Gender-toiminta osana sotilaallista kriisinhallintaa : rekrytointi, koulutus ja operatiivinen toiminta

Kansainväliset sotilaalliset kriisinhallintaoperaatiot ovat muuttuneet yhä vaativammiksi, ja kriisinhallinnan tehtäväkenttä on laajentunut ja monipuolistunut. Operaatioalueella olevilta kriisinhallintahenkilöiltä odotetaan yhä enemmän kykyä yhteistyöhön kaikkien toimijoiden kanssa yhteiskunnan vakauden ja turvallisuuden palauttamiseksi ja säilyttämiseksi. Yhdistyneiden kansakuntien päätöslauselman 1325 ”Naiset, rauha ja turvallisuus” täytäntöönpanolla halutaankin hyödyttää koko yhteiskunnan vakautta ja kehitystä. Suomen kansallisen toimintaohjelman ja Pääesikunnan normin mukaan Suomi tukee naisten kouluttautumista kohti vaativimpia tehtäviä ja esittää naisia kansainvälisiin johtotehtäviin. Suomi varmistaa, että kaikilla kriisinhallintatehtäviin lähtevillä on ihmisoikeus- ja tasa-arvokysymysten asiantuntemus sekä kyky tehdä yhteistyötä sisällyttämällä YK:n päätöslauselma 1325, kansainvälinen oikeus, kansainvälinen humanitaarinen oikeus sekä ihmisoikeusvelvoitteet kaikkeen kriisinhallintakoulutukseen. Suomi sisällyttää gender-näkökulman osak-si kriisinhallintajoukkojen operatiivista toimintaa huomioimalla gender-näkökulman operaatioiden suunnittelussa, toimeenpanossa ja raportoinnissa YK:n päätöslauselman 1325 ja operaatiokohtaisten määräysten mukaisesti. Tutkielman tarkoituksena oli tutkia puolustusvoimien virassa olevien naisupseerien motiiveja hakeutua kriisinhallintatehtäviin, naisten osallistumisen vaikutuksia kriisinhallintaoperaatioihin sekä gender-näkökulman huomioimista koulutuksessa ja kriisinhallintajoukon operatiivisessa toiminnassa. Tutkimusongelmana oli vähäinen aiempi tiedon määrä Suomen kansallisessa toimintaohjelmassa ja Pääesikunnassa määritetyn gender-toiminnan toteutumisesta. Päätutkimuskysymyksen avulla pyrittiinkin selvittämään, miten gender-toiminta on toteutu-nut sotilaallisen kriisinhallinnan rekrytoinnissa, koulutuksessa ja operatiivisessa toiminnassa. Tutkimusstrategiana sovellettiin monimenetelmäistä tiedonkeruutapaa määrällisen ja laadullisen aineiston saamiseksi. Tutkimusmenetelminä käytettiin survey-tutkimusta ja sisällönanalyysiä, joiden avulla pyrittiin kuvaamaan naisupseerien, operaatioista kotiutuneiden rauhanturvaajien sekä Afganistanin kriisinhallintaoperaatiossa (ISAF) palvelleiden SKJA:n komentajien ja naisupseerien käsityksiä, mielipiteitä ja asenteita tutkittavasta aiheesta. Tutkielman empiirinen osuus perustuu naisupseereille suunnattuun kyselyyn sekä SKJA:n komentajien ja naisupseerien sähköpostihaastatteluun. Tutkielmassa hyödynnettiin lisäksi Porin prikaatin kotiutuneille rauhanturvaajille teettämän tasa-arvokyselyn