title: Managing potential interactions of subsurface resources

authors: Field, Brad D.

subjects: subsurface resources; minerals; mining; carbon capture and storage; geothermal resources; oil and gas; petroleum

abstract: Subsurface resources include oil, gas, coal, groundwater, saline aquifer minerals, and heat (for geothermal use). Pore space itself should also be considered as a resource as it can be used for injection of waste fluids, produced water, storage of natural gas, compressed air, and supercritical CO₂. Use of subsurface resources can overlap in space, and pressure changes at one site can remotely influence resource use at other sites. Resource use can also vary in time, such as the use of depleted oil or gas fields for natural gas or CO₂ storage. Before allocation of a subsurface resource it is therefore useful to understand the potentially wide range of resources available in an area, how they might be developed successively, and how they could affect each other if used concurrently. While these issues are primarily geological, they have critical significance for legal, environmental, and economic considerations.

text: Managing potential interactions of subsurface resources Subsurface resources include oil, gas, coal, groundwater, saline aquifer minerals, and heat (for geothermal use). Pore space itself should also be considered as a resource as it can be used for injection of waste fluids, produced water, storage of natural gas, compressed air, and supercritical CO₂. Use of subsurface resources can overlap in space, and pressure changes at one site can remotely influence resource use at other sites. Resource use can also vary in time, such as the use of depleted oil or gas fields for natural gas or CO₂ storage. Before allocation of a subsurface resource it is therefore useful to understand the potentially wide range of resources available in an area, how they might be developed successively, and how they could affect each other if used concurrently. While these issues are primarily geological, they have critical significance for legal, environmental, and economic considerations.

year: 2017

title: The Further Analysis of Catania's Concept of the Operant

authors: Zhang, Yi

subjects: Catania

abstract: Catania’s theory of the operant incorporated the continuous characteristic of behaviour, where the response distribution follows a normal distribution. That is, most responses fall within the reinforced range, a few responses persisted outside of the reinforced range. Three roosters and three hens were used as the subjects. A continuous reinforcement (CRF) schedule was implemented throughout both experiments of the study. In Experiment 1, the screen was divided into four quadrants. Only one quadrant was active in each condition and the active area shifted to a different quadrant across conditions. Each peck within the active quadrant was considered as a correct response, which results in reinforcement. Each peck outside the active quadrant was considered as an incorrect response, which results in extinction. In Experiment 2, the screen was divided into vertical strips. During Conditions 1 to 8, the consequences for the correct and incorrect responses are the same as Experiment 1. In Condition 9, the consequence for the incorrect responses changed from extinction to punishment (delay to reinforcement). That is, a 3 second red screen was followed with each occurrence of an incorrect response. It was found that the incorrect responses persisted during each condition of the two experiments for most birds. It was also found that most of the hens’ responses were correct responses by the end of each condition in Experiment 2. However, for all birds in Experiment 1 and the roosters in Experiment 2, most responses were not correct by the end of each condition. The findings of Experiment 2 also indicated that the changes in condition length, active area’s size, and consequence of the incorrect responses might have had some influence on the number of incorrect responses. Overall, the findings demonstrated behavioral continuity through exploring the distribution of response proportion when reinforcement was placed on the correct responses, and when extinction or punishment was placed on the incorrect responses. Thus, the study provided some empirical support towards Catania’s concept of the operant.

text: The Further Analysis of Catania's Concept of the Operant Catania’s theory of the operant incorporated the continuous characteristic of behaviour, where the response distribution follows a normal distribution. That is, most responses fall within the reinforced range, a few responses persisted outside of the reinforced range. Three roosters and three hens were used as the subjects. A continuous reinforcement (CRF) schedule was implemented throughout both experiments of the study. In Experiment 1, the screen was divided into four quadrants. Only one quadrant was active in each condition and the active area shifted to a different quadrant across conditions. Each peck within the active quadrant was considered as a correct response, which results in reinforcement. Each peck outside the active quadrant was considered as an incorrect response, which results in extinction. In Experiment 2, the screen was divided into vertical strips. During Conditions 1 to 8, the consequences for the correct and incorrect responses are the same as Experiment 1. In Condition 9, the consequence for the incorrect responses changed from extinction to punishment (delay to reinforcement). That is, a 3 second red screen was followed with each occurrence of an incorrect response. It was found that the incorrect responses persisted during each condition of the two experiments for most birds. It was also found that most of the hens’ responses were correct responses by the end of each condition in Experiment 2. However, for all birds in Experiment 1 and the roosters in Experiment 2, most responses were not correct by the end of each condition. The findings of Experiment 2 also indicated that the changes in condition length, active area’s size, and consequence of the incorrect responses might have had some influence on the number of incorrect responses. Overall, the findings demonstrated behavioral continuity through exploring the distribution of response proportion when reinforcement was placed on the correct responses, and when extinction or punishment was placed on the incorrect responses. Thus, the study provided some empirical support towards Catania’s concept of the operant.

year: 2014

title: 'Waitangi and indigenous rights: Revolution, law and legitimacy' by F.M. Brookfield

authors: Melbourne, Hirini

subjects: indigenous rights

abstract: 'Waitangi and Indigenous Rights: Revolution, Law and Legitimacy' book review by Hirini Melbourne.

text: 'Waitangi and indigenous rights: Revolution, law and legitimacy' by F.M. Brookfield 'Waitangi and Indigenous Rights: Revolution, Law and Legitimacy' book review by Hirini Melbourne.

year: 2000-10