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Boosted by superior firearms and competent riverine transportation, Cossack explorers of the Muscovite empire encountered little resistance in their eastward expansion across Siberia until they reached the Amur frontiers. The Cossacks arrived in 1643 and gained notoriety as Buddhist demons (luocha ...) for plundering the Mongol-Tungusic tribes of the region during the latter half of the seventeenth century. There ensued an effective military counterthrust by continental East Asians, including the Manchus, a new rising power in North China; Amurian natives such as the Daurs, Juchers, and Nanais; and Korean musketeers hailing from the Chosŏn dynasty. During the battles of 1654 and 1658, disciplined Korean musketeers known as Big Heads (taeduin ...) ontgunned the Russians and helped repulse their incursions into the inner reaches of the Amur region. These marksmen were products of the Korean Musketry Revolution during the seventeenth century, which revamped the Chosŏn army around en masse infantry tactics and firearms units. These tactical changes sparked broader institutional changes within and beyond the Korean military apparatus, triggering a drastic growth in army size and challenging existing practices of commerce, conscription, census taking, and taxation. These reforms, though decelerated around the mid-eighteenth century, attest to the capabilities of seventeenth-century Chosŏn to successfully adapt to the challenges of early modem warfare, which increasingly harnessed the power of firearms and disciplined soldiers. This narrative of the Big Heads and Buddhist Demons explores new ground in understanding transcultural trends of musket-based warfare and joins Korea to the burgeoning field of global military history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes maneuvering capabilities of fighter aircraft in order to determine proper maneuvers with regard to full utilization of their tactical and technical capabilities during air target interception. Initial presumptions for mathematical model build-up are mentioned, as well as development diagram and results with graphical outputs, which show the possibilities of a successful engagement under given conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of pitch (vertical yaw) angle on the penetration reduction of rod projectiles into oblique targets has been investigated for tungsten sinter alloy rods with a blunt nose and LID = 20. Semi-infinite RHA targets with an obliquity of 30 deg, 45 deg, and 60 deg were impacted at 1650 mis. The pitch angles were varied between ±90 deg. The strong asymmetric behavior of the target crater is dependent on whether the pitch is positive or negative relative to the obliquity of the target. The experiments provide a good overview of the penetration characteristics of long rods for the whole pitch angle range. The penetration data are described by empirical relations that show good agreement with the experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impulsive blast sound from activity at DoD facilities, generated by artillery firing or ordnance, or demolition explosions, can cause structural blast damage or adverse community impact. This paper provides a detailed model, not widely available, for the probability of such damage starting with models for blast pressure loading and blast duration as a function of distance and TNTequivalent weight of the blast charge. This is followed by summaries of statistical models for blast propagation and diffraction and reflection effects on blast loading on buildings. Then, analytical models for the velocity response of building structures to the blast loads and key evaluation of the stress response to this structural velocity are provided. All of this is supported by data on critical configuration and physical parameters of the various types of responding structure to the blast loads and a summary of the failure data for these structures to the blast loads. Emphasis is placed on blast damage to windows. The paper ends with a useful and extensive development of the Probability of Damage (POD) for structure to blast loading. A comparison is also made between predicted and actual window damage observed from an accidental explosion near an apartment complex. Two Appendices are provided for: (A), the TNT-equivalent weight for a wide range of explosives and ordnance and (B), a definition of the Step-by-Step procedures used to carry out computation of the POD from blast from military training operations for a wide range of structures but mostly windows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contamination at shooting range is increasingly of concern due to the accumulation of lead from bullet fragments in soil. This study investigates the degree of contamination in and around the Ibadan military shooting range, Nigeria. A total of 220 soil samples were collected in and around the range. At the core-range area, average Pb (5680 ± 2700 mg kg−1) level in topsoil at the berm was significantly higher than other locations representing 280 times the background. Lead levels at the surrounding vicinity were similar to the control sites. Parametric t-test (95% confidence limit) showed no significant difference in Pb levels between the topsoil and subsoil. Concentrations of Cu and Cd were similarly higher at the berm. Inter-element correlation coefficient was generally high (0.70–0.93) except for Ni and Cr. This indicates that Ni and Cr were not influenced by shooting activities. Principal component analysis showed that metal levels at the berm, target basement, 100 m and 200 m firing lines accounted for 74.7% of the overall metal load of the soil. Correspondent analysis gave the degree of contamination in the order of Pb > Cd > Cu > Ni > Cr. There was evidence of contamination around the berm. Mitigation measures are required to minimize the current level of contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Bioavailability and bioaccessibility determine the level of metal toxicity in the soils. Inorganic soil amendments may decrease metal bioavailability and enhance soil quality. This study used mussel shell, cow bone, and biochar to reduce lead (Pb) toxicity in the highly contaminated