Hostile Terrain Research Articles

Validating hidden Markov models for seabird behavioural inference.

Understanding animal movement and behaviour can aid spatial planning and inform conservation management. However, it is difficult to directly observe behaviours in remote and hostile terrain such as the marine environment. Different underlying states can be identified from telemetry data using hidden Markov models (HMMs). The inferred states are subsequently associated with different behaviours, using ecological knowledge of the species. However, the inferred behaviours are not typically validated due to difficulty obtaining 'ground truth' behavioural information. We investigate the accuracy of inferred behaviours by considering a unique data set provided by Joint Nature Conservation Committee. The data consist of simultaneous proxy movement tracks of the boat (defined as visual tracks as birds are followed by eye) and seabird behaviour obtained by observers on the boat. We demonstrate that visual tracking data is suitable for our study. Accuracy of HMMs ranging from 71% to 87% during chick-rearing and 54% to 70% during incubation was generally insensitive to model choice, even when AIC values varied substantially across different models. Finally, we show that for foraging, a state of primary interest for conservation purposes, identified missed foraging bouts lasted for only a few seconds. We conclude that HMMs fitted to tracking data have the potential to accurately identify important conservation-relevant behaviours, demonstrated by a comparison in which visual tracking data provide a 'gold standard' of manually classified behaviours to validate against. Confidence in using HMMs for behavioural inference should increase as a result of these findings, but future work is needed to assess the generalisability of the results, and we recommend that, wherever feasible, validation data be collected alongside GPS tracking data to validate model performance. This work has important implications for animal conservation, where the size and location of protected areas are often informed by behaviours identified using HMMs fitted to movement data.

Women Participation in Conflict: The Case of the Biafran War

In order to investigate the type and scope of Biafran women’s involvement in the Nigerian Civil War from 1967 to 1970, this case study looks into their various responsibilities by using academic research on women’s participation in the conflict as a lens. Through historical narratives, archive materials, and empirically documented interview of a government official who is Biafran, results show that, in contrast to stereotypes of women as passive during conflict, Biafran women had essential and active roles. They served even when deliberate malnutrition (“weapons of war”) was applied against them, severely impairing their capacity to provide for their families. Some women ventured into hostile terrain on perilous missions to procure provisions and sustenance. Furthermore, Biafran women fought alongside men on the front lines, a novel finding that refutes the belief that they only play supportive, non-combat roles. The research also reveals a rise in political involvement due to community organizing activities spearheaded by women such as Madam Agafa. Nevertheless, there are gaps in our understanding of the unique contributions made by Biafran women to conflict resolution and peace-building. This case study highlights the gendered stereotypes that emphasize women’s passivity during the war. It draws attention to Biafran women’s profound and significant role during this independence movement in various military, political, social, and economic spheres. They made significant sacrifices like males and participated voluntarily and forcefully. The research aims to encourage more women to participate in Nigerian decision-making and post-conflict reconciliation socially, economically and politically.

Lithological Discrimination And Mapping Using Aster Swir Data In The Tundi Area, Jharkhand

ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) multispectral data is utilized in mineralogical and lithological mapping along with alteration zone mapping. The present study is carried out using ASTER data, which has shown the effectiveness SWIR spectral bands of ASTER data in lithological mapping. Field validation is carried out in the areas where lithological updation was expected from the sspectral analysis. From the band ratios, argillic, ferric, phyllic and propylytic alteration zones were demarcated. Thus, ASTER SWIR bands coupled with the advanced image enhancement techniques are recommended as a rapid and cost effective tool for lithological discrimination and mapping in the hostile terrain of Dhanbad and other geological areas.