tuloksia. Tutkielman tuloksena ilmeni, että naisrauhanturvaajien kriisinhallintatehtäviin osallistumisen vaikutuksista merkittävimpiä olivat yhteyden saaminen paikalliseen naisväestöön. Myös miesten ja naisten työskentely yhdessä samoissa tehtävissä nähtiin tärkeänä esimerkkinä sukupuolten tasa-arvosta. Sukupuolen liiallinen korostaminen nähtiin haitalliseksi, ja tehtävän vaatimukset tuleekin asettaa tehtävässä tarvittavien ominaisuuksien, tietojen ja taitojen mukaisesti. Positiivisten vaikutusten saavuttamiseksi naisten määrän kriisinhallintatehtävissä tulisi kasvaa nykyisestä, mutta sen ei tule olla itseisarvo. Merkittävimmät naisupseerien kriisinhallintatehtäviin hakeutumattomuuden syyt olivat perheen perustamiseen liittyvät sosiaaliset syyt. Kriisinhallintatehtäviin hakeutumisen motivaatiota kasvattavista tekijöistä tärkeimpiä olivat ammattitaidon ja itsensä kehittäminen. Gender-koulutuksen osalta ilmeni, että Suomessa annetaan gender-peruskoulutus mutta operaatioalueella ei täydennyskoulutusta annettu. Gender-näkökulman huomioon ottaminen kriisinhallintajoukon operatiivisessa suunnittelussa, toimeenpanossa ja raportoinnissa ei myöskään tulosten perusteella toteutunut. Tutkielman johtopäätöksenä todetaan, että naisupseerit ovat pääosin halukkaita palvelemaan kriisinhallintatehtävissä, vaikka osallistuminen onkin henkilömäärältään vähäistä. Naisten mahdollisuuteen hakeutua kriisinhallintatehtäviin voidaan vaikuttaa laatimalla urasuunnitelma varhaisemmassa vaiheessa ja lisäämällä naisupseereille kohdennettua tietoa kriisinhallintatehtävistä. Kriisinhallintatehtäviin halukkaita naisia on enemmän kuin näyttäisi olevan mahdollista irrottaa kotimaan tehtävistä. Gender-koulutuksen todettiin olevan liian yleisellä tasolla eikä sitä kyetty konkreettisesti huomioimaan ja soveltamaan joukon operatiivisessa toiminnassa. Koulutuksen pääpainon tulisikin olla operatiivisessa vaikuttavuudessa osana kaikkea koulutusta. Gender-näkökulma tulisi saada integroitua osaksi kaikkea kriisinhallintajoukon toimintaa operaation vaikuttavuuden ja tavoitteiden täyttymisen näkökulmaa. Operaation tavoitteita asetettaessa tulisi muistaa, että kriisinhallintaoperaatioilla pyritään kokonaisvaltaisesti turvallisuusympäristön parantamiseen ja normaaliyhteiskunnan toimintojen ja palvelujen palauttamiseen. Gender-toiminnan kehittämisessä tärkeää onkin ymmärtää sen vaikutus ja kytkeminen nimenomaan paikallisväestön eri ihmisryhmien huomioimiseen ja tasavertaisuuteen ihmisoikeuksien näkökulmasta. Tutkielman tulosten mukaan kehityskohteita gender-toiminnan parantamiseksi on olemassa, ja mikäli kriisinhallintaoperaatioiden vaikuttavuutta halutaan tehostaa, näyttäisi siihen myös olevan keinoja.

