Non-military Purposes Research Articles

Remote Sensing and GIS tools for Forest Resource Management-A Review

Global importance and thus need to quantify the status of forest dynamics is increasing day by day. It is more so in the case of a country like India which is on the deficit side of forest cover in countering ecological balance. Information required for forest resource management includes extant, type of forest, felling/cutting, deforestation, afforestation, forest fire, forest flood, and extraction of bio-physical parameters like age of plantation, total biomass, canopy density etc. Widespread, vast span and difficult terrain, and inaccessibility makes it difficult to collect timely and periodic information about above mentioned parameter through conventional means. Forest mapping is one of the fields that witnessed the earliest application of remote sensing and GIS for nonmilitary purposes. using remote sensing data and GIS techniques, a forest manager can generate information regarding forest cover, types of forest present within an area of interest, human encroachment extent into forest land/protected areas, encroachment of desert-like conditions and so on [3].For the purpose of understanding the working of remote sensing and GIS, the basics are explained below.

Progressing into disaster: The railroad and the spread of cholera in a provincial Ottoman town.

The nineteenth century is often remembered as the age in which steamships and steam locomotives connected the globe with a speed and efficiency previously unseen. Although contemporaries frequently equated the use of these rapid-transportation technologies with the progress of civilization, their expansion also had some negative consequences. Among these was the more rapid and widespread diffusion of many diseases along transportation corridors as nonhuman stowaways on ships and trains. Most infamously, cholera extended its reach globally by appropriating and using modern transportation routes in ways that were unintended and disastrous for their human creators. This article goes beyond the technological optimism of the time, and its now widely accepted pitfalls, and expands the scope of Anatolian provincial modernization to incorporate a complex web of interactions between human and nonhuman agents in the context of technological use and nonuse. It argues for a complex cocreation of modern conditions between these agents, rather than seeing these conditions as solely produced by human actions or environmental limits. Among the different human agents, interaction greatly increased between Ottomans and European states and their citizens. As the Ottoman Empire became increasingly integrated into global transportation and economic networks, it also experienced the spread of cholera. In the Anatolian interior, cholera epidemics spread along the railroad. I examine the 1893 cholera epidemic in Eskişehir, an important junction town on the Ottoman Anatolian Railroad, which had just begun operation the previous year. The railroad was widely celebrated for its intended uses: tremendously increasing the speed and transportable volume of cargo and enabling travel for military and nonmilitary purposes. The cholera epidemic, however, was enabled by the unwitting use of the railroad lines as conveyors of sickness and death. Furthermore, human attempts to stop cholera's spread by interrupting train service undermined the technology's intended uses but also demonstrated the availability and potential effectiveness of nonuse as an option.

Bunkers as difficult heritage: imagining future for underground spaces in Seoul

ABSTRACT This paper examines underground bunkers in Seoul and explores different ways of reusing spaces that have a problematic heritage. In particular, I look at three bunkers in Seoul – the Yeouido, Kyeongheegung, and Daebangdong bunkers – in comparison to subway stations and other underground spaces designated as potential shelters by the state. I divide the bunkers into two types: those that have been in disuse or used for non-military purposes in peacetime, a distinction that corresponds to two different ways of envisaging disused bunkers. I argue that, unlike in the US and Germany, where wartime bunkers offered a psychological defense, in South Korea, bunkers failed to instill a sense of security, and so they contributed to the absence of discourse in South Korea about a possible life underground or a “bunker society.” After analyzing the three bunkers and comparing them to more mundane underground spaces, the paper concludes that bunkers can be incorporated into everyday uses through small-scale design interventions that encourage resident participation, and this incorporation will not necessarily entail a loss of memory or a trivialization of traumatic historical events.