Structural synthesis of the reconfigurable legged mobile lander for strong geometry-physical interaction with extraterrestrial environment

To design the engineering prototype of reconfigurable legged mobile lander (ReLML) for strong geometry-physical interaction with extraterrestrial environment, this paper proposes a tailored structural synthesis methodology unifying kinematic geometry and statics. Compared with our preceding works, three inbuilt operation modes are first integrated: adjusting mode is a totally new mode defined as three rotations (3R) with a strong geometrical adaptation to hostile terrain; landing mode is redefined as two rotations one translation (2R1T), inherits Chang'E lander to survive from strong impact interaction; roving mode turns into the other 2R1T motion for good motion/force interactivity. The interaction characteristics (motion, force, energy) between ReLML and environment are extracted to derive output finite motions and instantaneous wrenches of leg end-effector, following the principles of optimal force system equilibrium and work efficiency. The motion and force synergistic syntheses of metamorphic limb and joint are implemented to design and assemble mechanical generators. The ReLML can serve the alien base construction and adjustable launch bracket. The unified structural synthesis methodology of kinematic geometry and statics is universal and effective for designing parallel mechanisms and reconfigurable mechanisms, especially for strong physical interaction scenarios.

Hostile terrain: on the spatial and affective conditions for revolution

ABSTRACT In 1966, Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara arrived in south-east Bolivia assuming that the region’s forested mountains and the poverty of the peasantry constituted ‘favourable terrain’ to start a revolution. Instead, he encountered a hostile terrain that led to the defeat of his guerrilla force and to his death. In this article, I offer a spatial and affective analysis of Guevara’s conceptualizations of ‘favourable’ and ‘unfavourable’ terrain, of his gendered experience of a ‘hostile terrain’ in Bolivia, and of how these ideas and his emphasis on revolutionary determination were subsequently debated and reformulated by guerrilla fighters and radical movements in Latin America. Drawing from an analysis of the interface between terrain, place and territory in rebellions, I show how the dichotomy between favourable and unfavourable terrain misses that spatially attuned insurrections can potentially weaponize any type of terrain, but also that they always confront a ‘hostile terrain’, understood as the social and territorial conditions that hinder their spatial proliferation. This means conceptualizing revolutions as spatial and affective processes through which determined multitudes overcome this hostility by attuning to place, empowering their strategies through engagements with different types of terrain, and expanding rebel territories. I conclude by discussing why these questions are relevant today to radical politics amid the climate crisis.

Hostile Terrain 94, Installation, and Meditative Explorations of the US-Mexico Borderlands

In the fall semester of 2021, we organized and curated the participatory art project Hostile Terrain ‘94 at the University of Alabama. The project, conceived and developed by the Undocumented Migration Project, consists of ∼3,200 toe-tags carrying information of deceased migrants found on the US side of the US-Mexico border in the Sonoran Desert. They produce a map of tremendous death. The project allowed participating institutions to make their own decisions regarding how to coordinate the creation of the material and staging and curation of the final exhibition. Apart from its importance as a way of engaging a public with the often-unseen consequences of US border policy and policing, it is also an experiment in collaborative art making. What kind of experience did we want to structure for those taking part in creating the materials? How were we going to stage the encounter with the finished materials? We discuss organizing the creation of materials, setting up the installation, and the period when the project was open to the public to highlight two elements that were of special importance in the process: the subject position engaged by the project, and the meditative practice proposed by the installation.

Migration and Racialization Part I: Constructing and Navigating a Hostile Terrain

Migration and Racialization Part I: Constructing and Navigating a Hostile Terrain

Efficient UAV-based mobile edge computing using differential evolution and ant colony optimization.

Internet of Things (IoT) tasks are offloaded to servers located at the edge network for improving the power consumption of IoT devices and the execution times of tasks. However, deploying edge servers could be difficult or even impossible in hostile terrain or emergency areas where the network is down. Therefore, edge servers are mounted on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to support task offloading in such scenarios. However, the challenge is that the UAV has limited energy, and IoT tasks are delay-sensitive. In this paper, a UAV-based offloading strategy is proposed where first, the IoT devices are dynamically clustered considering the limited energy of UAVs, and task delays, and second, the UAV hovers over each cluster head to process the offloaded tasks. The optimization problem of dynamically determining the optimal number of clusters, specifying the member tasks of each cluster, is modeled as a mixed-integer, nonlinear constraint optimization. A discrete differential evolution (DDE) algorithm with new mutation and crossover operators is proposed for the formulated optimization problem, and compared with the particle swarm optimization (PSO) and genetic algorithm (GA) meta-heuristics. Further, the ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm is employed to identify the shortest path over the cluster heads for the UAV to traverse. The simulation results validate the effectiveness of the proposed offloading strategy in terms of tasks delays and UAV energy consumption.

