In this thesis an audio and video streaming system is implemented for its use in rescue robots. WebRTC technology is used in order to stream in real time. Implemented in an architecture based on a Web server, two pages running WebRTC and a TURN1-STUN2 server, the system has been tested in terms of CPU and bandwidth utilization. Measurements show that when WebRTC is run in an Intel Core i3, less than 10% of CPU is used, whereas on smaller tablets the performance is not enough for running the application with the desired quality of service.

Thesis (M.M. (Finance & Investment))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Graduate School of Business Administration, 2013. / South Africa has recently introduced into law a new Companies Act that has, amongst other changes, a segment dubbed „Chapter 6‟, which specifically focuses on distressed companies and their rescue/resolution. While past Acts in South Africa have had sections on distressed companies, none has positioned financial distress resolution as prominently within the Act as Chapter 6 has done. This hitherto lack of formalized focus of on business rescue in past Acts, made informal loan workouts the de facto mainstay for distressed business resolution in South Africa. It is therefore considered worthwhile that an investigation be undertaken to ascertain whether or not the newly legislated formal processes for rescuing distressed businesses will change the culture and/or overall view on the effectiveness of rescuing distressed businesses in South Africa. An online questionnaire of 17 questions sent to 5 different occupation categories generated 61 responses, which were around four coherent themes. From the analysis of the responses it was found that the inclusion of Chapter 6 (formalized business rescue legislation) in the new Companies Act was a welcome legislation with clear value-additions to company law in South Africa. The results also indicated that there is a level of uncertainty with regard to this legislation; thus, suggesting it is likely that informal loan workouts will remain a real option for some businesses in distress.

Ongoing global change has made understanding the factors that affect adaptation and survival of populations in the context of changing environments a central problem in evolutionary biology. Special focus has been given to the probability of survival through genetic adaptation to lethal environments; a process termed evolutionary rescue. Many studies of this process, both theoretical and empirical, have been carried out over the last two decades. As a result, we now understand how a number of factors may affect the probability of population survival. However, two factors that are known to affect evolutionary responses, mode of reproduction and interspecific interaction, have received limited attention. The main aim of my work was to investigate whether and how mode of reproduction and negative interspecies interactions (competition) affect the probability of evolutionary rescue. To achieve this goal, I set up a series of selection experiments, by propagating populations of unicellular alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in various stressful conditions, and monitored their survival and fitness. To investigate the effect of sex in these experiments, I manipulated mode of reproduction, by constructing the experimental populations allowed to reproduce either only sexually or asexually or both. To investigate the effect of competition, I manipulated the presence of the competitor(s) in the experimental populations, by cultivating them either in presence or absence of the competitor. I first tested the effect of rate of environmental deterioration and mode of reproduction on extinction dynamics and evolutionary rescue of the experimental populations. I found positive correlation between the rate of extinctions and the rate of environmental deterioration. The experiment revealed an interaction between mode of reproduction and the rate of deterioration, manifested through significantly reduced extinction rate of sexual populations relative to asexual populations in environment deteriorating at intermediate rate. I then investigated the effect of sex and competition on the probability of evolutionary rescue, by propagating the experimental populations in environment deteriorating in a simple way (the change comprising a single abiotic factor) and complex way (the change of both abiotic and biotic factors). I found the negative effect of competition on the probability of evolutionary rescue, and beneficial effect of sex in both types of environmental deterioration, reflected in higher number of rescued populations relative to asexual group. I then tested whether phylogenetic relatedness between a competitor and the focal species and the extent of their ecological similarity affect the likelihood of evolutionary rescue, by subjecting the experimental populations to the presence of 10 different competitors, isolated from two different types of habitats, and each being positioned on a different branch of the phylogenetic tree of Chlamydomonas genus. The probability of evolutionary rescue was contingent on the identity of a competitor species, but the results showed no significant effects of phylogenetic relatedness and ecological similarity. Finally, I investigated which experimental factors could potentially select for the long-term maintenance of sex, by subjecting the experimental populations to different types of selective environments (directional and fluctuating change of abiotic factors, the presence of the competitor) and monitoring the frequency of sex over the course of time. No selective environment significantly increased the rate of sex in the experimental populations. In contrast, I found reduction in frequency of sex in the populations subjected to fluctuating environmental change. My results demonstrate that both mode of reproduction and competition affect the probability of evolutionary rescue, which is generally positively affected by sex and negatively affected by competition. However, these general effects may be altered by other factors, namely mode of environmental change and the identity of the competitor species.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Political Science, 1982. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND DEWEY. / Includes bibliographies. / by Michael Cox Ryan. / M.S.

