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It has been suggested that a CEW (conducted electrical weapon) exposure could elicit a stress response that could cause ExDS (excited delirium syndrome). There are some parallels between the signs of ExDS and serotonin syndrome (SS). Electroconvulsive therapy raises serotonin levels and therefore provides a plausible link between CEW applications and elevated serotonin levels. This study was designed to determine whether a CEW exposure elevates serum serotonin. A total of 31 police academy cadets were exposed to a very broad-spread 5-s CEW stimulus from a TASER brand X26 CEW. Blood was drawn before and after the exposure and at 24 h post exposure to measure serum serotonin levels. Lactic acid and cortisol levels were also compared. Median serum serotonin levels were 30 IQR (21,46), 36 IQR (22,50), and 32 IQR (21,45) ng/mL before exposure, after exposure, and 24 h after exposure (NS by pooled comparisons). The increase from baseline to post-test serotonin (∆ median = +6, ∆ mean = +2.7) ng/mL was not significant by a paired T-test (p = .29) but was significant by the Wilcoxon signed-rank test (p = .037). The increase to post-test log serotonin was not significant by a paired T-test (p = .13) but was significant by the Wilcoxon test (p = .049). All serotonin levels remained within the normal reference range of 0-200 ng/mL. Post-hoc analysis demonstrated that the study was powered to detect a ½ SD change, in log serotonin, with a 90% likelihood. With a very-broad electrode spread, CEW exposure did not significantly raise serum serotonin levels.

Background: Human bite is a growing public health concern. It may be seen in both victims and aggressors following assault. Effects of human bite are both social and medical., Objectives: This study aims to determine the prevalence and characteristics of assault-related human bite injuries in Enugu, Nigeria., Methods: In this prospective study, an objective structured questionnaire was administered to assault victims attending the Forensic unit of ESUT Teaching Hospital between November 2013 and October 2014. Obtained data was analyzed., Results: Out of 219 patients presenting with clinical injuries, 29 (13.2%) sustained human bite wounds. Average age was 32.2±11.30 years and 34.3±12.4 years for victims and biters respectively. Females were more involved than males. Severe injuries resulted more in bites involving females than males. Contusion (47.6%) and laceration (31.0%) were the commonest. Upper limbs were mostly affected (44.7%) followed by the face (29.0%). Romance-related injuries affected breasts and thighs. Most incidents (62.1%) occurred within home/living quarters. Most biters were known to their victims., Conclusion: Human bite is a common outcome of assault and so should be anticipated in cases of assault. Patterns of location of bites seem related to nature of crime.

The presence of a weapon in the perpetration of a crime can impede an observer's ability to describe and/or recognise the person responsible. In the current experiment, we explore whether weapons when present at encoding of a target identity interfere with the construction of a facial composite. Participants encoded an unfamiliar target face seen either on its own or paired with a knife. Encoding duration (10 or 30 s) was also manipulated. The following day, participants recalled the face and constructed a composite of it using a holistic system (EvoFIT). Correct naming of the participants' composites was found to reduce reliably when target faces were paired with the weapon at 10 s but not at 30 s. These data suggest that the presence of a weapon reduces the effectiveness of facial composites following a short encoding duration. Implications for theory and police practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the articulation of Situationist perspectives on art and politics with reference to the cycle of protest, surveillance, detention, scandal, repression and violence which accompanied the theoretical writings and practical activities of the Situationists. The Situationist International (SI) was, by design, a mercurial organization whose existence was marked by clandestine activity, conflict – internally and externally – scandal and subversion in multiple guises. The twin concepts of détournement [hijacking] and récupération [recovery] will be explored to show why the recourse to the terminology of war was more than a commonplace rhetorical trope for the SI. The group's deployment of militaristic language reflects, first, the real-life attention the Situationists received from the forces of order and, secondly, an antagonism which underpinned their conception of political action. Their eponymous journal or review was not itself a privileged organ of the Situationist International, intellectually or aesthetically, but 'heavy artillery' which provided a convenient platform to become known to an active readership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Systems Engineering & Electronics is the property of Journal of Systems Engineering & Electronics Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article examines Scythian long knives that are similar in length to double-edged