Mapping carbonate-hosted Pb-Zn mineralization zones in Yahyali Province (Eastern Taurus - Turkey) using ASTER data

The first record of the carbonate-hosted Pb-Zn deposits in Turkey dates back to the Roman period. The carbonate-hosted Pb-Zn deposits in Turkey are economically important and found in the Aladağlar - Zamantı Province. Mineral exploration and geological mapping through the utilization of the traditional geological method still remain very challenging in many high terrains (High mountains). In this study, Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) remote sensing data were used for mapping the carbonate-hosted Pb-Zn deposits in the Yahyali region of Turkey. The Band Ratio (BR), Least square fitting methοd (Ls–fit), Band Ratio Color Composite (BRCC), and Principal Cοmpοnent Analysis (PCA) were used tο map the Pb-Zn mineralization zone. The results of this investigation show the spatial distribution of Fe-Mg – OH/CO3, hydroxyl-bearing and iron oxide minerals. Field work and laboratory analysis were carried out to verify the occurrence of alteration zones and highly prospective locations and to confirm the availability of alteration and potential zones of carbonate-hosted Pb-Zn mineralization in the study area. Spatial correlation and distribution were observed between the previous geological map, active and abandoned mines, and the result obtained from the remote sensing data. Different techniques applied to the Aster data image in this study are recommended fοr carbonate-hosted Pb-Zn and lithological mapping in hostile terrains.

FEM ANALYSIS OF BLAST PROOF SANDWICH COMPOSITE TO DETERMINE THE OPTIMAL GROUND CLEARANCE OF MINE PROTECTION VEHICLE

It has been a constant endeavor of the armed forces to build vehicles that can transport soldiers in hostile terrain while reducing threats to their lives. The strength of these vehicles used to mitigate the blast effect is directly proportional to the mass of the explosives used for the blast. The challenge lies in designing an operationally effective mine protection vehicle (MPV) with appropriate protective measures to safeguard the lives of its occupants while maintaining high fuel efficiency high. It has been reported that the greater the standoff distance of explosive from the hull of a vehicle, the less is the effect of the blast. However, the ground clearance of a vehicle cannot be increased beyond a limit as it would seriously affect its stability. In this study, the optimal ground clearance of MVPs was investigated so that any blast would have the least effect on the vehicle chassis. The blast-proof material used in this study is a novel sandwich composite invented by Ariharan et al. (2019).

Black Man in the Huddle: Stories from the Integration of Texas Football by Robert D. Jacobus

Reviewed by: Black Man in the Huddle: Stories from the Integration of Texas Football by Robert D. Jacobus J. Anthony Guillory Black Man in the Huddle: Stories from the Integration of Texas Football. By Robert D. Jacobus. Foreword by Annette Gordon-Reed. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2019. 280 pp. Illustrations, bibliography, index. $29.95 cloth. Robert D. Jacobus's Black Man in the Huddle interrogates the oral history accounts of men who participated in the desegregation of high school and college football in Texas. Jacobus is primarily interested in the experiences of black student athletes who were born in or who came to Texas to participate in interscholastic or intercollegiate football. He also examines the testimony of white and Latino student athletes and their coaches. Though Jacobus allows his subjects to speak for themselves, he frames his text around a few basic points that serve as a means of illuminating the experiences of young [End Page 168] men who navigated often hostile terrain to find athletic and academic success. An important claim Jacobus makes is that, despite differences in racial tensions from one city to the next, common themes often reverberated as African Americans negotiated a nuanced Jim Crow system designed to keep African Americans in an inferior status. Jacobus also argues that resistance to desegregation could be explained by the demographics and geography of a particular desegregating town. According to Jacobus, for cities where African American populations were smaller in size, the process of desegregation was easier than in spaces where the numbers of black residents were large enough to rival their white counterparts. Jacobus also claims that proximity to the former Confederacy helped to determine resistance to desegregation. The result was that spaces like Dallas, Houston, and East Texas were slower to desegregate while spaces like Corpus Christi and San Antonio desegregated relatively early. One of the reasons Jacobus's text is valuable is that it analyzes the reasons why black players elected to stay at black high schools or colleges and why they chose to enter desegregated spaces. Jacobus probes black former student athletes who traveled outside the South to play college football. He reveals that close ties, academic resources, and the presence of other black students helped to provide black student athletes with enough incentive to persist, matriculate, and ultimately graduate from white colleges located outside the South. Jacobus's book is an excellent addition to the study of school desegregation and the desegregation of sports institutions. This is a text for both fans and scholars of sport history. It uses first-person accounts to explain how players—black, white, and Latino, along with their coaches—negotiated this complex set of social, political, and athletic issues related to desegregation in the post–Brown v. Board of Education era to achieve athletic and academic success. J. Anthony Guillory Department of History University of Texas at Arlington Copyright © 2022 Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Femoral Nerve Anesthesia in Hostile Environments (Mountains)