Development of a YAMUGAG-20 Wireless Exploder for Safe Disposal of Military and Civil Explosives

YAMUGAG-20 Exploder is a Radio Frequency (RF)-based wireless exploder system designed and constructed specially for the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to overcome the challenges associated with the existing wired exploders used for the disposal of unserviceable ordnances. The Exploder system has three main parts namely, the master transmitter unit, the master receiver/slave transmitter unit, and the slave receiver unit. Each of these units is made up of transceiver module, microcomputer and power source. The microcomputers were programmed using C and C++ programming language of the Integrated Development Environment (IDE) software. The exploder is portable and easy to operate. For a typical demolition exercise, the operation of the exploder is such that signals are relayed from the master transmitter unit to the master receiver/slave transmitter unit onto the slave receiver unit to initiate an electric detonator leading to the detonation of the unserviceable ordnances. Functionality, range, power consumption, and system reliability tests were conducted on the exploder to establish its performance and efficiency. The results obtained from the tests indicated that the exploder transmitting at a frequency of 2.4GHz performed satisfactorily up to a range of 1000 meters. Therefore, the exploder has the potential of not only meeting the demolition demands of the NAF but can also be applied for other nonmilitary purposes like mining and related activities.

Development of a YAMUGAG-20 Wireless Exploder for Safe Disposal of Military and Civil Explosives

YAMUGAG-20 Exploder is a Radio Frequency (RF)-based wireless exploder system designed and constructed specially for the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to overcome the challenges associated with the existing wired exploders used for the disposal of unserviceable ordnances. The Exploder system has three main parts namely, the master transmitter unit, the master receiver/slave transmitter unit, and the slave receiver unit. Each of these units is made up of transceiver module, microcomputer and power source. The microcomputers were programmed using C and C++ programming language of the Integrated Development Environment (IDE) software. The exploder is portable and easy to operate. For a typical demolition exercise, the operation of the exploder is such that signals are relayed from the master transmitter unit to the master receiver/slave transmitter unit onto the slave receiver unit to initiate an electric detonator leading to the detonation of the unserviceable ordnances. Functionality, range, power consumption, and system reliability tests were conducted on the exploder to establish its performance and efficiency. The results obtained from the tests indicated that the exploder transmitting at a frequency of 2.4GHz performed satisfactorily up to a range of 1000 meters. Therefore, the exploder has the potential of not only meeting the demolition demands of the NAF but can also be applied for other nonmilitary purposes like mining and related activities.

Schoolyard Soldiers: The Art of Adapting the Art of War

Abstract The Art of War (or Sun Tzu) abounds with practical strategic and tactical advice which, while intended for use in warfare, can be applied to almost any professional or personal crisis or conflict. In recent decades this ancient Chinese military classic has been adapted for a variety of non-military purposes in fields as diverse as trade, law, sports, and love. Intrigued by the text’s seemingly limitless applicability, this article analyzes when, where, why, and how present-day adapters applied the ancient military text to modern non-military issues. The article also reflects on the value of Art of War adaptations, especially vis-à-vis translations, as it highlights the diverse ways in which an age-old Chinese text is made relevant to modern readers worldwide.

Demonized, domesticated, virtualized: fortification buildings as a case of Prussian heritage in present-day Kaliningrad

The article explores ways in which the nineteenth-century Prussian military architecture has been used and promoted as a part of the local heritage in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. Accommodation of the old fortification buildings to tourism and museum work has been publicly discussed since the beginning of the 2000s, but neither local nor federal authorities have proposed a plan to adapt them to non-military purposes. As a result, these structures, which are protected by federal heritage laws and uniformly built of characteristic red bricks, have become an arena for various initiatives, experiments, and games with the past. Strategies of virtualization discussed in the paper reveal a lack of open public discussion about dark episodes of Russian and Soviet history. Consequently, it is important to learn more about how and why contemporary Kaliningraders appropriate the local German legacies, use globally accepted strategies of heritage construction, and develop cooperation with the EU countries, while remaining receptive to official historical narratives promulgated by the national center.

Het Gebruik Van Drones. Een Verkennend Onderzoek Naar Onbemande Luchtvaartuigen (The Use of Drones: An Exploratory Study on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs))

Het Gebruik Van Drones. Een Verkennend Onderzoek Naar Onbemande Luchtvaartuigen (The Use of Drones: An Exploratory Study on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs))