military shooting range soil in Korea. Water-soluble and 1-M ammonium nitrate extractions, and a modified physiologically based extraction test (PBET) were performed to determine Pb bioavailability and bioaccessibility in the soil, respectively. Active C in the soil was also measured to evaluate the effects of the amendments on biological soil quality. The Pb contaminated soil was diluted in serial with uncontaminated soil for the bioassays. Seed germination and root elongation tests using lettuce (Lactuca sativa) showed increases in germination percentage and root length in soil treated with the amendments. Biochar was most effective and increased seed germination by 360% and root length by 189% compared to the unamended soil. Up to 20% soil dilution resulted in more than 50% seed germination. Bioavailability and bioaccessibility of Pb in the soils were decreased by 92.5% and 48.5% with mussel shell, by 84.8% and 34.5% with cow bone, and by 75.8% and 12.5% with biochar, respectively, compared to the unamended soil. We found that the Pb availability in the military shooting range soil can be reduced effectively by the tested amendments or soil dilution alternately, thereby decreasing the risk of ecotoxicity. Furthermore, the increasing active C from the amendments revitalized the soil contaminated with Pb. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In 2010 noise limits for military shooting grounds were introduced into Switzerland. In order to service a noise exposure register and to do action planning, a new calculation model for shooting sound, called sonARMS, was developed. The model will not only be used to assess military but also civil shooting ranges. It is therefore designed to reproduce single event sound exposure levels as well as maximum sound pressure levels. In a weapon database, source strength data is provided for all military weapons used in Switzerland as well as a great number of civil weapons. The sound propagation model has been derived from sonRAIL, a recently developed railway sound calculation model. It is organized into four different modules that are operated independently from each other. The first module is mandatory for each calculation as it performs a calculation of direct sound propagation including ground reflections under the assumption of a homogenous atmosphere. In the second module meteorological effects on sound propagation, most importantly the evolution of acoustical shadow zones and changes in shielding effect, are accounted for. This is achieved by applying a ray tracing procedure that can handle arbitrary gradients with height of the effective sound speed. The third and fourth module yield independent contributions, one for reflections at buildings, walls and other rigid surfaces and one for diffuse reflections at forest edges and cliffs. The algorithms in sonARMS have been optimized for minimal calculation times and allow the preparation of noise maps with a reasonable amount of computational time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrokinetic process for remediation of a shooting-range site was evaluated in this study. By field operation for 100 days, the newly designed electrokinetic system was evaluated for process stability, performance, and efficiency. The field site of this study was an abandoned military shooting range located in the Civilian Control Line of South Korea. The target area, only, was heavily contaminated by Pb and Cu to a depth of 0.5 m. After dry-sieving of the field soil to separate particulate Pb, two cells in a hexagonal (two-dimensional) arrangement, including ten anodes outside the cell and two cathodes in the middle, were prepared. The pH of each electrolyte was adjusted by use of concentrated HNO, resulting in acid-enhanced electrokinetics. The monitoring results indicated that overall removal of heavy metals (Pb, Cu) was achieved, and that both heavy metals were removed from outside the cell. The average final efficiency of removal of Pb and Cu was 39.5 ± 35 and 63.8 ± 12%, respectively. Although the feasibility of this system was confirmed, for commercialization of the process confirmed drawbacks must be improved by further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In military outdoor shooting training, with safety measures enforced, the risk of a permanent, noise-induced hearing loss is very small. But urban warfare training performed indoors, with reflections from walls, might increase the risk. A question is whether antioxidants can reduce the negative effects of noise on human hearing as it does on research animals. Hearing tests were performed on a control group of 23 military officers before and after a shooting session in a bunker-like room. The experiments were repeated on another group of 11 officers with peroral administration of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), directly after the shooting. The measurements performed were tone thresholds; transientevoked otoacoustic emissions, with and without contralateral noise; and psycho acoustical modulation transfer function (PMTF), thresholds for brief tones in modulated noise. Effects from shooting on hearing thresholds were small, but threshold behavior supports use of NAC treatment. On the PMTF, shooting without NAC gave strong effects. Those effects were like those from continuous noise, which means that strict safety measures should be enforced. The most striking finding was that the non-linearity of the cochlea, that was strongly reduced in the group without NAC, as manifested by the PMTF-results, was practically unchanged in the NAC-group throughout the study. NAC treatment directly after shooting in a bunkerlike room seems to give some protection of the cochlea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented on the return process for the communities of Putis in Ayacucho, Peru who left the area after the December 1984 massacre. It discusses the Support Program for Repopulation and Development in Emergency Areas (PAR) and the "Decent Burial for Putis" burial ceremonies by the community members and the state to encourage families or relatives of the victims to return to the area. It provides an overview of the incident in which members of the armed forces killed some 120 people.