Studies on Conductive Silicone Rubber Compounds

ABSTRACT: The electrical conductivity of silicone rubber vulcanizates containing carbon blacks [e.g., acetylene black, lamp black, and ISAF (N-234) black] were investigated. The change in electrical conductivity with varying amounts of carbon blacks and the temperature dependence was measured. The mechanical properties like tensile strength, tear strength, elongation at break, hardness, etc., of the vulcanizates were determined. A comparative study of the electrical conductivity of the composites revealed that the electrical conductivity of the composites made with acetylene black was higher than that of the composites made of other blacks.

Pricing and hedging short sterling options using artificial neural networks

This paper compares the performance of artificial neural networks (ANNs) with that of the modified Black model in both pricing and hedging Short Sterling options. Using high frequency data, standard and hybrid ANNs are trained to generate option prices. The hybrid ANN is significantly superior to both the modified Black model and the standard ANN in pricing call and put options. Hedge ratios for hedging Short Sterling options positions using Short Sterling futures are produced using the standard and hybrid ANN pricing models, the modified Black model, and also standard and hybrid ANNs trained directly on the hedge ratios. The performance of hedge ratios from ANNs directly trained on actual hedge ratios is significantly superior to those based on a pricing model, and to the modified Black model.

Ferroelectric ceramic/polymer composite for measuring X-ray intensity in the ortovoltage range

Pyroelectric sensors work as a thermal transducer converting the non-quantified thermal flux into the output measurable quantity of electrical charge, voltage or current. Ferroelectric ceramics and ferroelectric polymers have been extensively used as thermal detectors. More recently the research in the field of pyroelectricity has been concentrated on discovering materials with higher figures of merit (FOM), which means better sensing materials. Composite materials obtained with ferroelectric ceramics embedded in polymer host have received great attention because of their formability, mechanical resistance and the possibility to change their dielectric property varying the volume fraction of ceramic particles. In this work composite films made of modified lead titanate (PZ34) and poly(ether-ether-ketone) (PEEK) were characterized and used as sensing element to measure X-ray intensity in the ortovoltage range (120 - 300 kVp). The sensor response varies from 2.70 V to 0.80 V in the energy fluency range of 6.30 to 37.20 W/m(2). Furthermore the absorbed energy was analyzed as a function of the ionizing energy. The results indicate that the PZ34/PEEK composite with 60/40 vol.% can be useful to monitor X-ray radiation therapy.

Dielectric tunability in (1-x)[Pb(Mg 1/3Nb 2/3)O 3]-xPbTiO 3 ceramics for tunable devices application

The dielectric properties of the 0.65[Pb(Mg 1/3Nb 2/3)O 3]-0.35PbTiO 3 ferroelectric ceramic composition were investigated viewing the capability to be used for tunable microwave applications. The dielectric response has been studied for three selected temperatures (300 K, 370 K and 400 K), below the paraelectric- ferroelectric phase transition temperature, as a function of the applied 'bias' electric field. The obtained dielectric tunability was found to be around 60 %, under an electric field of 19 kV/cm, which makes the studied ceramic composition an excellent candidate for application in the electro-electronic industry, as tunable devices. © 2010 IEEE.

Thickness dependence of structure and piezoelectric properties at nanoscale of polycrystalline PZT thin films

Lead zirconate titanate Pb(Zr 0.50Ti 0.50)O 3 (PZT) thin films were deposited by a polymeric chemical method on Pt(111)/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates to understand the mechanisms of phase transformations and the effect of film thickness on the structure, dielectric and piezoelectric properties in these films. PZT films pyrolyzed at temperatures higher than 350 °C present a coexistence of pyrochlore and perovskite phases, while only perovskite phase grows in films pyrolyzed at temperatures lower than 300 °C. For pyrochlore-free PZT thin films, a small (100) orientation tendency near the film-substrate interface was observed. Finally, we demonstrate the existence of a self-polarization effect in the studied PZT thin films. Results suggest that Schottky barriers and/or mechanical coupling near the filmsubstrate interface are not primarily responsible for the observed self-polarization effect in our films. © 2012 IEEE.

Polymer Matrix-Based Piezoelectric Composite for Structural Health Monitoring

Structural health monitoring (SHM) refers to the procedure of assessing the structure conditions continuously so it is an alternative to conventional nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques [1]. With the growing developments in sensor technology acoustic emission (AE) technology has been attracting attention in SHM applications. AE are characterized by waves produced by the sudden internal stress redistribution caused by the changes in the internal structure, such as fatigue, crack growth, corrosion, etc. Piezoelectric materials such as Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) ceramic have been widely used as sensor due to its high electromechanical coupling factor and piezoelectric d coefficients. Because of the poor mechanical characteristic and the lack in the formability of the ceramic, polymer matrix-based piezoelectric composites have been studied in the last decade in order to obtain better properties in comparison with a single phase material. In this study a composite film made of polyurethane (PU) and PZT ceramic particles partially recovered with polyaniline (PAni) was characterized and used as sensor for AE detection. Preliminary results indicate that the presence of a semiconductor polymer (PAni) recovering the ceramic particles, make the poling process easier and less time consuming. Also, it is possible to observe that there is a great potential to use such type of composite as sensor for structure health monitoring.