The phenomenon of rescue organizations that devoted themselves specifically to hiding and saving Jewish children appeared throughout Nazi-occupied Western Europe (France, Belgium, and the Netherlands). Jewish and non-Jewish rescuers risked their lives to save thousands of children from extermination. This dissertation adds to the historiographical understanding of Holocaust resistance by analyzing the efforts of these child rescue organizations as a form of “survival resistance.” Researching the key aspects of traditional resistance (conscious intent, extensive organization, and effective turn-out) demonstrates that, while child rescue did not present armed resistance, it still was a form of active resistance against the Nazi Final Solution. By looking at rescuers’ testimonies and archival sources (from Yad Vashem, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Centre de documentation juive contemporaine, and Kazerne Dossin), this dissertation first outlines the extensive organization and intent of Jewish rescue groups, such as the Oeuvre de Secours aux Enfants (OSE) and Comité de défense des Juifs (CDJ), in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The second part looks at rescue organization and intent by Catholic, Protestant, and humanitarian groups. The dissertation concludes by discussing the effectiveness of organized child rescue. In the end, the rescue groups saved thousands of children and proofs that Child rescue in Nazi-occupied Western Europe was a valid--not to mention heroic--form of survival resistance.

Improved adoptability is a common goal among rescue shelters. Dogs are more likely to be adopted if they are friendly, mannerly, and approachable. The possibility of improving rescue shelter dogs' behavior through an obedience program has not been examined. We developed an approachability test to determine whether dogs became more approachable during and after a standardized 12-week obedience program. We also quantified jumping behavior and pulling on the leash to measure if these problematic behaviors also improved through training. The subjects consisted of 26 dogs donated to the Triple Crown School for Professional Dog Trainers for one of the 12-week sessions. The approach test was administered six times, at two-week intervals. The tests were videotaped and jumping and pulling behaviors were quantified after testing. Scores for approachability were based on the proximity between the tester and the dog at the end of each test. For the dogs that completed all 12 weeks of the study, contingency analyses were performed for each behavioral measure. Relative to the start of the 12-week training program, the dogs became more approachable (p<0.025), jumped less (p<0.025), and pulled on the leash less (p<0.025) than when the study began. These results reinforce the importance of obedience training as a tool for increasing a rescue shelter dog's adoptability and permanence once placed in a home.

Improved adoptability is a common goal among rescue shelters. Dogs are more likely to be adopted if they are friendly, mannerly, and approachable. The possibility of improving rescue shelter dogs' behavior through an obedience program has not been examined. We developed an approachability test to determine whether dogs became more approachable during and after a standardized 12-week obedience program. We also quantified jumping behavior and pulling on the leash to measure if these problematic behaviors also improved through training. The subjects consisted of 26 dogs donated to the Triple Crown School for Professional Dog Trainers for one of the 12-week sessions. The approach test was administered six times, at two-week intervals. The tests were videotaped and jumping and pulling behaviors were quantified after testing. Scores for approachability were based on the proximity between the tester and the dog at the end of each test. For the dogs that completed all 12 weeks of the study, contingency analyses were performed for each behavioral measure. Relative to the start of the 12-week training program, the dogs became more approachable (p<0.025), jumped less (p<0.025), and pulled on the leash less (p<0.025) than when the study began. These results reinforce the importance of obedience training as a tool for increasing a rescue shelter dog's adoptability and permanence once placed in a home.

Thesis (M.A. in Security Studies (Homeland Security and Defense))--Naval Postgraduate School, December 2009. / Thesis Advisor(s): Gordon, Ellen. Second Reader: Bellavita, Chris. "December 2009." Description based on title screen as viewed on January 27, 2010. Author(s) subject terms: Urban search and rescue (US&R), urban search and rescue systems, Florida Urban Search and Rescue (FLUSAR), search and rescue, US&R task force, technical rescue teams, state emergency response, States Urban Search and Rescue Alliance (SUSAR), Florida State Fire Marshall, Marion County, FL Fire Rescue. Includes bibliographical references (p. 61-63). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.S.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of Computer Science, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 47-49).

One of the applications where the use of robots can be beneficial is Wilderness Search and Rescue (WiSAR), which involves the search for a possibly mobile but non-trackable lost person (i.e., the target) in wilderness environments. A mobile target implies that the search area grows continuously and potentially without bound. This fact, combined with the presence of typically rugged, varying terrain and the possibility of inclement weather, poses a considerable challenge to human Search and Rescue (SAR) personnel with respect to the time and effort required to perform the search and the danger entailed to the searchers. Mobile robots can be advantageous in WiSAR due to their ability to provide consistent performance without getting tired and their lower susceptibility to harsh weather conditions compared to humans. Thus, a coordinated team of robots that can assist human SAR personnel by autonomously performing searches in WiSAR scenarios would be of great value. However, to date, a suitable multi-robot coordination methodology for autonomous search that can satisfactorily address the issues relevant to WiSAR is lacking. The objective of this Dissertation is, thus, to develop a methodology that can autonomously coordinate the search strategy of a multi-robot team in wilderness environments to locate a moving target that is neither continuously nor intermittently observed during the search process. Three issues in particular are addressed: (i) target-location prediction, (ii) robot deployment, and (iii) robot-path planning. The corresponding solution approaches devised to address these issues incorporate the influence of varying terrain that may contain a priori known and unknown obstacles, and deal with unique target physiology and psychology as well as found clues left behind by the target. The solution methods for these three tasks work seamlessly together resulting in a tractable MRC methodology for autonomous robotic WiSAR. Comprehensive simulations have been performed that validate the overall proposed methodology. Moreover, the tangible benefits provided by this methodology were further revealed through its comparison with an alternative search method.