daggers. Critically analysing the hypothesis which interprets these items as weapons, it shows that the difference between a fighting knife and utilitarian knife consists not in their measurements, but in their constructive features. In particular, long knives have much slimmer proportions, unlike daggers. They have neither cross guards nor pommels. This study is concerned with both flat full-metal knives and knives with a short tang. Considering those knives with a partial tang, even the longest ones looks less durable when compared with samples truly designed for combat, as the construction was not intended for heavy strikes. As a result, only full-metal specimens with organic plates on the hilt are here interpreted as weapons. They are similar to those finds from the Northern Balkan region and their morphological features allow us to consider them to be much like daggers. One can suppose that some of the long knives could have been used in ritual proceedings, during feasts or sacrificial offerings. In some cases, it is also possible to consider long knives as a symbolic alternative to the weapon in the burial inventory. At the same time, it is clear that long knives were in use mostly as utilitarian tools. The difference in morphology between the Archaic and Classical knives shows the variation in the culture of these two periods of the Scythian culture. The spread of the long knives across the Steppe and Forest-Steppe areas also indicates the cultural connections between these regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The acquisition of weapons at scale requires objective measures to discriminate between products and inform decisions. Testing of weapons commonly occurs on known-distance ranges in static positions at static targets using accuracy and timing as the main variables of interest. However, testing weapons in more representative environments may better show variations in ergonomic-related factors such as centre-of-gravity (CoG) changes. This study aimed to examine the utility of weapon accelerations as a measure of stability, understand how stability changes with repeated shots and the responsiveness to changes in the CoG. Eighteen soldiers shot 60 times under four conditions: an unweighted rifle and the addition of a mass fixed at three different positions. A weapon-mounted accelerometer captured the accelerations of the weapon 200 ms before shot release. Twelve stability measures were calculated and reduced via a principal component analysis. Three of these metrics were then assessed for changes over the shots and between the four conditions. Decreased stability occurred over the 60 shots for all conditions, suggesting increasing fatigue. Stability only differed between one pair of conditions with one metric, implying that stability can be maintained with the different weapon configurations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research has revealed sexual minority youth are more likely to carry weapons both outside of and within school. However, to date, no study has examined the degree to which bullying and harassment is associated with weapon carrying among sexual minority youth. We utilized the Youth Risk Behavior Survey to examine the prevalence and likelihood of carrying weapons by sexual identity, adjusting for adverse experiences. From the Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2009-2015, we examined self-report of adverse experiences (e.g., being bullied, skipping school due to fear for personal safety) and performed Logistic regressions to estimate the odds of carrying a weapon and were adjusted to include demographics and adverse experiences. When surveyed by sexual identity, 14.0% of heterosexual, 21.8% of gay/lesbian, 18.5% of bisexual, and 17.4% of "not sure" students reported carrying a weapon in the past 30 days. Odds of carrying a weapon were significantly increased for youth who skipped school due to feeling unsafe at school, had ever been threatened with a weapon in the past year, and had ever been in a physical fight. Compared to heterosexual female peers, sexual minority women had increased odds of carrying a weapon. Pediatricians should recognize that experiencing bullying and feeling unsafe are associated with weapon carrying, particularly among sexual minorities. Pediatricians and professionals who work with youth should recognize that reported experiences of bullying may not be the most salient indicator of risk for weapon carrying among all youth, and that other fears of or experiences with bullying are crucial to screen for among sexual minorities in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient and generalized method of end-game algorithm has been proposed to engage air-borne evaders, including high speed, highly maneuvering, and small evaders, such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Performance of interceptors using time delay estimation and guidance integrated real-time prediction algorithm has been simulated to estimate the errors in engaging maneuvering evader targets. After extensive modeling of engagement geometry and simulation studies of the proposed algorithm, it is concluded that the algorithm can be used for defeating ballistic as well as maneuvering target with