Analyzing Taliban taranas (chants): an effective Afghan propaganda artifact

This article describes and analyzes a little understood Afghan Taliban propaganda tool: chants or taranas . These melodic refrains effectively use historical narratives, symbology, and iconic portraits. The chants are engendered in emotions of sorrow, pride, desperation, hope, and complaints to mobilize and convince the Afghan population of the Taliban's worldview. The chants represent culturally relevant and simple messages that are communicated in a narrative and poetic form that is familiar to and resonates with the local people. They are virtually impossible for the United States and NATO to counter because of Western sensitivities concerning religious themes that dominate the Taliban narrative space, not to mention the lack of Western linguistic capabilities, including the understanding and mastering the poetic nature of local dialects.     

When the Going Gets Tough… Monitoring Missions and a Changing Conflict Environment in Sri Lanka, 2002–2008

This article analyzes how the conflict environment in which a civilian monitoring mission is deployed influences the monitors' assessment of the operation. It draws on unique empirical material from the experience of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), deployed to oversee a ceasefire agreement in Sri Lanka 2002–2008. With material from a survey and in-depth interviews, experiences of the monitors are analyzed and changes over time are traced in relation to the monitors' assessment of the mandate and organizational set-up of the mission. The study points to the difficulty of monitoring missions to address escalation during an ongoing peace process. Its function is dependent on the goodwill of the parties. In essence, monitoring missions have the potential to strengthen peace when there is momentum in favor of progress, but when relations between the parties turn sour and the conflict escalates a civilian monitoring mission basically loses its potential. During the final stages of the war, which saw a very large number of civilian casualties, the war-torn areas were closed to international observers. Moreover, international pressure for a short-term ceasefire to alleviate the humanitarian situation was dismissed by the Sri Lankan government, which also saw the backing of several important actors, not the least China.     

月桂酸二乙醇酰胺对聚α-烯烃理化性能的影响

聚α-烯烃是应用十分广泛的润滑剂产品,在保证使用性能前提下提高其生物降解性具有十分重要的现实意义。选择前期实验中对矿物基础油生物降解性具有较大促进作用的月桂酸二乙醇酰胺作为生物降解促进剂,考察其对聚α-烯烃PAO 40生物降解性、抗磨减摩性、抗氧化安定性及黏度指数的影响。实验结果表明:月桂酸二乙醇酰胺既能有效促进PAO 40生物降解,也能一定程度上改善PAO 40的抗磨减摩性能,但对其抗氧化安定性及黏度指数影响不大。作为生物降解促进剂,月桂酸二乙醇酰胺在保证聚α-烯烃使用性能的基础上能有效提高后者的生物降解性,具有较大的实用价值。     

CHOOSING GENOCIDE: ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES ON THE DISTURBING RATIONALITY OF RACE MURDER

An economic theory of genocide is presented with application to Rwanda‐1994. The theory considers ‘macro’ conditions under which an authority group chooses genocide and ‘micro’ conditions that facilitate the spread of genocide. From the macro perspective, a bargaining model highlights four rational explanations for an authority’s choice of genocide: prevention of loss of power, indivisibility, elimination of a persistent rival, and political bias. From the micro perspective, an evolutionary game model shows how supporters of genocide gain the upper hand in group dynamics over resisters and bystanders. The theory and application suggest that the conditions for genocide are not exceptional.     

通道失配条件下的线阵导引头STAP检测研究

针对均匀线阵导引头下视跟踪目标状态,建立了目标空时导向矢量、杂波协方差矩阵、STAP权值等模型,基于协方差矩阵加权的基本理论,研究了高斯分布、均匀分布2种通道失配误差对STAP检测性能的影响,建立了数学模型并进行了仿真.结果发现,均匀分布误差对STAP检测性能影响较大,若相位误差达到10°,将导致SINR损失下降10 dB左右,而高斯分布误差影响很小.     

纯方位目标运动状态的极大似然估计及迭代算法

针对非线性最小二乘法在国内目标运动分析中应用较少的现状,首先在二维平面内推导出关于纯方位目标运动状态的极大似然估计的计算公式并给出了基于高斯-牛顿迭代算法的计算过程及步骤,随后分析了极大似然估计的性能和迭代算法的收敛性.仿真计算的结果表明:当迭代初值与目标真实状态充分接近时,用所推导出的计算公式能够快速稳定地得到关于目标运动状态的极大似然估计,迭代算法形式简洁,计算量小.该研究成果可应用于舰艇作战系统目标被动跟踪定位软件.     

基于系统贴近度的装备中修费用估算模型

装备维修费用是装备中修过程最直接、最敏感的决策因素,为科学合理地估算修理机构装备中修费用,通过对装备中修范围和中修费用结构的分析,运用模糊数学中的隶属度和贴近度相关理论以及平滑指数法建模思路,构建了基于系统贴近度的装备中修费用估算模型,并通过对某新入役装备进行估算分析,验证了该模型的科学性和结果的可靠性.     

包家山特长公路隧道斜竖井排烟模式实验研究

包家山隧道为分离式长11.2 km特长公路隧道,通风排烟的好坏与否,直接关系到隧道的安全运行,合理的通风排烟方案能有效控制烟流的温度及其蔓延速度和方向,为火灾时人员、车辆安全疏散和火灾扑救提供极大便利,同时可以大大降低隧道结构高温损伤.研究包家山隧道斜竖井模式下的火灾通风排烟控制,给出不同区段火灾工况下对烟气控制效果最佳的方案,对隧道日常运营和火灾时的救援具有重要意义.     

基于FrFT的跳频通信LFM干扰抑制算法

为解决跳频通信过程中LFM干扰信号抑制问题,提出一种基于Fr FT的LFM干扰抑制算法,利用Fr FT时频面坐标轴旋转性质,通过计算信号的不同阶次Fr FT并搜索其峰值,确定信号最优Fr FT阶次,完成对LFM干扰信号的判别,进一步采用频域陷波实现对LFM干扰信号的抑制。仿真结果表明,该算法能有效抑制跳频信号中的LFM干扰信号,提高信号的最小均方误差。