Traumatic injuries associated with adventure sports activities occur in hostile environment. The Femoral nerve anesthesia (FNA) outside of the hospital settings has been demonstrated but not in hostile environment. So, the objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of FNA for these very painful traumatized patients on the accident site and during their extraction-evacuation by helicoper. This prospective observational study was enrolled a convenience sample of 11 patients (4 women, 7 men) with closed fractures femurs. FNA was performed on all participants and 3 situations were defined (Impossible, Difficult if more than 1 attempt, Easy to perform). Pain evaluated using visual analog scale (VAS) (0-10) measured at the following time point: Rescue team arrival (T0), Ten minutes after FNA (T10), at Reduction of fracture (T Reduction) and during helicopter Evacuation (T Evacuation). The median age of the participants was aged 40 +/- 18 years. The accidents which occurred were 7 Skiing, 2 moutaineering, 1 snowshoeing, 1 parapliding. 11 FNA performed with 5 fascia iliaca blocks, 6 femoral nerve blocks. 82% blocks were technically easy and 18% difficult. Pain evaluation showed an average VAS of 7,5 (7-8) at T0, 1,1 (0-2) at T10, 0,45 (0-1) at T Reduction, 0,36 (0-1) at T Evacuation. All the pathologies were treated with reduction and immobilization. Helicopter evacuations were conducted without incident in a calm atmosphere and with excellent patient cooperation. In final, FNA performed in difficult environment is feasible, effective, and reproducible in extreme conditions. There is no limitation due to hostile terrain. FNA techniques used must simple and fast but performed by trained physicians who are technical experts in order achieve a successful outcome in difficult terrain.

Forest, forest, forest. Sometimes we sleep. Walking, sleep, walking, sleep. It’s dangerous on this way

Hidden migrant routes through Croatia lead through forest areas (among other types of terrain) which include those along state borders, but also forests in the interior of the territory. Those forests can variously be seen as shelters for migrants, albeit harsh, or as green tunnels leading to desired destinations, and as scenes of suffering and violence. This article approaches the forests in question as landscapes that have been transformed from a neutral natural environment into active factors for creating and maintaining border control regimes and deterring and expelling unwanted migrants. Based on our long-term field research and publicly available (archival, media and other) sources, we seek to document, interpret, and interconnect the objects and practices involved in constructing the forest as a hostile terrain and perilous environment for migrants, and as an important element in controlling unwanted migrations. These are, on the one hand, objects and practices that intervene into forests, such as setting up cameras or cutting down trees, and, on the other, interventions that take place in forests, such as police interception or expulsion. Apart from these external interventions, in this context of remodeling forests into dangerous environments, one can also discuss the role of nature itself and its characteristics, as well as the causes of why migrants find themselves in nature in the first place. Although, at first glance, it seems that people on the move choose the forest as the place and route of their movement of their own volition, they are pushed and expelled into these forests by exclusionary policies (visa regimes, asylum systems, etc.). This, ultimately, classifies forests in Croatia as weaponized landscapes of exclusion and death, such as the desert (e.g., De León 2015), mountain (Del Biaggio et al. 2020), maritime (e.g., Albahari 2015) or archipelago (Mountz 2017) landscapes