Military education for non-military purposes

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore military service-linked economic and social governing initiatives in early twentieth-century Sweden, and thereby offer a broadened understanding of educational institutions as governing arenas.Design/methodology/approachUsing the term “governing” to describe and analyse various calculated techniques of the state – and/or affiliated governing actors – to influence and direct the behaviour of conscripts in order to deal with particular economic and/or social problems, the author ask what kind of economic and social problems policymakers and social commentators of education were looking to deal with, why military service was considered a suitable means and/or setting for doing so, and what governing techniques they proposed be used. The author furthermore take in consideration the intimate links between citizenship, gender, and military service and argue that the governing initiatives analysed enables us to understand these links in partly new and a more concrete way.FindingsThe study shows that there were numerous ideas and requests amongst policymakers and social commentators of education on making use of the nation’s conscription scheme for non-military purposes as it provided the nation with a unique opportunity to reach and influence entire generations of men on the threshold of adulthood. Proposals included, e.g., the use of various forms of instruction in assorted subjects, facilitation of base libraries and an extension of the period of military service, in order to deal with economic and social problems such as, e.g., mass unemployment, alcohol abuse, elementary education deficiencies, and uneducated voters, as well as shortages of skilled personnel in particular branches of great importance for the nation’s economy.Originality/valueWhile there is a sizable and growing body of research on governing initiatives in non-military educational settings, proposed and implemented to solve various economic and social problems in society, scholars in Sweden and elsewhere have largely overlooked the use and role of military service in such undertakings. This paper seeks to redress the balance and thereby offers a broadened understanding of educational institutions as governing arenas.

Modern Slavery: State-Induced Forced Labour in Myanmar (Burma) and Reactions from the International Community

While human rights conditions began sharply deteriorating in Myanmar with the inception of military rule in 1962, however, it was not until 1988 that the international community began seriously taking notice of these abuses. The brutal crackdown of peaceful demonstrations in that year coupled with the excessive use of force by the country’s ruling military thus placed Myanmar on radar international community. Apart from human rights abuses in general, one that has received considerable attention from the international community is the issue of state-induced forced labour? a modern form of slavery. Although this practice dates back to 1962, however, it was not until 1997 that the problem attracted international attention. The aim of this article is, therefore, to examine the conscription of state-induced forced labour in Myanmar and analyse reactions from the international community, namely like-minded states and international organisations. Although state-induced forced labour was utilised for both military and non-military purposes, this article will, however, concentrate on the latter, as it was mainly aimed at overcoming the woes of a cash-strapped military junta. In addition, the article only covers the period till early 2011 as the practice was not only initiated but even perpetuated by the country’s ruling military junta.

Advanced Robotics

Introduction: From Fiction to Fact The idea of robotic warriors is not new; depictions in popular media such as the Cylons from the Battlestar Galactica television shows, and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s iconic character from the Terminator series of films have kept discussions largely fictional, and not oriented toward the possible realties that might necessitate meaningful discourse on scientific, technological, ethical and policy issues. However, the construction and iterative designing of evermore-advanced robotics for both military and non-military purposes emphasizes the need and importance of such meaningful address to address the realistic potential and problems of current, and near future technology. For example, the introduction and growing use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in both reconnaissance and combat scenarios over the last decade has prompted deeper speculation, and more probing questions about how such advanced technologies, including robots, could and will affect the nature of twenty-first century warfare. In light of these developments and possibilities, this essay will examine the concept of advanced robotics and how the introduction and widespread adoption of robotic technologies by military forces, specifically those of the United States, may affect both the conduct of warfare, and the tolerance and threshold for engaging in conflict.

The underreporting of landmine and explosive remnants of war injuries in Cambodia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic and Viet Nam

Injuries place an enormous burden on individuals, households, and communities and they exacerbate poverty.1 A substantial but often under-recognized cause of injury in post-conflict environments is the presence of land mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW), such as abandoned ordnance or weapons and cluster munitions, bombs, mortars or other devices that failed to detonate on impact but remain volatile and can explode if touched or moved. This under-recognition, which is partly the result of underestimates, has global implications because it affects to what extent the resources assigned to injury prevention and the rehabilitation of injured people are prioritized. This paper provides detailed case studies of three countries that are heavily contaminated with land mines and ERWs and where mine action pro- grammes – i.e. programmes for humanitarian, non-military purposes – have been in place for a long time: Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) and Viet Nam. The purpose is to illustrate the degree to which injuries caused by land mines and ERW are underreported. The paper highlights how little has been published in the health literature on the subject of land mines and ERW and the failure to include available national data on the injuries caused by these devices in global burden of disease (GBD) estimates. The GBD is a measure that combines the contribution of both mortality and impaired functionality resulting from a range of diseases and injuries to provide a national ranking for comparing disease burdens across countries and, by implication, for assessing the relative importance of a given health problem at the national and global levels. Hence, underreporting is of global relevance. Language: en