higher accuracy compared to other methods that are reported in the literature. The accuracy of estimation is found to improve by 12% over the reported methods used for engaging maneuvering evaders. The algorithm is implemented in hardware and results are presented for a typical case of engagement geometry against a small maneuvering target, which ensured maximum damage to target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the prevalence of weapon-related behaviors and experiences in secondary schools in California, their intercorrelations, and predictors at the individual and school levels. This study is based on a representative sample of 889,726 secondary school students in California based on the California Healthy Kids Survey. Prevalence ranged from 3.1% of students carrying gun to 17.9% who saw another student with a weapon. In 3.3% of schools, more than 15% of students carried a weapon and in 5.8% of schools, 15% or more were injured or threatened with weapons. The strongest predictors were the number of transgender students, gang members, and victimized students, particularly those victimized because of their disability. A public-health approach is advocated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prehistoric wooden projectiles likely have a complex evolutionary story in a similar way to stone tools, depending on their functions, and the cognitive and physical capabilities of hominins who used them. The technologies of some ancient projectiles (e.g., spears, arrows) can be studied more directly because they were equipped with stone points which survive archaeologically, but other implements made entirely of wood are extremely rare archaeological finds and need an indirect study of their ethnological diversity to try to shed light on their evolution. The evolution of throwing sticks is often restricted to the invention of boomerangs which, as returning objects, have fascinated Europeans, particularly since the early 19th century colonisation of Australia. However, the innovation of returning boomerangs is probably relatively recent, compared to their entire technological evolution. The resulting technological diversity of forms through time is reflected in the different morphological types of ethnological throwing sticks found on the Australian continent but is also present in other parts of the world. A scheme of evolution for throwing sticks is proposed here, according to the technology that can be observed on numerous ethnological objects studied in museum collections, and experience gained from throwing replicas, which allow us to distinguish different development phases for these projectiles. Surprisingly, Aboriginal people's myths can sometimes also shed light on the origins of Australian throwing sticks. Indeed, one of the most famous myths of the invention of boomerangs (Thomas, 1985) explains that it was an old man, forced to bend down at the creation of the world, because the sky and earth were too close, who planted his stick in the ground and pushed the sky away. His stick became bent after that, and he decided to keep it with him when he threw it away and saw how it could fly and return. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previously it was noted that firearm use by nurses in suicide was changing. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention suicide dataset contains investigation narratives that no researcher has analyzed and may provide context to inform suicide prevention. Objective: Explore firearm deaths in nurse suicide. Second, test topic modeling techniques to analyze investigation narratives. Methods/Statistical Analysis: Mixed‐method retrospective analysis of 739 nurse versus 94,838 nonnurse suicides. Odds ratios (OR) were calculated to determine relative incidence. After tokenization and stop word removal, Latent Dirichlet Analysis and Latent Semantic Indexing topic modeling techniques were applied. Topics were evaluated for clinical significance and content analysis performed. Results: Aim 1: Female nurses used firearms significantly less often than other females between 2003 and 2013 (OR: 0.71; p <.001; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.23%–9.83%). A rise in nurse firearm use occurred between 2014 and 2017; with rates now similar to nonnurse females (OR: 0.98; p =.7574; 95% CI: −2.68 to 3.49). Clinically relevant topics identified by topic modeling: preventable deaths, chronic pain, and job loss before suicide. Conclusions: From this research we know that work‐related issues in nurse suicides by firearms center around chronic pain, substance use, and job loss. The codes tied to suicidal ideation, previous attempt and/or depression, represented preventable deaths because it is known that if a weapon is removed from the home in these situations a suicide can be aborted. The change in firearm use warrants nurse education regarding firearm safety and suicide prevention. Topic modeling holds promise in focusing analyses of suicide investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was developed for the purpose of making a thorough analysis in relation to one of the fundamental impact drivers of terrorism, in the absence of which its very existence would have been purely