Intérêts des anesthésies locorégionales périphériques en milieu périlleux

Traumatic injuries associated with adventure sports activities occur often in hostile environment. The regional anesthesia (RA) outside of the hospital settings has been demonstrated but not in hostile environment. So, we wondered if it was possible to carry out these RA for these very painful traumatized patients on the accident site and during their extraction-evacuation by helicoper. In a prospective observational study, 13 patients (6 women, 13 men) who benefited from a RA were included with types of accident and injuries. RA was determined and 3 situations were defined (impossible, difficult more than 1 attempt, easy to perform). Pain evaluated using visual analog scale (VAS) (0–10) measured at rescue team arrival (T0), ten minutes after RA (T10), after reduction and at helicopter evacuation. The type of accident was 14 skiing, 1 spelunking, 2 mountaineering, 1 snowshoeing, 1 paragliding and represented 11 fractures femurs, 3 legs, and 1 hand, 1 dislocation patella, 3 shoulders. Nineteen RA performed with 6 fascia iliaca blocks, 6 femoral nerve blocks, 3 interscalene blocks, 1 multiblock of nerve (median, radial, ulnar) at elbow and 3 sciatic nerve blocks. Seventeen blocks (89%) were technically straightforward and 2 (11%) difficult. Evaluation of pain showed an average VAS of 8 (7–9) before RA (T0), 1 (0–2) at T10, 0,4 (0–1) at T reduction and 0,3 (0–1) at T evacuation. All the pathologies were treated on place and helicopter evacuations were conducted in calm atmosphere. RA performed in difficult environment is feasible, effective and reproducible in extreme conditions. There is no limitation due to hostile terrain. RA techniques used must simple and fast but performed by trained physicians who are technical experts in order achieve a successful outcome in difficult terrain.

RESIDENT SENTIMENTS AND LIVED EXPERIENCES IN RELATION TO PLACE ATTACHMENT WITH BATTEL SECTOR

Kashmir conflict between India and Pakistan has plagued people for decades. The two regions controlled by India and Pakistan were split into a contested line, the Line of Control (LOC). The Kashmiri people face various threats on both sides, and their lives are threatened. However, residents are attached to their place and are reluctant to settle in other peaceful areas. The current study aimed to explore the perceptions regarding the place attachment of the residents living near LoC by asking the following question: what are Sentiments of individuals and their lived experiences with reference to their affinity to the Battel sector? The ethnographic research methodology was used to carry out the current research which includes participant observation and in-depth interviews. The sample of the study was selected from diverse socio-economic and educational backgrounds. A purposive sampling technique was employed and a total of fifteen participants were selected. The findings of the research suggest that there are multiple factors involved which binds residents with their place involving, place identity, social connections, the economic dimension, love for the place, and ancestral affiliations. Keywords: Azad Kashmir, conflict, hostile terrain, place attachment, sentiments

Novel Display Design for Spatial Assessment in Virtual Environments

In this work in progress paper, we share novel conceptual display design ideas (pending validation and testing) to aid users with their spatial assessment in either two or three-dimensional spaces such as Virtual Reality (VR) environments. The example scenario used is to help a remote human team player (2nd user) to work with an asset Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and human team player (1st user) in the field. The scenario’s goal is to deliver relief packages (i.e., medical, clothing, and food supplies) at a fixed location in an urban and hostile terrain containing adversary UAV and their human team players. Inspired by the Lens theory and Ecological Interface Design principles, the proposed display design ideas allow the user to retain past and present asset and adversary location information whilst knowing when the adversary was too close to assets and civilians and the precision of display views based on the number of sensors available.

