability of clean water, and fierce malnutrition are socially and culturally rooted issues that fuel poor health and medical problems in these regions. The purpose of this article is to review the literature on hygiene education programs in rural, impoverished communities of Central America. Research shows that NGOs and government-run health and hygiene education programs may vary in method and success. Regardless of their individual differences, there are four basic elements that help ensure a successful program. Research suggests that the core of successful health education programs is made up of 1) initial needs based evaluations, 2) local support, 3) long-lasting partnerships, and 4) low-technology resource tools. Unfortunately, research in this area is limited. While many programs are active, very few have been evaluated. Increased research efforts will undeniably improve the implementation of successful health and hygiene education programs in underdeveloped Central American rural regions

Replacement of Cakile edentula with Cakile maritima in New South Wales and on Lord Howe Island

Two species of Cakile (Brassicaceae) have been introduced to Australia and the genus has been a common feature on the beaches of NSW for over 130 years; Cakile edentula has been present for at least 148 years (in NSW since about 1870), while Cakile maritima arrived approximately 114 years ago, (in NSW since about 1969). Collections at CANB and NSW confirm that since around 1970 plants more like Cakile maritima have almost entirely replaced Cakile edentula along the NSW coast. A similar phenomenon is reported for Lord Howe Island

The Identities of Private International Law: Lessons from the U.S. and EU Revolutions

This article, first presented as part of a conference entitled What is private international law? , responds to this question through analysis of four different identities through which private international law has been viewed. It begins by exploring two contrasting classical approaches, under which private international law is concerned with the international ordering of state power, or with the national recognition of private rights. It then turns to examine the US and EU private international law revolutions, and the very different further identities of private international law which have emerged as a consequence of each. After reflecting critically on the experiences of these revolutions, the article offers some concluding thoughts as to how the identity or identities of private international law can or should be constructed, arguing that there are valuable lessons and potentially propitious elements in each of the four examined identities

Colonialism, christians and sport : the catholic church and football in Goa, 1883-1951

The chapter uses the development of football in Goa, the Portuguese colony in India until 1961, as a case study with which to critique existing histories of sport and colonialism. The start point of the article is that when taken together existing studies of football in particular, and to an extent sport in general, in colonial contexts bear a range of similarities. Broadly speaking a model can be drawn from them, one in which Christian missionary activity and colonial government projects act to introduce and encourage western sports among colonised populations who then eventually adopt and adapt the games. The Goa example offers a fresh perspective as it argues that while elements of the story of football there are familiar from these other studies, the role of indigenous agents in propagating the game at its earliest stages is crucial to understanding how the sport took off and became embedded in local society and culture

Solving for multi-class using orthogonal coding matrices

A common method of generalizing binary to multi-class classification is the error correcting code (ECC). ECCs may be optimized in a number of ways, for instance by making them orthogonal. Here we test two types of orthogonal ECCs on seven different datasets using three types of binary classifier and compare them with three other multi-class methods: 1 vs. 1, one-versus-the-rest and random ECCs. The first type of orthogonal ECC, in which the codes contain no zeros, admits a fast and simple method of solving for the probabilities. Orthogonal ECCs are always more accurate than random ECCs as predicted by recent literature. Improvments in uncertainty coefficient (U.C.) range between 0.4--17.5% (0.004--0.139, absolute), while improvements in Brier score between 0.7--10.7%. Unfortunately, orthogonal ECCs are rarely more accurate than 1 vs. 1. Disparities are worst when the methods are paired with logistic regression, with orthogonal ECCs never beating 1 vs. 1. When the methods are paired with SVM, the losses are less significant, peaking at 1.5%, relative, 0.011 absolute in uncertainty coefficient and 6.5% in Brier scores. Orthogonal ECCs are always the fastest of the five multi-class methods when paired with linear classifiers. When paired with a piecewise linear classifier, whose classification speed does not depend on the number of training samples, classifications using orthogonal ECCs were always more accurate than the the remaining three methods and also faster than 1 vs. 1. Losses against 1 vs. 1 here were higher, peaking at 1.9% (0.017, absolute), in U.C. and 39% in Brier score. Gains in speed ranged between 1.1% and over 100%. Whether the speed increase is worth the penalty in accuracy will depend on the application