conceptual, not materialized in the objective reality as it happened in the last three decades, or at most would have had little significant dimension internationally, namely: disinformation. This study focuses on the contemporaneity of disinformation, as a phenomenon of mass manipulation, in the current circumstances of spreading information and data with unprecedented speed, via social networks, news websites and online press publications, online television (including with broadcast live) and, last but not least, the "Internet of things", all of this disinformation becoming a true "weapon" in the hands of anyone who knows how to use it, especially if we talk about the phenomenon of international terrorism. The theme of the study was chosen to make a comparative assessment of the purpose and effects of disinformation, in relation to those of terrorism, so that, at the end of its reading, it can be concluded whether the two phenomena are complementary or at least work "symbiotically" or these notions are mutually exclusive, not presenting any connection (not even hypothetical) with each other. In view of this approach, the study proposes an analysis inclusive of the legal framework currently in force at international level regarding disinformation in order to highlight a general perspective - by the similarities of these rules - and a particular one, outlined by the differences of these regulatory frameworks, be it international, regional or local. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this work is to create a comprehensive summary of arms originating from Celtic warrior graves in Poland. The largest number of artefacts comes from La Tène culture cemeteries from Lower Silesia, in Sobocisko and Głownin. Individual warrior graves came from Podgaj, Smolec and Wiaązów. Other examples of weaponry were found in the Kietrz cemetery in Upper Silesia, with Lesser Poland warrior graves from Iwanowice, Aleksandrowice, and Kraków-Witkowice. From Lesser Poland we also know of alleged graves from Krakow-Pleszów and Krakow-Wyciaązże. Some comments about the non-burial find of a Celtic sword from Rzeszów will also be given. A fresh consideration of the source material has corrected the earlier interpretation and reinterpreted some aspects. A new detailed chronology will also be proposed. It will also present a very broad area of connections of Celts residing in Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Basic Education College Magazine For Educational & Humanities Sciences is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Turkish Journal of Trauma & Emergency Surgery / Ulusal Travma ve Acil Cerrahi Dergisi is the property of KARE Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Ido Movement for Culture. Journal of Martial Arts Anthropology is the property of Idokan Poland Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Sexual differences in morphology can evolve by sexual selection and/or natural selection. In some species, only males have morphological structures that are used as weapons. Since some weapons may also be used for defensive purposes, males and females may behave differently towards predators. In some species of harvestmen (Arachnida and Opiliones), males have sharp apophyses ("spines") on their 4th pair of legs whereas females lack them. Those apophyses are used in male–male fights and in antipredatory behaviors. The harvestmen antipredatory repertory also encompasses passive defenses such as thanatosis (death feigning), retaliation (attack on predators), and chemical defense. Due to the sexual differences on weaponry, we hypothesized that males and females of Mischonyx cuspidatus (Gonyleptidae) rely on different defensive strategies. We experimentally induced males and females to perform 3 defensive behaviors: thanatosis, pinching with legs, and chemical release. We predicted that females would engage more in passive and chemical defenses than males, whereas males would rely more on retaliation than females. As expected, females performed thanatosis more often than males. Likewise, males performed retaliation more often than females. We did not find differences in the rate of chemical defense use between the sexes. This study provides evidence that due to sexual dimorphism, alternative antipredatory behaviors may have been selected in the different sexes in M. cuspidatus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sentencing of those convicted of murder has been an area of contention since the abolition of the death penalty (Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act 1965, s 1). Lord Bingham CJ sought to achieve some consistency of approach in murder cases but not to bind trial judges. Lord Bingham CJ recommended to judges that a minimum term of 14 years was to be served for the "average", "normal" or "unexceptional" murder and a minimum term of 30 years in very rare cases. Lord Bingham CJ's approach was confirmed by his successor Lord Woolf CJ (see I Practice Statement (Juveniles: Murder Tariff) i [2000] 1 WLR 1655, 1656). [Extracted from the article]