Measurement of Radiant Energy using Pyroelectric Polymer/Ceramic Composite

Monitoring non-ionizing radiant energy is increasingly demanded for many applications such as automobile, biomedical and security system. Thermal type infrared (IR) sensors can operate at room temperature and pyroelectric materials have high sensitivity and accuracy for that application. Working as thermal transducer pyroelectric sensor converts the non-quantified thermal flux into the output measurable quantity of electrical charge, voltage or current. In the present study the composite made of poly(vinylidene fluoride) -PVDF and lead zirconate titanate (PZT) partially recovered with polyaniline (PAni) conductor polymer has been used as sensor element. The pyroelectric coefficient p(T) was obtained by measuring the pyroelectric reversible current, i.e., measuring the thermally stimulated depolarization current (TSDC) after removing all irreversible contribution to the current such as injected charge during polarization of the sample. To analyze the sensing property of the pyroelectric material, the sensor is irradiated by a high power light source (halogen lamp of 250 W) that is chopped providing a modulated radiation. A device assembled in the laboratory is used to change the light intensity sensor, an aluminum strip having openings with diameters ranging from 1 to 10 mm incremented by one millimeter. The sensor element is assembled between two electrodes while its frontal surface is painted black ink to maximize the light absorption. The signal from the sensor is measured by a Lock-In amplifier model SR530 -Stanford Research Systems. The behavior of the output voltage for an input power at several frequencies for PZT-PAni/PVDF (30/ 70 vol%) composite follows the inverse power law (1/ f) and the linearity can be observed in the frequency range used.

Fabrication and Characterization of PZT-PAni/PVDF Based Nanocomposite

This work presents the preparation and characterization of PZT ceramic obtained by the polymeric precursor method (PPM). The influence of the synthesis method on the grain size and the morphology are also object of study. The fabrication and characterization of composite films with 0-3 connectivity, immersing nanoparticles of PZT into the non-polar poly(vinylidene fluoride) -PVDF as the polymer matrix were presented. For comparison there are results obtained with composite samples made of ceramic particles unrecovered and recovered with a conducting polymer, the polyaniline (PAni).

Velero de Competición IMOCA OPEN 60

TIPO DE BUQUE: velero de competición IMOCA OPEN 60 CONSTRUCCIÓN: materiales compuestos ESLORA: LOA mayor de 59’ (17.938 m) y menor de 60’ (18.288) CALADO: máximo de 4.5 m CLASIFICACIÓN Y COTA: 2007 IMOCA Open60 Rule. ABS guide for building and classing offshore yachts. ISAF Offshore Special Regulations, category 0 VELOCIDAD A MOTOR: 8 nudos al 90% MCR SISTEMA DE PROPULSIÓN: motor diesel de potencia 37 CV. Hélice de 3 palas OTROS REQUERIMIENTOS: sólo competición, estudio del comportamiento en la mar en condiciones oceánicas. Insumergibilidad. Sistema de orza pivotante. Vela spinnaker asimétrica para vientos portantes

Hostages to Moscow, clients of Beijing. Security in Central Asia as the role of the West diminishes. OSW Study 10/2014