Policy actors in a hostile environment: the views of staff in maintained nursery schools in England

ABSTRACT The nearly 400 maintained nursery schools in England are schools for children aged 2–4 years. They hold a unique position in offering state-funded provision for this age group, outside of a primary school environment, and are disproportionately located in areas of disadvantage [EE. 2020. Briefing Note: The Comprehensive Spending Review and Funding for Maintained Nursery Schools. Accessed 13 October 2020. https://early-education.org.uk/sites/default/files/Briefing%20note%20-%20CSR%20and%20maintained%20nursery%20schools%27%20funding.pdf]. While there have been policy-based attempts to reduce the impact of social deprivation on educational outcomes, we argue that education policy has created a hostile environment for nursery schools. This arises from the national strategies on funding, ‘free hours’ for parents, and staff qualifications, alongside social policy. Based on interview data with staff and leaders in four nursery schools, the paper explores the views of these teachers and discusses them as policy actors within a precarious environment, faced with possible closure. We explore their agency as they navigate this hostile terrain and their ways of maintaining their sense of professional pride and commitment to social justice.

Problems of Organizing Year-Round Urban Pedestrian Spaces in Vladivostok

Vladivostok is notable with significant limitations in arranging pedestrian spaces in the traditional way, namely along highways. Therefore, the most essential task is to develop those pedestrian spaces that connect areas separated by a significant difference in terrain, highways, and railways along the shortest distance. The article discusses the experience of national and foreign design of pedestrian spaces formed independently of city highways and assuring a comfortable traveling for pedestrians under any weather conditions. Studying the experience of using technical means and mechanisms will allow outlining the main ways of the architectural and spatial arrangement of year-round urban pedestrian spaces in the conditions of hostile terrain and monsoon climate.

QoS-Aware Energy Management and Node Scheduling Schemes for Sensor Network-Based Surveillance Applications

Recent advances in wireless technologies have led to an increased deployment of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) for a plethora of diverse surveillance applications such as health, military, and environmental. However, sensor nodes in WSNs usually suffer from short device lifetime due to severe energy constraints and therefore, cannot guarantee to meet the Quality of Service (QoS) needs of various applications. This is proving to be a major hindrance to the widespread adoption of WSNs for such applications. Therefore, to extend the lifetime of WSNs, it is critical to optimize the energy usage in sensor nodes that are often deployed in remote and hostile terrains. To this effect, several energy management schemes have been proposed recently. Node scheduling is one such strategy that can prolong the lifetime of WSNs and also helps to balance the workload among the sensor nodes. In this article, we discuss on the energy management techniques of WSN with a particular emphasis on node scheduling and propose an energy management life-cycle model and an energy conservation pyramid to extend the network lifetime of WSNs. We have provided a detailed classification and evaluation of various node scheduling schemes in terms of their ability to fulfill essential QoS requirements, namely coverage, connectivity, fault tolerance, and security. We considered essential design issues such as network type, deployment pattern, sensing model in the classification process. Furthermore, we have discussed the operational characteristics of schemes with their related merits and demerits. We have compared the efficacy of a few well known graph-based scheduling schemes with suitable performance analysis graph. Finally, we study challenges in designing and implementing node scheduling schemes from a QoS perspective and outline open research problems.

TVDD: topology based vehicular data dissemination scheme for stability optimisation in IoV

Internet of vehicles (IoVs) nowadays has opened the door to a myriad of advancements in safety, mobility, and in environmental aspects. Although, due to core challenges like high mobility, variable density, frequent fragmentation and the hostile terrain types in vehicles, there is a greater need to improve data dissemination interfaces for the IoV. To mitigate these challenges, this paper proposes an efficient group based topology management vehicular data dissemination (TVDD) scheme that focuses on improving the stability of groups and meeting users' quality of service (QoS) requirements. Continuous service availability is achieved by grouping vehicles in intra-grouping and inter-grouping domains. Group heads (GHs) are selected for avoiding continuous connectivity voids by optimising the stability factor. Furthermore, for holistic data delivery a hybrid data forwarding approach based on LTE-V is proposed. Simulations are carried out using network simulator (NS3) and mobility simulator simulation mobility (SUMO). Encouraging results are obtained in terms of grouping overhead, grouping stability and packet delivery ratio stable data delivery.