This article reports a field study on noise annoyance from military shooting with small, midsize, and heavy weapons that was carried out among 1002 residents living near eight different training grounds of the Swiss army. The goal of the study was to derive the exposure-annoyance relationship for military shooting noise in communities in the vicinity of average military training grounds. Annoyance was determined in a telephone survey by means of the 5-point verbal and 11-point numerical annoyance scale recommended by the International Commission on Biological Effects of Noise. Exposure was calculated using acoustical source models of weapons and numbers of shots fired, as recorded by the army. Annoyance predictor variables investigated were LAE, LCE, LCE-LAE, number of shots above threshold, as well as individual moderators. Exposure-annoyance relationships were modeled by means of linear and logistic regression analyses. The sound exposure level LE of shooting noise better explained variations in annoyance than other operational and/or acoustical predictors. Annoyance on the 5-point scale was more closely related to noise exposure than expressed on the 11-point scale. The inclusion of the C-A frequency weighting difference as a second explaining variable, as suggested earlier, did not substantially enhance the predictability of high annoyance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the difference between active shooting and reactive shooting. It defines the term "Survivability" which comes from the computing industry and has been used by military managers to evaluate a military system, subsystem, equipment, process, or procedure. It offers information on Officer Survival Courses offered by many law enforcement academies and civilian tactical schools. It also elaborates the applications of Survivability Factor (SF) and the Reactivity, Ergonomics, Mobility, Safety (REMS) principle.

The creating of the Romanian military docrine is strictly connected to the General Headquarter. This conception and command military organism decisively marked the Artillery evolution, not only in terms of the training process, but also in terms of the docrine issued in time, according to the national ideals and goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are considerable differences in the shape and composition of military and civilian projectiles. Materials and Methods: Five different projectiles with the same kinetic energy were fired into the heads of freshly sacrificed pigs (n = 30) through the submental region in the occipital direction. Computed tomography (CT) and 3D face scans of the animal skulls were obtained before and after firing. The image data sets were fused and provided the basis for a quantitative analysis of destruction patterns. Results: As a result of the destruction of the parietal bone at the potential exit site, there were significant volume difference between the Action 4 (6.45 ± 3.42 ml) and the Hydra-Shok projectile (12.71 ± 2.86 ml). The partial metal-jacketed projectile showed a minor increase in volume (4.89 ± 1.47 ml) and a partial loss of soft projectile components. Radiology showed differences between the various projectiles in fragmentation and bone and soft-tissue destruction. Conclusions: Although the projectiles had the same kinetic energy, there were considerable differences in injury patterns between full metal-jacketed projectiles, which are the only projectiles permitted for military use under the Geneva Conventions, and the other investigated projectiles. These injuries present a major medical challenge to both first responders and surgeons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active electromagnetic (EM) armor is a new type of active defense system, which can intercept invading objects effectively. When hit by interception projectiles, the invading object will deviate from its trajectory or be destroyed totally. A steerable EM launcher system using two separate pancake coils is introduced in this paper, and its 3-D model is built. With finite element analysis code, acceleration process of the interception projectile is simulated, and laws of acceleration force acting on the projectile, its velocity, and displacement versus time are also investigated. Experimental installation is introduced, and experimental data are well matched with simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with experiments and calculations performed in order to investigate the influence of the electromagnetic hardening of payloads in a railgun. This is a complex task: besides the large amplitudes of the in-bore magnetic fields due to the pulsed current, the exit of the projectile from the muzzle and the consequences of plasma arcs have to be considered. At the muzzle the magnetic induction can drop from several Teslas to zero within some microseconds, leading to very high induced voltages and electric fields in the metallic parts of the projectile. On the other hand, the electric contact established by solid armatures tends to develop into electric arcs at high velocities during the launch. These plasma arcs as well as the closing switch transients of the railgun circuit are a source of electromagnetic radiation in a broad spectral range. Some electronic devices were selected and tested with static setups corresponding to the previous