Suchergebnisse

Military strategy and operations have evolved significantly over the past decade. This evolution has led to a change in the military resources required to carry out missions successfully. In line with these requirements, demand has increased for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) with enhanced capability to perform surveillance and to strike targets of interest. This research effort aids in the design of a next generation UAV by employing a simulation optimization approach. The goal of this research is to maximize the number of targets destroyed in a conflict scenario by a newly designed UAV that is subject to size, weight, and budget constraints. The solution approach involves the development of a simulation model representing a conflict scenario, which includes various types and quantities of targets, and weather conditions. The model is used to test the effectiveness of various UAV configurations in detecting and destroying targets. A tabu search meta-heuristic is constructed to optimize the configuration of the UAV, in terms of the number and type of sensors, synthetic aperture radar, and weapons.

Wombats are large, marsupial herbivores able to exploit low-productivity habitats largely because of their low energy requirements. In addition to using deep, thermally favourable burrows, wombats might use a strategy of conservative above-ground ranging behaviour to achieve their low energy expenditure. This study examined home range, burrow use and diurnal activity patterns of common wombats (Vombatus ursinus) in eucalypt forest, woodland and pasture using trapping and radio-tracking. Wombats ranged through all three vegetation types with forest and pasture clearly being important habitats. Home ranges (95% harmonic mean) were typically almost circular, and averaged 17.7 ha with core areas (50% harmonic mean) averaging 2.9 ha. Home-range size is small compared with that expected for most mammals of comparable body mass. Ranging behaviour for wombats was similar between sexes and ranges extensively overlapped between and within sexes, indicating that ranges are not actively defended. Wombats did not markedly change the size or location of home ranges, ranging behaviour or feeding areas between summer and winter. The density of active burrows (0.25 ha–1) far exceeded the estimated density of wombats (0.13 ha–1). Wombats typically spent 1–4 days sleeping in the same burrow and then moved to another. On average, each active burrow was used by 2.2 different individuals. The activity pattern of wombats is characterised by a strong diel cycle, with most activity occurring nocturnally. Activity peaks at the beginning and end of each night are consistent with a 'travel out, graze, travel back' movement pattern. Despite widely distributed food resources, small home ranges and obligate burrow use constrain wombats to meeting their year-round food and water requirements from a small area near their burrows.

Argues that Soviet & Russian strategic nuclear doctrine was underpinned by a defensive orientation & not simply an example of propaganda. Focus is on demonstrating the importance that Russia attached to its "no-first-use" (NFU) policy. Discussion of the policy debate is broken down into 1960s NFU engagement; NFU policy during the Brezhnev & Gorbachev eras, 1970s-1991; & the postcommunist shifts in NFU policy up until the US withdrawal from the 1972 Antiballistic Missile Treaty. It is evident that while the NFU policies changed, the fundamental defensive orientation remained intact. J. Zendejas