On new military technologies and concepts explored from the Syrian conflict experience

Introduction/purpose: The purpose of this paper is to presents some tendencies stemming from the experiences from the ongoing Syrian conflict towards the development of new military concepts and technologies. The manner, scope and dynamics of exploitation of the combat experience from the Syrian conflict is a good example how great powers improve the capabilities of their defense systems. Methods: An extensive content analysis of selected reference sources has been applied. The system approach was used for a structural and balanced presentation of the available information. The comparative analysis has confirmed some similarities in the behavior of the great powers in terms of deploying and testing complex combat systems of strategic importance in local wars. Inductive thinking has contributed to the synthesis of appropriate conclusions. Results: Among the presence of several great and regional powers heavily involved in this conflict, Russia's is considered to be the most dominant and as such is the main subject of investigation in this paper. Field testing of new military equipment is known to be important but of extreme importance is its testing under real combat conditions. In parallel with intensive testing of a wide range of military technologies, there are indicators of developing new concepts, doctrines, and organizational upgrades on the basis of the Syrian combat experiences. Conclusion: From the standpoint of military technology and concept development, the Russian endeavor in Syria has become an example of a comprehensive and systematic aproach to learning, training, innovations, and implementations of the most relevant factors in the development of a modern military organization as a response to challenges of contemporary armed conflicts.

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Lead removal from drinking water - development and validation of point-of-use treatment devices

Water Science & Technology Water Supply ◽

10.2166/ws.2002.0171 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 2 (5-6) ◽

pp. 209-216

Author(s):

R. Sublet ◽

A. Boireau ◽

V.X. Yang ◽

M.-O. Simonnot ◽

C. Autugelle

Keyword(s):

Drinking Water ◽

Fixed Bed ◽

Field Testing ◽

Lead Removal ◽

Ministry Of Health ◽

Point Of Use ◽

Taste And Odor ◽

Wide Range ◽

Lead Levels ◽

Safety Considerations

Two lead removal water filters were developed to lower lead levels in drinking water below 10 μg.L-1 in order to meet the new regulation given by the European Directive 98-83, applicable in December 2013. An appropriate adsorbent was selected through a stringent research program among a wide range of media, and is composed of a synthetic zeolite and an activated carbon. Two prototypes were developed: the first is a faucet-mounted filter which contains a fixed bed of the adsorbent and a hollow fiber bundle, while the second is an under-sink cartridge made of a porous extruded block of carbon and adsorbent. Both are able to treat at least 1,000 litres of any water containing on average 100 to 150 μg Pb.L-1, by lowering the lead concentration below 10 μg.L-1. Once their safety considerations were addressed by an independent laboratory according to the French Ministry of Health recommendations, 20 prototypes were installed at consumers' taps in northeastern France. Their performance in terms of lead removal, HPC control and bad taste and odor reduction was followed for 6 months. This field testing program resulted in the validation of both prototypes which meet the new French Ministry of Health recommendations and assures that the filtered water is fully ED 98-83 compliant. Their commercialization will be launched first in France in middle 2002.

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Twelve Insights into the Afghanistan War through the Photographs from the Basetrack Project: Rita Leistner’s iProbes and Marshall McLuhan’s Theory of Media

Arts ◽

10.3390/arts10020027 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 27

Author(s):

Kalina Kukielko-Rogozinska

Keyword(s):