conditions. In a first phase a series of static railgun experiments (no projectile movement) was performed. In a second phase, static experiments simulating the muzzle exit conditions were carried out. Finally, the influence of electromagnetic waves emitted during railgun experiments on electronic devices was investigated, using a static setup with a conventional spark gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Projectiles in coil gun usually make one-way movement and move at a very high speed. The device would be fit for the application of oil pumping unit, as long as the projectiles can make reciprocating movement and move slower by adopting proper control methods. At present, during the production process of petroleum, the efficiency of the system is rather low. Energy dissipation takes a considerable ratio in the total cost of oil production. Moreover, beam pumping-unit system suffers from long driving chain, poor flexibility, a quite huge capacity and weight under long length of stroke, and low efficiency. Aiming at the earlier problems, linear electromagnetic oil pumping unit is presented in this paper, which is essentially a multiphase coil launcher. Analysis is made about the advantages and disadvantages of three~phase and multiphase structures, as well as the practical structure. Simulation studies are made; meanwhile, experimental investigations are carried out on a small-scale-model machine system. Further simulation studies of coil launching system are carried through the mechanical and mathematical models of rod string in a sucker-rod pumping-unit system. Theoretical analysis and experimental results verify the feasibility and the validity of the proposed system. Thus, a new path to solve the problem of high energy dissipation in oil production is explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on the Dress Regulations of the Madras Artillery. According to the article, the Artillery Order authorized C Troop to wear the crowned dragon on the plate of the pouch-belt. The article notes that the Order also introduced a crimson and gold-laced waist-belt as an alternative for wear with the Full Dress or Undress jacket.

The swerve response of fin- and spin-stabilized projectiles to control mechanism inputs is sometimes not intuitive. This paper seeks to explain the basic parameters that govern the swerve of projectiles excited by control inputs. By modeling the overall effect of a generalized control mechanism as a nonrolling reference frame force applied to a point on the projectile, general expressions for swerve are obtained in terms of basic vehicle parameters. These compact expressions are used to show that maximum swerve response for a fin-stabilized projectile is achieved when the force is applied near the nose of the projectile, whereas maximum swerve response for a spin-stabilized projectile is achieved when the force is applied near the base of the projectile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The authors present a case of the death of a 60-year-old man shot using rubber projectiles that were fired by a police officer from a Mossberg smooth-bore shotgun in an enclosed space from a distance of a few metres. The post-mortem examination revealed that death had been due to gunshot wounds in the chest which had caused heart and lung damage with subsequent massive internal haemorrhaging. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Over 400tons of Pb enters Swiss soils annually at some 2000 military shooting ranges (MSRs). We measured elements in the leaves of 10 plant species and associated rhizospheric soil on the stop butt of a disused MSR. The geometric mean concentrations of Pb, Sb, Cu, Ni in rhizospheric soils were 10,171mg/kg, 5067mg/kg, 4125mg/kg and 917mg/kg. Some species contained Pb, Cu and Ni, above concentrations (30mg/kg, 25mg/kg and 50mg/kg) shown to be toxic to livestock. Most contaminants in leaves resulted from surface deposition. However, at soil Pb concentrations >60,000mg/kg, Equisetum arvense and Tussilago farfara took up >1000mg/kg Pb into the leaves. These plants are not hyperaccumulators, having <100mg/kg Pb in leaves at lower soil concentrations. Removal of soil with more than 30,000 Pb, from which one could smelt this metal to offset remediation costs, followed by revegetation, would minimise dust and hence leaf-borne contaminants. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

During the mid 18th century, the standard British Army issue weapon was the Brown Bess Musket. There are various accounts of the performance of this early form of firearm and its tactical deployment (e.g. Hanger 1816). Using a technical replica of the Brown Bess, range trials and computer modelling have been used to asses the weapon's capabilities and likely performance. The research found the Brown Bess musket to be a lethal weapon at the ranges at which enemy was commonly engaged, so long as it was accurate enough to hit the target. A single shot fired at 150 yards could penetrate at least two soldiers, even if bone were hit. The armour of the day (shields of wood, leather and sometimes steel, and the layers of woollen clothing) was easily pierced by the shot. The shot was found to readily deform on impact with metal targets. The maximum range could extend to around 1200m, with 202m reached when fired