Ballistic performance of a Kevlar-29 woven fibre composite under varied temperatures

Armours are usually manufactured from polymer matrix composites and used for both military and non-military purposes in different seasons, climates, and regions. The mechanical properties of the composites depend on temperature, which also affects their ballistic characteristics. The armour is used to absorb the kinetic energy of a projectile without any major injury to a person. Therefore, besides a high strength and lightness, a high damping capacity is required to absorb the impact energy transferred by the projectile. The ballistic properties of a Kevlar 29/polyvinyl butyral composite are investigated under varied temperatures in this study. The elastic modulus of the composite is determined from the natural frequency of composite specimens at different temperatures by using a damping monitoring method. Then, the backside deformation of composite plates is analysed experimentally and numerically employing the finite-element program Abaqus. The experimental and numeric results obtained are in good agreement.

In defence of our realm

The year 2010 marks the centenary of Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott setting off on their differently fated expeditions to reach the South Pole. The polar regions still capture the imagination. When I first visited the Arctic in 1990 it was the trip of a lifetime, but I have been back every year since—nowadays more like once every couple of months. Similarly, my first trip to Antarctica last year has only kindled my fervour to go there again (and again). The polar regions have a magnetic hold over me, although I am far from alone in succumbing to this obsession. The poles have long been a symbol for humanity striving towards knowing what is yet unknown, and harnessing its power. The metaphor was most famously used by Mary Shelley in her iconic novel Frankenstein (1818), but in recent times the science of the polar regions has entered human consciousness globally. The alarming instability of the polar climate and resulting vulnerability of the ice‐caps has become the compelling evidence of the greenhouse effect. Both the ice itself and its animal inhabitants have become emblematic of the global challenge to …

Experimental and Numerical Investigations on the Ballistic Performance of Polymer Matrix Composites Used in Armor Design

Ballistic properties of two different polymer matrix composites used for military and non-military purposes are investigated in this study. Backside deformation and penetration speed are determined experimentally and numerically for Kevlar 29/Polivnyl Butyral and Polyethylene fiber composites because designing armors for only penetration is not enough for protection. After experimental ballistic tests, a model is constructed using finite element program, Abaqus. The backside deformation and penetration speed are determined numerically. It is found that the experimental and numeric results are in agreement and Polyethylene fiber composite has much better ballistic limit, the backside deformation, and penetration speed than those of Kevlar 29/Polivnyl Butyral composite if areal densities are considered.

Instrumentatio nnotes - The accuracy of the global positioning systems

In certain cases, due to such high precision of geographical position estimation, there problems connected with the accuracy of systems for the projection of the globe convex surface to the two-dimensional surface of a chart emerge. When using DGPS, one should pay closer attention if the chart datum is compliant with GPS. Although DGPS can increase the precision of the SPS several times, the accuracy improvement of the PPS is very limited. Satellite navigation systems used for non-military purposes found their application mainly in maritime and aerial navigation; however, recently they started to invade inland applications. Expensive cars are being equipped with such systems, which transmit signals from remotely controlled transmitters hidden in vehicles in case of theft. Today, one can buy an inexpensive GPS or DGPS receiver capable of displaying position and travelled distance on a map of any selected region, in selected scale and with a variety of useful information such as location of hotels, restaurants, museums, or gas stations. Many developed countries are beginning to implement GPS receivers equipped with an interactive vehicle communication system that connects them with traffic control centres.