Interpersonal Relations ◽

Armed Conflicts ◽

Marshall Mcluhan ◽

American Military ◽

War Photography ◽

Military Equipment ◽

Photographic Analysis ◽

Contemporary Media ◽

Modern Warfare ◽

Modern War

This article presents the iProbe concept developed by the Canadian photographer Rita Leistner. This analytical tool is one of the ways to present the image of modern warfare that emerges from messages in social media and photographs taken using smartphones. Utilized to understand the approach are photographs Leistner took at the American military base in Musa Qala (Helmand province, Afghanistan) during the implementation of the “Basetrack” media project in 2011. The theoretical basis for this study is Marshall McLuhan’s media theory, which was used by the photographer to interpret her works from Afghanistan. Leistner is the first to apply the various concepts shaped by McLuhan in the second half of 20th century, such as “probe”, “extension of man”, and the “figure/ground” dichotomy, to analyze war photography. Her blog and book entitled Looking for Marshall McLuhan in Afghanistan shows the potential of using McLuhan’s concepts to interpret the image of modern warfare presented in the contemporary media. The application of McLuhan’s theory to this type of photographic analysis provides the opportunity to focus on the technological dimension of modern war and to look at warfare from a technical perspective such as what devices and communication solutions are used to solve armed conflicts as efficiently and bloodlessly as possible. Therefore, this article briefly presents twelve iProbes that Leistner created based on her experiences from working in Afghanistan concerning photography, military equipment, interpersonal relations, and various types of communication.

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Assessing the Sensitivity of Stall-Regulated Wind Turbine Power to Blade Design Using High-Fidelity Computational Fluid Dynamics

Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power ◽

10.1115/1.4044731 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 141 (10) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Andrea G. Sanvito ◽

Giacomo Persico ◽

M. Sergio Campobasso

Keyword(s):

Fluid Dynamics ◽

Computational Fluid Dynamics ◽

Field Testing ◽

Turbine Rotor ◽

Operating Conditions ◽

High Fidelity ◽

Blade Design ◽

Computationally Efficient ◽

Wind Speeds ◽

Wide Range

Abstract This study provides a novel contribution toward the establishment of a new high-fidelity simulation-based design methodology for stall-regulated horizontal axis wind turbines. The aerodynamic design of these machines is complex, due to the difficulty of reliably predicting stall onset and poststall characteristics. Low-fidelity design methods, widely used in industry, are computationally efficient, but are often affected by significant uncertainty. Conversely, Navier–Stokes computational fluid dynamics (CFD) can reduce such uncertainty, resulting in lower development costs by reducing the need of field testing of designs not fit for purpose. Here, the compressible CFD research code COSA is used to assess the performance of two alternative designs of a 13-m stall-regulated rotor over a wide range of operating conditions. Validation of the numerical methodology is based on thorough comparisons of novel simulations and measured data of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) phase VI turbine rotor, and one of the two industrial rotor designs. An excellent agreement is found in all cases. All simulations of the two industrial rotors are time-dependent, to capture the unsteadiness associated with stall which occurs at most wind speeds. The two designs are cross-compared, with emphasis on the different stall patterns resulting from particular design choices. The key novelty of this work is the CFD-based assessment of the correlation among turbine power, blade aerodynamics, and blade design variables (airfoil geometry, blade planform, and twist) over most operational wind speeds.

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Software Implementation of Detection Algorithms for the MCSA

Symposium - International Astronomical Union ◽

10.1017/s0074180900146728 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 112 ◽

pp. 385-390

Author(s):

D. Kent Cullers

Keyword(s):

Average Power ◽

Field Testing ◽

Spectrum Analyzer ◽

Software Implementation ◽

Computing Power ◽

Detection Algorithms ◽

Wide Range ◽

Theoretical Considerations ◽

Multichannel Spectrum

The NASA Multichannel Spectrum Analyzer (MCSA) supplies data in several formats and in a wide range of frequency resolutions. To decide if an extraterrestrial signal is present, this data is searched using detection algorithms particularly sensitive to signals concentrated in frequency and/or time. The algorithms, whose ultimate sensitivities are determined by theoretical considerations, are also constrained by available computing power. At present, practical detection of repetitive pulses is possible at an average power about five times lower than that for incoherent CW detection. After a period of field testing, the best detection algorithms, presently implemented in software, will be converted to hardware to increase their speed.