horizontally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noise level near military firing ranges must be carefully controlled. To achieve this, one often employs a linear noise propagation model to calculate the noise exposure in the adjacent area. Input for such propagation models are noise levels near the source, usually measured with a microphone. However, it is very expensive to perform measurements for every new weapon under all types of use. This has motivated us to numerically predict the noise levels that serve as input for linear noise propagation models. In this paper, we use numerical simulations to calculate the propagation of the pressure wave close to the muzzle of a weapon. The acceleration of the projectile and the distribution of pressure inside the barrel are calculated using the code IBHVG2 (Interior Ballistic of High Velocity Guns). The end state, calculated by IBHVG2 as the projectile leaves the muzzle, is then used as the initial state for the hydrocode AUTODYN to determine the propagation of the shock wave. The calculated pressure is compared with experimental measurements for an AG3 rifle at a distance of 80 cm from the barrel, and the results correspond well. The method described here applies to weapons of all sizes, from hand guns to artillery guns. The end state of the combined IBHVG2/AUTODYN simulation can be used as input for another code to calculate propagation over a larger distance. The method can also be applied to situations where the blast wave close to a weapon is of interest, e.g. to calculate strain on personnel firing a cannon or effects of firing weapons in confined spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on the first stage of a programme of ongoing experimental research to reproduce the firing of artillery case shot of the 17th century, to recover the distribution of the bullets fired, and to analyse their character, to assist in interpretation of case shot distributions from surveys of 17th century battlefields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An elusive goal of the hypervelocity impact community has been the evaluation of the ballistic response of space hardware to impact velocities ranging from 8 to 11km/s using projectiles with known properties. The design, development, and use, during the 1960s, of a three-stage, light-gas gun at McGill University is reviewed. The developers of this gun claim that they were able to launch cylindrical, 12.7-mm-diameter Lexan disks with masses of 1.5 and 1.1g to velocities of 9.6 and 10.5km/s, respectively. This paper presents the results of an internally funded program at the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) to duplicate the published performance of the McGill University launcher. A support structure and various components of a third stage which used an 8.1-mm-diameter launch tube were added to the UDRI 75/30-mm, two-stage, light-gas gun, making the arrangement of the components similar to the one used by McGill University. Work on the development of the UDRI three-stage, light-gas gun is a continuing effort, with the goal of successfully launching small diameter (∼3mm or less) aluminum spheres to velocities in excess of 9km/s. To date, the highest projectile velocity achieved with the UDRI three-stage, light-gas gun has been 8.65km/s. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article discusses the history of the development of the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC). The first design of ENIAC was accomplished by scientists J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly in 1944 which was done at the University of Pennsylvania for the U.S. Army during World War II where it was used as calculator of ballistic trajectory table. It was only made known to the public in 1946. It comprised of two accumulators including the power supply and the signal generator that performed basic calculations. On June 21, 1948, ENIAC was fully revised as one of the first computers in the U.S. designed as a stored program. Manchester Machine was the first product of the revised ENIAC at the University of Manchester in England.

Medieval siege artillery has been a subject of fascination since the antiquarians of the 19th century re-discovered the Middle Ages and then re-created it as an image of their own imagination, in the process generating many false ideas. Most of these myths have been corrected. But one that remains to this day is that the torsion-powered late Roman onager lived on for another millennium in the form of the mangonel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents an archeological study of Seven Years' War musket balls excavated from numerous sites in New York. Background on the multiethnic character of British military communities which shaped the imperial designs of competing European powers in North America; Details of the dichotomous social model for Anglo-American military communities in service during the war; Archeological hypothesis derived from the model.

Focuses on combat employment of missile troops and artillery in internal armed conflicts. Actual preparations of Missile Forces and Artillery formations for combat action; Combat task to MFA formations; Conditions in artillery formations; Organization of an effective engagement of enemy forces in the course of an internal armed conflict.