This study shows that the syntagma δύναµις εἰς σωτηρίαν was widely used in ancient Greek literature of the Classical, Hellenistic, and Greco-Roman periods. A semantic context analysis reveals that "danger" is the common intersection of all contexts in which the syntagma δύναµις εἰς σωτηρίαν occurs. In a modified way it also appears in texts of the New Testament (Rom 1:16; 1 Pet 1:5): By using δύναµις (θεοῦ) εἰς σωτηρίαν in a context focused on danger, Paul (as well as the author of 1 Peter) indicates that his use of the syntagma is consistent with the pagan, non-biblical use of δύναµις εἰς σωτηρίαν. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Traditionally, standardisation of manufacture has been investigated using metrics (e.g. length and width) and compared in terms of the coefficient of variation (CV). This paper argues that standardisation should not only be investigated via metrics, but also in terms of shape. An Iron Age lance head type ('Havor'), known from three main weapon depositions in Southern Scandinavia, is used as a case study to test the effectiveness of shape analysis against traditional metric analysis for investigating standardisation. Geometric morphometric (GMM) analysis is used to measure the overall shape variation and to test shape difference of the same lance type coming from three different archaeological sites. The results demonstrate GMM to complement the traditional metric approach. Whilst metric measurements offer insights into Havor lance standardisation, the results from multivariate analysis of GMM data provides further explanation about the source of variation in terms of shape, including an assessment of object symmetry. This paper represents the first known methodological application of GMM analysis to iron weapons and demonstrates it to be an effective method for studying product standardisation in terms of shape variation. Highlights • First application of geometric morphometric (GMM) analysis to investigate weapon standardisation of Iron Age weaponry. • First statistical investigation of symmetry in iron weaponry. • Metric and shape (GMM) analyses provide unequivocal evidence for the standardised production of the 'Havor' lance head. • GMM analysis provides improved results for assessing weapon standardisation, compared to traditional metric approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A retrospective study over a period of six years where the pattern and nature of injuries by sharp forces were evaluated and compared with the weapon used for infliction. The influence of the action of the weapon on the nature of the wound inflicted was also observed. The objective of the study also included an attempt to retrospectively evaluate the nature of the weapon during examination of injury at Medicolegal autopsy. Permission was obtained from institutional Ethics and research committee. The study concluded by evaluation of defence wounds, incised wounds, punctured wounds, their pattern and distribution, internal organs involved, injuries to underlying bones and nature of weapon used for infliction of injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Overkilling • Forensic medicine • Perpetrator • Weapon • Circumstances Overkilling in the Forensic Medicine is known as a specific type of homicide where the number of inflicted injuries greatly surpasses the number of fatal ones. Conducted research aimed to create a unified definition of the phenomenon and its classification criteria by analysing a vast majority of variables concerning its various characteristics. From the population of homicide victims autopsied in the authors' research facility a number of 167 cases were chosen consisting of both overkilling and other homicides. 70 cases were thoroughly analysed based on the completed court files, autopsy protocols and photographs. Second part of the research concerned the facts regarding the perpetrator, used weapon and the circumstances of the act. Conclusions of the conducted analysis allowed to add further characteristics to the overkilling definition: the perpetrators were almost exclusively men, around 35 of age, not related to the victim but might have been in a close relationship with them, often a conflicted one. They did not threaten the victim before the incident. Mostly perpetrators were not intoxicated, and they tried to cover up the homicide in various ways. Perpetrators of overkilling were in most cases mentally disturbed (and thus stated insane), had different levels of intelligence but also a low level of planning before the act – rarely taking actions as preparing the weapon in advance, choosing the scene or luring in the victim. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article offers a new iconographic reading of the sixth-century architrave of the gateway of the Mahādeva Temple at ancient Madhyamikā (Nagarī). It is argued that the eastern and western face of the architrave should be read in conjunction. The eastern face shows Śiva's entry as a naked mendicant into the Devadāruvana, while the western face depicts the Kirātārjunīya, a story that is foreshadowed in the panels of the eastern face. The motif that ties both stories together is the Brahmaśiras or 'Head of Brahmā,' which is simultaneously the skull that forms Śiva's begging bowl and the Pāśupata Weapon acquired by Arjuna. The theme of the winning of the Pāśupata Weapon may have had particular resonance for the Aulikara rulers in their troubled times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mazowe and Shamva districts in Zimbabwe have been embroiled in political conflicts that have left people injured, dead, traumatized, and property destroyed. The conflicts have often involved weapons of various types and with differing capabilities. They were seen to be perpetuated by various interested groups: former liberation war fighters, youth, traditional leaders, and the security sector. This study looked at the various types of weapons that were used in various conflicts, their capacities, and parties involved. Through a mixed approach design, an exploratory research was conducted in the two districts that focused on traditional taboos as a conflict resolution mechanism. One hundred and thirty-five participants were selected through snowball and emergent sampling methods to satisfy formal interviews and focus group discussions. These methods were complemented by archival material. The conclusion of the study noted that conflicts escalate intensely in election eras—to some extent, confirming three hypotheses that elections perpetuate social and political hostilities, local political parties believe in violence as a best conflict resolution mechanism, and that weapon carrying was meant to perpetuate violence in defense of a political party ideology. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: Law enforcement officers expect that a TASER CEW (Conducted Electrical Weapon) broad-spread probe exposure will temporarily incapacitate a subject who will then be able to immediately (~1 s delay) recover motor control in order to comply with commands. However, this recovery time has not been previously reported. Methods: A total of 32 police academy students were exposed to a very broad-spread 5 s CEW stimulus as part of their training and told to depress a push-button as soon as they sensed the stimulus. A subgroup also depressed the push-button after being alerted by an audio stimulus. Results: The response time after the audio trigger was 1.05 ± 0.25 s; the median was 1.04 s (range 0.69-1.34 s). For the paired CEW triggered group the mean response time was 1.41 ± 0.61 s with a median of 1.06 s (range 0.92-2.18 s), which was not statistically different. Only 2/32 subjects were able to depress the button during the CEW exposure and with delays of 3.09 and 4.70 s from the start. Of the remaining 30 subjects the mean response time to execute the task (once the CEW exposure ended) was 1.27 ± 0.58 s with a median of 1.19 s (range 0.31-2.99 s) (NS vs. the audio trigger). Conclusions: With a very-broad electrode spread, a CEW exposure could prevent or delay some purposeful movements. Normal reaction times appear to return immediately (~1 s) after the CEW exposure ceases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sample of 1533 sex offenders was examined for clinical characteristics associated with weapon use in their crimes. A total of 24.9% used weapons, most often knives (50.1%), with 13.6% using multiple weapons. Weapon-users were a very disturbed group, who showed a significantly higher prevalence than non-users of psychoses, suicide attempts, alcoholism, drug addiction and abuse, personality disorders, psychopathy, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, cognitive impairment and violent criminal histories. The weapon-users recidivated more often than non-users and appeared in court on 8.7 separate occasions compared to 2.9 for non-users in an average follow-up of 21.5 years. The best predictors of weapon use were total violent offence convictions, sadism diagnoses and adult versus child victims. The importance of examining weapon use in assessing sex offenders is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In order to solve the problem that the decision making unit (DMU) couldn't be ranked because of the non-uniqueness of cross efficiency, and the weights of all DMUs were equal when cross efficiency was synthesized, this paper introduced super efficiency DEA model to establish cross efficiency matrix, and calculated the weights of all DMUs by the information entropy that was external. Then it calculated the synthesized cross efficiency. And all DMUs could be effectively ranked. Through the comparison of numerical analysis, the method is feasible. At last, the weapon initiation evaluation applied this method, results show that the method can solve the evaluation and selection problems about weapon project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ido Movement for Culture. Journal of Martial Arts Anthropology is the property of Idokan Poland Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Military Engineer / Hadmérnök is the property of National University of Public Service and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background and aim: it is well known that weapon noise poses a risk on the hearing organ of sport shooters. Disappointingly there are no uniform criteria for evaluation of shooting ranges' acoustic environment. We aimed at presenting a method for an objective assessment of noise exposure in shooting sports, Materials and methods: we collected and described acoustic signals during training and competition