Genotoxic effect of PCP and lindane on human epithelial tonsil cells

Experimental and epidemiological studies have provided evidence that pentachlorophenol (PCP) and gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane (lindane) may pose a potential carcinogenic risk for human epithelial cells of the upper aerodigestive tract. In the past, these two substances have been used for military and nonmilitary purposes, e.g., for impregnation of textiles and uniforms. In this study, we investigated the genotoxic effect of PCP and lindane on human mucosal tissue from the tonsils. In epithelia obtained from the tonsillar mucosa removed during surgery, cell viability was evaluated by trypan blue staining. The specimens were incubated for 60 min with PCP (0.3, 0.75, and 1.2 mM) and lindane (0.5, 0.75, and 1.0 mM). The induction of DNA damage (single- and double-strand breaks) caused by PCP and lindane was measured using single-cell microgel electrophoresis. Evaluation was performed with an image analyzer enhanced by fluorescence microscopy. After exposure to PCP and lindane, strong genotoxic effects are apparent. The DNA migration rose from 26 micrometer in the control solution up to nearly 90 micrometer after incubation with PCP and lindane ( p<0.0001). This study could demonstrate for the first time genotoxic effects of PCP and lindane on human tonsillar epithelium. It has to be considered that chronic exposure to both agents might increase the risk for cancer of the upper aerodigestive tract.

Genotoxic effect of the insecticides pentachlorophenol and lindane on human nasal mucosal epithelium

In numerous experimental and epidemiologic studies Pentachlorphenol (PCP) and Hexachlorcyclohexan (Lindane) have been shown to be of potential carcinogenic risk for human epithelial cells. In the past, these two substances have been used for both, military and non-military purposes, e.g. for impregnation of textiles and uniforms. In this study we investigated the genotoxic effect of PCP and Lindane on human mucosal tissue from the middle and lower nasal turbinate. In biopsy samples obtained from nasal epithelia during surgery cell vitality was evaluated by trypan-blue-staining. The specimens were incubated for 60 minutes with PCP (0.3; 0.75 und 1.2 mumol/l) and Lindane (0.5; 0.75; and 1.0 mumol/ml). The induction of DNA-damage (single-strand-breaks and double-strand-breaks) caused by PCP and Lindane was measured using single-cell microgel electrophoresis. Evaluation was performed by fluorescence microscopy. Especially in mucosa cells from the middle turbinate severe DNA-damages were recognized after exposition to PCP and Lindane proposing a strong genotoxic effect. In cells from the lower turbinate DNA-changes caused by PCP and Lindane were significantly lower. However a considerable genotoxic effect was also present. This study shows for the first time that there are clear facts indicating mutagenic effects of PCP and Lindane on nasal epithelia. Furthermore, this is the first study showing different susceptibility of two anatomic subsites in the nose for different pesticides. Concerning the biological plausibility, this study offers important arguments for evaluating the role of PCP and Lindane in the induction of upper aerodigestive tract cancer.

Non-Military Determinants of Military Budgets: The Japanese Case

A theory of military budgets should include the non-military purposes they may serve, and it should distinguish between the roles played by policy rules reflecting those purposes and rules reflecting norms for the budgetary process per se. For advanced industrialized countries whose international relations center on the U.S., the non-military purposes of particular relevance are those which emphasize macroeconomic performance, a security conception in which military matters play only a part, management of military and economic relations with the superpower, and dealings with parochial, private, and public-sector interests. The budgetary process norms include inertial incrementalism and balance in terms of stable shares of a larger budgetary pie. Japan provides an especially appropriate case to explore the relative explanatory contribution of these non-military purposes and process norms. Data on Japan's total defense budget and its components are explored through regression analysis for the period from the re-establishment of the defense forces until the explicit departure from the one-percent of GNP rule. The results indicate that different aspects of the budget are used to pursue all of the policy purposes and conform selectively to both process norms. Such complexity fits with Japan's intention to pursue national autonomy within acceptable levels of military dependence and budgetary restraint.

Civil-Military Relations And Budgetary Politics In Latin America

Scholars have devoted considerable effort to exploring the possible connection between regime type and patterns of military spending in Latin America. This research has failed to demonstrate a significant relationship between them, in part because identifying regimes by whether they are civilian or military is not a useful way to measure military influence over decisions about budgetary allocations. This article rejects the use of regime type as an independent variable. Instead, a general definition of regime is proposed, and a number of Latin American regimes are categorized in terms of dominant patterns of civil-military relations. Statistical analysis of military budget shares between 1967 and 1980 for 26 regimes suggests that regimes are a useful unit of analysis and that patterns of civil-military relations can shed some light in accounting for trends in military spending. The data and analysis are used to pose a number of hypotheses about how explicitly political variables influence decisions over public spending for military and nonmilitary purposes.