The goal of this publication is to attempt to assess the thirteen years (2001- -2014) of the West’s military presence in the countries of post-Soviet Central Asia, closely associated with the ISAF and OEF-A (Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan) missions in Afghanistan. There will also be an analysis of the actual challenges for the region’s stability after 2014. The current and future security architecture in Central Asia will also be looked at closely, as will the actual capabilities to counteract the most serious threats within its framework. The need to separately handle the security system in Central Asia and security as such is dictated by the particularities of political situation in the region, the key mechanism of which is geopolitics understood as global superpower rivalry for influence with a secondary or even instrumental role of the five regional states, while ignoring their internal problems. Such an approach is especially present in Russia’s perception of Central Asia, as it views security issues in geopolitical categories. Because of this, security analysis in the Central Asian region requires a broader geopolitical context, which was taken into account in this publication. The first part investigates the impact of the Western (primarily US) military and political presence on the region’s geopolitical architecture between 2001 and 2014. The second chapter is an attempt to take an objective look at the real challenges to regional security after the withdrawal of the coalition forces from Afghanistan, while the third chapter is dedicated to analysing the probable course of events in the security dimension following 2014. The accuracy of predictions time-wise included in the below publication does not exceed three to five years due to the dynamic developments in Central Asia and its immediate vicinity (the former Soviet Union, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran), and because of the large degree of unpredictability of policies of one of the key regional actors – Russia (both in the terms of its activity on the international arena, and its internal developments).

Ever further from Moscow. Russia's stance on Central Asia. OSW Study 48/2014

The post-Soviet countries of Central Asia are important for Moscow as a potential source of danger; as a site of its relationships with China, the West and the Islamic world; and not least as a space covered by Russia’s integration initiatives. Since the collapse of the USSR, Russian influence in this region has undergone a far-reaching erosion. The Kremlin’s consistent actions to build up the Eurasian Union, as well as the threat of destabilisation in region after the ISAF operation in Afghanistan winds up in 2014, have slowed down this process, although it is unlikely to be reversed. The current ‘state of possession’ (i.e. the instruments and assets which Russia possesses) still ensures Moscow a minimum level of control over the region, which means that the activity of other global players is limited. This situation may change in tandem with a rise in their ambitions, especially with the possible involvement of China in the field of ‘hard’ security.

Central Asian Islamism in the spotlight. EUCAM Commentary No. 13, June 2011

In recent years, terrorist actions have increased in Central Asia, especially in the two weakest states, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, and on the Uzbek side of the Ferghana Valley. The killing of Osama bin Laden by US special forces has raised fears of a possible backlash from his supporters and a new wave of terror across a large area surrounding Afghanistan. Now the Taliban have warned Kazakhstan – Central Asia's most successful economy and largest oil producer which has to date avoided the Islamist violence that has affected its Central Asian neighbours – of the dangers of entering the war on Afghanistan after the Kazakh parliament decided to send troops to join the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) war efforts.

Shades of CORDS in the Kush : the false hope of "unity of effort" in American counterinsurgency /

"Counterinsurgency (COIN) requires an integrated military, political, and economic program best developed by teams that field both civilians and soldiers. These units should operate with some independence but under a coherent command. In Vietnam, after several false starts, the United States developed an effective unified organization, Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support (CORDS), to guide the counterinsurgency. CORDS had three components absent from our efforts in Afghanistan today: sufficient personnel (particularly civilian), numerous teams, and a single chain of command that united the separate COIN programs of the disparate American departments at the district, provincial, regional, and national levels. This paper focuses on the third issue and describes the benefits that unity of command at every level would bring to the American war in Afghanistan. The work begins with a brief introduction to counterinsurgency theory, using a population-centric model, and examines how this warfare challenges the United States. It traces the evolution of the Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) and the country team, describing problems at both levels. Similar efforts in Vietnam are compared, where persistent executive attention finally integrated the government's counterinsurgency campaign under the unified command of the CORDS program. The next section attributes the American tendency towards a segregated response to cultural differences between the primary departments, executive neglect, and societal concepts of war. The paper argues that, in its approach to COIN, the United States has forsaken the military concept of unity of command in favor of 'unity of effort' expressed in multiagency literature. The final sections describe how unified authority would improve our efforts in Afghanistan and propose a model for the future."--P. iii.