title: Where next for low cost airlines? A spatial and temporal comparative study

authors: Francis, Graham

subjects: low cost airlines

abstract: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the international development of the low cost airline model. The paper examines and seeks to characterize the factors which have encouraged and inhibited the spatial and temporal spread of low cost carriers. A typology of low cost carriers is developed to illustrate the diversity of practices identifiable under the generic low cost banner. The authors of this paper identify stages of development with respect to time and compare the development of low cost operations in different countries of the world. The economic and political impacts of the spread of the low cost model are examined and the sustainability and future patterns of growth considered.

text: Where next for low cost airlines? A spatial and temporal comparative study The purpose of this paper is to analyze the international development of the low cost airline model. The paper examines and seeks to characterize the factors which have encouraged and inhibited the spatial and temporal spread of low cost carriers. A typology of low cost carriers is developed to illustrate the diversity of practices identifiable under the generic low cost banner. The authors of this paper identify stages of development with respect to time and compare the development of low cost operations in different countries of the world. The economic and political impacts of the spread of the low cost model are examined and the sustainability and future patterns of growth considered.

year: 2006

title: Corrosion segmentation on steel structures via illumination-aware preprocessing and Bayesian U²-Net

authors: Zheng, Yangxiao

subjects: corrosion detection

abstract: Steel corrosion poses a major threat to infrastructure safety and longevity, demanding reliable and accurate automated inspection systems. This study presents a semantic segmentation framework that integrates an illumination-adaptive preprocessing pipeline with a Bayesian enhanced U²-Net to address two core challenges in UAV-based corrosion inspection: performance degradation under uneven lighting and lack of predictive uncertainty estimation.
Variational Bayesian convolutional layers are embedded in the U²-Net encoder to enhance robustness and regularization in small-sample scenarios without relying on full probabilistic inference. A high-resolution, pixel-level annotated dataset was developed for evaluation.
Experimental results across 45 independent training runs show that BU²-Net achieves an F1-score of 75.088%, an IoU of 60.350%, and a recall of 71.537%, while maintaining the lowest standard deviation across all metrics. The results confirm the method’s ability to improve training stability and predictive consistency under visually complex conditions. This practical integration of adaptive preprocessing and lightweight uncertainty modeling supports real world deployment in multimodal sensing systems for intelligent structural health monitoring.

text: Corrosion segmentation on steel structures via illumination-aware preprocessing and Bayesian U²-Net Steel corrosion poses a major threat to infrastructure safety and longevity, demanding reliable and accurate automated inspection systems. This study presents a semantic segmentation framework that integrates an illumination-adaptive preprocessing pipeline with a Bayesian enhanced U²-Net to address two core challenges in UAV-based corrosion inspection: performance degradation under uneven lighting and lack of predictive uncertainty estimation.
Variational Bayesian convolutional layers are embedded in the U²-Net encoder to enhance robustness and regularization in small-sample scenarios without relying on full probabilistic inference. A high-resolution, pixel-level annotated dataset was developed for evaluation.
Experimental results across 45 independent training runs show that BU²-Net achieves an F1-score of 75.088%, an IoU of 60.350%, and a recall of 71.537%, while maintaining the lowest standard deviation across all metrics. The results confirm the method’s ability to improve training stability and predictive consistency under visually complex conditions. This practical integration of adaptive preprocessing and lightweight uncertainty modeling supports real world deployment in multimodal sensing systems for intelligent structural health monitoring.

year: 2024

title: Maori identity within whanau: A review of literature.

authors: Moeke-Pickering, Taima Materangatira

subjects: Maori identity

abstract: The study of identities is an enormous and complex undertaking. Research on identity formation has revealed a clear link between family practices and identity development. In traditional Maori times, the whanau was the place where initial teaching and socialisation of things Maori took place. While there is no single exact measure of what constitutes Maori identity (Durie, 1994), that Maori identity is still being asserted today means that the shaping of Maori identity is still occurring. Rather than attempt to cover all aspects of how Maori shape their identities, I have chosen to focus on the shaping of Maori identity within whanau. Given that this paper is about both Maori identity and whanau identity it seemed logical to review and examine the literature surrounding these two notions. In this paper I also discuss the ecological threats and supports that influenced Maori and whanau identity. Then I review literature on whanau identity from traditional and contemporary works, and explore the concept of whanau identity as a management framework. The literature on whanau does not vary from what Maori authors have expressed regarding their conceptualisations of Maori identity. The tribal structures, descent and cultural practices provide integral pathways through which whanau and Maori identity can be developed and maintained. What is of significance, is that the formation of a secure whanau identity is likely to contribute toward an overall stable Maori identity. Creating an environment where a sense of secure wellbeing among members of a whanau is nurtured, leads to members constructing a whanau and Maori identity that is meaningful to them in their lives.

text: Maori identity within whanau: A review of literature. The study of identities is an enormous and complex undertaking. Research on identity formation has revealed a clear link between family practices and identity development. In traditional Maori times, the whanau was the place where initial teaching and socialisation of things Maori took place. While there is no single exact measure of what constitutes Maori identity (Durie, 1994), that Maori identity is still being asserted today means that the shaping of Maori identity is still occurring. Rather than attempt to cover all aspects of how Maori shape their identities, I have chosen to focus on the shaping of Maori identity within whanau. Given that this paper is about both Maori identity and whanau identity it seemed logical to review and examine the literature surrounding these two notions. In this paper I also discuss the ecological threats and supports that influenced Maori and whanau identity. Then I review literature on whanau identity from traditional and contemporary works, and explore the concept of whanau identity as a management framework. The literature on whanau does not vary from what Maori authors have expressed regarding their conceptualisations of Maori identity. The tribal structures, descent and cultural practices provide integral pathways through which whanau and Maori identity can be developed and maintained. What is of significance, is that the formation of a secure whanau identity is likely to contribute toward an overall stable Maori identity. Creating an environment where a sense of secure wellbeing among members of a whanau is nurtured, leads to members constructing a whanau and Maori identity that is meaningful to them in their lives.

year: 1996-01-01