in the 25 m shooting range. The recorded material was analysed with the orthogonal, adaptive parametrization by Shur. Results: the noise reaching the hearing organ of a shooter is combined of random, short-term, impulse-type signals emitted by weapon. We have found that among parameters required for the description of the shooting noise are: the effective duration of a specific signal, the time-domain structure of a combined signal, the time/frequency structure, the energy evaluation and the number of signals. Methods used for occupational noise evaluation are not appropriate for sport shooting because of differences of time and frequency characteristics of acoustic impulses. Conclusions: the orthogonal, adaptive parametrization by Shur recognizes the time-domain and the power spectrum of acoustic signals. It delivers adequate information on the hazard from the impulse noise in shooting sports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weapons may have evolved from the primitive axe made of chipped stone to the more 'sophisticated' means of mass-destruction, but they have undeniably accompanied humankind all through its history, just like the wars that have been fought with them. Most of these weapons are no longer in every-day use, but they have been preserved and kept alive in that colourful keepsake album of language: idioms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined weapon carrying, including both the type of weapons being carried and reasons for carrying, in a sample of New Zealand high school students. A self-report online survey was administered to 1169 secondary students in the Otago region of New Zealand. Overall, 17 per cent had carried a weapon in the past year at school, and 24 per cent hadcarried outside school. The most common type of weapon was a pocket knife or knife, and the most common reason for carrying it at school was because it was in their bag or on their key ring, and for hunting or self-defence outside school. When psychological intention was taken into account, 9 per cent reported carrying for potential use as a weapon in the past year and 6 per cent in the past month. These students were also more likely to have been in a fight, to have missed school due to feeling unsafe, to have felt lonely, been bullied, bullied others and have few self-perceived competencies. In estimating the prevalence of weapon carrying, it is important to understand the psychological context of these behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Operating of weapon on the tank is mostly by manually. It is not desired performance for a critical operation. An automatic control system is required to operate the weapon with the target while maintaining the accuracy. In this paper has designed an automatic weapon control system using object image proccessing. Various an image processing methods used to improve the weapon accuracy to obtain the intended target. The method used in digital image processing is the Camshift motion tracking method. This method is compared with the Lucas Canade motion tracking method. This comparison is conducted to found more precise results between the two methods. Results of object image processing are used to control the direction of the weapon that towards the desired goal. The results show that the implementation of the Lucas Canade motion tracking method using fire simulation tools have been successful. The performance of the Lucas Canade motion tracking methods is better than the CamShift method. Using Lucas Canade method for weapon controller is accordance with the purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Weapons are used in approximately one quarter of all violent incidents and the majority of homicides in the US, and the UK. Despite their overwhelming contribution to violent harm, theories of weapon related behaviors are scarce, and little is known of their correlates. This paper reviews available theories of weapon related behavior and identifies a number of motivations for weapon carrying, such as self defense, victim coercion, causing harm and self presentation. Correlates of weapon carrying and weapon use such as age, gender, socioeconomic status, exposure to weapons and history of aggression are explored and a number of limitations to current research approaches are identified. The review concludes with a discussion of future directions for research. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: When primed with a Black face, people are more likely to misidentify a non-weapon as a weapon. Weapon misidentification may hinge on the distinction between controlled and automatic processes. Various relationships between controlled and automatic processes are cast in the form of five multinomial process models, which are illustrated and compared. It is shown that variants of the traditional Process Dissociation model and the Stroop model are nested within the Quad-Model. Across four different studies, various complexity corrected model performance measures converged to support the Process Dissociation account. This account suggests that the automatic association between race and weapons is subordinate to controlled processing. More generally, these results suggest that the weapon-bias