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Wireless Middleware Solutions for Smart Water Metering

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s19081853 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (8) ◽

pp. 1853 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Stefano Alvisi ◽

Francesco Casellato ◽

Marco Franchini ◽

Marco Govoni ◽

Chiara Luciani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Data Collection ◽

Field Testing ◽

Water Utility ◽

Smart Water ◽

Computing Paradigm ◽

Wide Range ◽

Utility Companies ◽

Lock In ◽

Water Meters ◽

Water Metering

While smart metering applications have initially focused on energy and gas utility markets, water consumption has recently become the subject of increasing attention. Unfortunately, despite the large number of solutions available on the market, the lack of an open and widely accepted communication standard means that vendors typically propose proprietary data collection solutions whose adoption causes non-trivial problems to water utility companies in term of costs, vendor lock-in, and lack of control on the data collection infrastructure. There is the need for open and interoperable smart water metering solutions, capable of collecting data from the wide range of water meters on the market. This paper reports our experience in the development and field testing of a highly interoperable smart water metering solution, which we designed in collaboration with several water utility companies and which we deployed in Gorino Ferrarese, Italy, in collaboration with CADF (Consorzio Acque Delta Ferrarese), the water utility serving the city. At the core of our solution is SWaMM (Smart Water Metering Middleware), an interoperable wireless IoT middleware based on the Edge computing paradigm, which proved extremely effective in interfacing with several types of smart water meters operating with different protocols.

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Aging, Place, and Technology

Journal of Aging and Health ◽

10.1177/0898264314543470 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 26 (8) ◽

pp. 1373-1389 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

William A. Satariano ◽

Andrew E. Scharlach ◽

David Lindeman

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Social Services ◽

Information Science ◽

Field Testing ◽

Evidence Base ◽

Multidisciplinary Teams ◽

Wide Range ◽

Economic Barriers ◽

Older Populations ◽

Monitoring Devices

Objective: To review the range of promising technologies (e.g., smart phones, remote monitoring devices) designed to enhance aging in place; identify challenges for implementation of those technologies; and recommend ways to improve access to technologies in older populations. Method: A narrative review of research, practice, and policies from multiple fields, including information science, gerontology, engineering, housing and social services, health care and public health. Results: Despite a wide range of emerging and current technologies, there are significant challenges for implementation, including an uneven evidence base, economic barriers, and educational and ergonomic issues that adversely affect many older adults. Discussion: Recommendations for future development and adoption include improving the evidence base through field-testing of “packages” of devices in diverse populations of older adults; development of innovative funding mechanisms involving multidisciplinary teams, older adults, and caregivers; and promotion of safety and security in the use of these technologies in older populations.

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Why journalists covered Syria the way they did: On the role of economic, social and cultural capital

Journalism ◽

10.1177/1464884915620271 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 18 (5) ◽

pp. 609-625 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Robin Vandevoordt

Keyword(s):

Content Analysis ◽

Cultural Capital ◽

Social And Cultural Capital ◽

Individual Level ◽

Wide Range ◽

Syrian Conflict ◽

Sociological Studies ◽

Depth Interviews ◽

War Reporting

While recent decades have seen the rise of a vast body of work on war reporting, there have been few sociological explanations of why journalists deal with challenging situations in particular ways. This article contributes to bridging the gap between practice-based studies of war reporting and general sociological studies of journalism as a profession, by providing a systematically sociological account of the factors that influenced how the Syrian conflict was covered by Dutch and Flemish reporters working for a wide range of media. In doing so, this article draws on 13 in-depth interviews with those reporters, which is informed by a content analysis of their work, and Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts of economic, social and cultural capital on both an institutional and an individual level. In addition, it is argued that Bourdieusian analyses may be developed further by distinguishing between endogenous and exogenous forms of cultural capital.