A combined experimental, analytical, and computational research and development program investigates the penetration of steel projectiles into low-strength concrete. Laboratory-scale material property tests conducted at the US Army Waterways Experiment Station on the concrete provide the data used in parameter estimation for a geomaterial constitutive model. The experiments and the model are described as well as the procedure used to fit the material model to the experimental data. The model accurately reproduces the data and predicts experimental results not used in the evaluation of model constants. The model, used in conjunction with an explicit transient dynamic finite element code, accurately predicts deceleration and depth of penetration of 3 CRH ogive-nosed 4340 steel penetrators. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the longbow was rendered redundant as a weapon of war by technological developments such as the musket. Yet at the end of the eighteenth century, archery was revived as a fashionable pastime amongst the English aristocracy thanks to a nostalgic taste for the gothic and medieval. Archery societies were set up across the country, each with its own strict entry criteria, outlandish costumes and extravagant dinners. In a period that saw the making of the modern British upper class, as landowners became more powerful, more unified and more status-conscious, archery societies were havens of exclusivity and a way of reinforcing and reassuring one's own position in society. Furthermore, women could not only compete in the contests but retain and display their ‘feminine forms’ whilst doing so, and thus the clubs also acted as a forum for introductions, flirtation and romance. This article explores the meaning of archery for upper-class men and women and demonstrates how wider social needs and interests shaped play, recreation and fashion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the development of methods of estimating the effectiveness of fire on multiple area targets as one of the important tasks of military science. Basis for the existing analytical methods of the activity; Reason for the validity of the assumption developed in the first part of the 20th century; Benefits of the development of long-range and armored weapons located in a variety of ways for military personnel.

Discusses the need for planning the simultaneous employment of fire and electronic-warfare equipment in an operation or combat. Role of estimation of the effectiveness of of combined engagement of enemy targets; Implications of the existing methods of such estimate on the combat capability of targets; Advantage of the existing methods of estimating effectiveness of damage to the adversary.

A study focusing on the ability to utilize isotopic analysis of Pb used in small arms projectiles from varying geographic origin was undertaken using the GV Instruments Isoprobe multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. With the exception of two classes of ammunition, these samples were able to be distinguished from one another. Also, following rigorous normalization and mass bias correction, these data were compared to data collected by geochemists in localities corresponding to projectile manufacture. This comparison was successful when projectiles in certain economically isolated countries were analyzed. Pb isotopic analysis with MC-ICPMS is shown to be useful as a tool for distinguishing between ammunition of various manufacturing origins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bioavailability of metals at eight military shooting ranges in the Kyungkido and Kangwondo districts in Korea was examined through measurements of the metal content of the tissues of plants growing at the sites. Analysis of the metals in soil samples showed that only a small fraction of the total metal in the soil was soluble (soluble Cd, 0.01-0.43 mg/kg; soluble Cu, 1.63-10.05 mg/kg; soluble Pb, 0.01-414.46 mg/kg; and soluble Zn, 0.01-0.32 mg/kg). Correlation analyses of the levels of Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn in soil samples and in 14 plant species collected near the sites showed that plant concentrations of Cd and Pb (shoot and root) were significantly correlated to the levels of Cd and Pb in the soil, whereas the concentrations of Cu and Zn in shoot and root tissue showed no correlation with the concentrations of metal in soil. Moreover, no direct relationship was found between the soil microbial respiration activity and soil metal concentration. These results indicate that there are only small amounts of bioavailable metal in the soil at the military shooting ranges studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple errors can occur in a use-of-force scenario, although some critical errors involve unintended casualties where the target should never have been fired upon. Training instructors utilize a variety of methods to ensure military and law enforcement personnel do not inflict unintended casualties. However, there is little empirical evidence about the best methods to design a shooting simulation that might evoke these errors, which is critical to ensure the validity of any assessment or training exercise. The current study analyzed performance across a variety of simulated shooting scenarios developed and applied for military training purposes. Several factors were assessed based upon either the scenario or human performance. Scenario type, number of shots fired, and the ratio of hostiles-to-non-hostiles were significant predictors for the likelihood of inflicting an unintended casualty. This collected evidence should help improve scenario design for future training simulations that will help avoid these critical shooting errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]