might be alleviated without interventions that directly target stereotypes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Contrary to widespread rumours during the Cold War era, little, if any, evidence existed in the scientific literature to support the view that the Soviet Union or its Warsaw Pact allies considered the use of psychochemical weapons militarily. The Hungarian State Archives have recently opened up declassified records of Hungary's State Defence Council meetings held between 1962 and 1978. Materials submitted to the Council include reports about the coordinative meetings of the Warsaw Pact military medical services. Research into possible countermeasures against psychotropic drugs is listed as a research priority assigned to Hungary in 1962. Hungary rejected this task in 1963, but joined the ongoing project again in 1965. Methylamphetamine was produced in Budapest for use as an experimental model of such weapons. Within the context of contemporary western research, this drug was considered to be an effective interrogation tool. Similarly to the CIA, Hungary also failed to develop an antidote against it and the project was terminated, fruitlessly, in 1972. These documents serve as evidence that a Warsaw Pact forum had, in fact, been considering a psychochemical weapon as a “warfare agent.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The various ways of interpreting the meaning of battle-axes and swords as grave goods are discussed. Two Finnish Crusade Period (1050-1200AD) inhumation cemeteries (Kirkkomäki in Turku and Rikalanmäki in Halikko) are presented as a case study. Both swords and battle-axes in these cemeteries had several meanings: they were effective weapons, but also important symbols of the wealth and status of their owners and community. They also had other symbolic and magical dimensions, which were important in the burial ritual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses symbolic warrior burials found in East Lithuanian barrows dated to the Iron Age. The discussed graves contain mainly weapons, without any human remains. Judging from the grave assemblages and the shapes of the weapons, it is supposed that higher-status individuals used to be buried symbolically more frequently. Stressing the male gender and the warrior status was the primary task when performing a symbolic burial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The battle-knife is quite a familiar weapon in Lithuanian archaeological material. The functional characteristics are more important than the length of knife for making decisions about the battle-knife. By appreciating the archaeological material from Marvele cemetery (central Lithuania), we can observe the process of change in the form of the battle-knife during the Late Roman Period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article concerns the fork-like artefact found in grave 22 at Gurjevsk (formerly Trausitten). Based on Herbert Jankuhn's files, it had seemed to be a part of a Roman helmet, but after finding it in the Prussia Collection (nowadays in Berlin) it seems to be of quite modern origin (a musket rest?). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors recall their reconstruction of the Wielbark Culture cemetery at Krosno grave 27 furnishing. One of the most interesting elements in the grave is a boat-shaped fitting, probably the pommel of a sword typical of Scandinavia. The chronology of the grave corresponds to the dating of such boat-shaped pommels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author shows traces of the influence on the Baltic shafted weapon from the territory of Poland (Bogaczewo Culture, Sudovian Culture). These cultures present completely different views of the shafted weapon. In the former, the "Przeworsk" cultural impact prevailed, in the latter the Lithuanian influence is noticeable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A spatial and comparative analysis is made of three male weapon graves from Bohemia, northern Italy and southern England.?Consideration is given to the grave goods, their function and symbolic significance, commencing with a discussion of male and warrior identity from 2800 to 2300 BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examining the role of maltreatment in weapon carrying among 12-year-old youth (N = 797) interviewed as part of the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN), an ongoing study of the antecedents and consequences of child maltreatment. Participants reported their physical and sexual abuse history and provided responses to items assessing perceived need for a weapon and weapon carrying. There were no gender difference in rates of self-reported physical or sexual abuse. Males were more likely than females to report weapon carrying and perceived need for a weapon. A mediation analysis was conducted to examine the mediating effect of perceived need for a weapon on the association between abuse and weapon carrying. Results indicated that perceived need for a weapon fully mediated the effect of physical abase and partially, mediated the effect of sexual abase. Results are discussed in the context of self-protection theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]