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Sensitivity of Flexibility Monitoring of Offshore Jacket Platforms

Journal of Energy Resources Technology ◽

10.1115/1.3231244 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 108 (1) ◽

pp. 72-76 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

S. Rubin ◽

R. N. Coppolino

Keyword(s):

Field Testing ◽

Great Promise ◽

Ambient Vibrations ◽

Structural Redundancy ◽

Sensitivity Assessment ◽

Wide Range ◽

Flexibility Parameters

Flexibility monitoring is a vibration-based method for simplifying the detection of major underwater damage on offshore jacket platforms. Ambient vibrations are detected at each of the underwater framing levels relative to abovewater vibration in the fundamental sway and torsional modes. Derived are flexibility parameters which relate to the shear flexibilities of each framing bay and of the foundation. Great promise has been shown by laboratory and field testing. This paper presents a comprehensive sensitivity assessment for severance of diagonal members over a wide range of structural redundancy for generic platform configurations.

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International Environmental Protection in Armed Conﬂicts: Traditional Legal Regulation and Interpretation Novelties

Lex Russica ◽

10.17803/1729-5920.2021.181.12.084-095 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 84-95

Author(s):

N. A. Sokolova

Keyword(s):

International Law ◽

Environmental Protection ◽

Natural Environment ◽

Armed Conflict ◽

Legal Protection ◽

Legal Regulation ◽

Armed Conflicts ◽

International Humanitarian Law ◽

Humanitarian Law ◽

Wide Range

The paper is devoted to international legal protection of the environment during armed conflicts. The author emphasizes that armed conflicts, both international and non-international, continue to be one of the most serious threats to a healthy environment. An armed conflict taking place in the environment invariably poses a threat to ecosystems.The author summarizes that in international law there are special norms for the protection of natural environment during armed conflicts. At the same time, increasing the level of protection requires a clearer definition of the scope of application of customary law and the further development of treaty rules. While the objectives of protecting the natural environment are linked to the survival and protection of civilians, recognition of environmental protection during armed conflict as such constitutes an important trend. International law calls on States to enter into agreements that provide for additional protection of the natural environment during armed conflicts. The concept of “protecting the natural environment” in international humanitarian law refers to a wide range of obligations that can help protect the natural environment or its parts from damage. A high threshold for potential harm continues to pose the risk that such protection is not fully applicable in practice. There is an obvious tendency to use the potential of the principles of international environmental law when applying the norms of international humanitarian law. Thus, even in cases where the assessment of new means and methods of warfare does not provide scientific certainty with regard to their impact on the natural environment, this does not absolve the parties to the conflict from taking appropriate precautions. It is not enough that there are important rules of international humanitarian law protecting the natural environment during armed conflict; they need to be better disseminated, implemented and enforced, as well as validated and clarified.

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EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS OF UCAV USED IN MODERN MILITARY CONFLICTS

Aviation ◽

10.3846/aviation.2020.12144 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 24 (2) ◽

pp. 66-71

Author(s):

Mirosław Adamski

Keyword(s):

High Altitude ◽

Armed Conflicts ◽

Combat Experience ◽

Electronic Warfare ◽

Technical Parameters ◽

Defense Strategy ◽

Effectiveness Analysis ◽

Air Vehicle ◽

Military Conflicts ◽

Long Endurance

Analysis of contemporary armed conflicts shows that UCAV (Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle) is finding an increasing range of combat applications. The present study deals with constructional characteristics, tactical and technical parameters, equipment with reconnaissance sensors, electronic warfare equipment, weaponry, economic coefficient, combat experience, possessed additional benefits, systems and technologies, performance and application options in combat operations. Two UCAV (MALE − Medium Altitude Long Endurance) classes were analyzed based on Heron, Heron TP, MQ-1B Predator, MQ-1C Gray Eagle, Wing Loong, CH-4B and newly introduced MQ-9 Reaper ER, MQ-9 Reaper, P.1HH HammerHead, Mantis and (HALE − High Altitude Long Endurance) Global Yabhon, Yabhon-United 40 to determine their optimal effectiveness in combat operations. The article presents a general methodology for assessing the tactical effectiveness of selected UAV classes that are or can be used in modern armed conflicts. It can be useful for potential interested parties when making decisions regarding the purchase or application of an appropriate UAV depending on the capabilities and conditions of the defense strategy of a given country.

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