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It is well established that alcohol use is associated with homicide (e.g. Kuhns et al. 2014; Parker et al. 2011). However, much of our knowledge of alcohol-involved homicide is based on official data. Self-report data obtained directly from offenders about their consumption of alcohol immediately prior to committing homicide provide valuable information that complements data from official sources such as details emerging from police investigations and court proceedings. However, such data are rare. This study analyzes self-report data collected through face-to-face interviews with 205 men and women convicted of murder or manslaughter in Australia, of whom almost half (43.4%) reported use of alcohol prior to the homicide. The strongest predictor of alcohol-involved homicide was ongoing alcohol problems, speaking to the importance of prevention strategies targeting the entrenched nature of substance misuse. Furthermore, alcohol-involved homicides were nighttime events, committed in public places by older offenders using knives. Though such variables appear indicative of impulsiveness, a measure of self-control did not distinguish between alcohol-involved and not alcohol-involved homicide. Further investigations into the role of self-control on alcohol and violence are necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weapon target assignment is a critical challenge in military contexts. Traditionally, commanding officers manually decide weapon assignments, but the problem's complexity has grown over time. To address this, automated systems have been introduced. These systems fall into two categories, which are static (time-independent) and dynamic (considering changes over time). Static systems solve the problem for a single time step without considering temporal changes. Dynamic systems incorporate time as a variable, adapting to evolving scenarios. Two main approaches exist, which are asset-based and target-based. Asset-based approach maximizes the survival probability of assets, which is our focus in this study. We propose a solution using game theory that spans the entire area and all time frames. We employ game theory, treating continuous functions of time as utility functions for vessels. Continuous probability-to-kill values for weapons are defined across the area. Threat trajectories yield continuous kill probabilities for the weapons, translating to vessel utility. To avoid inefficiencies, we align individual vessel utility with global utility. The Nash Equilibrium provides the optimal weapon assignment strategy. Our study uses a naval environment for analysis. In summary, our research leverages game theory to dynamically assign weapons to naval vessels, aiming to maximize asset survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Social vulnerability may play a role in social media-involved crime, but few studies have investigated this issue. We investigated associations between social vulnerability and social media-involved violent crimes. Methods: We analyzed 22,801 violent crimes occurring between 2018 and 2023 in Prince George's County, Maryland. Social media involvement was obtained from crime reports at the Prince George's County Police Department. Social media application types included social networking, advertising/selling, ridesharing, dating, image/video hosting, mobile payment, instant messaging/Voice over Internet Protocol, and other. We used the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Social Vulnerability Index to assess socioeconomic status (SES), household characteristics, racial and ethnic minority status, housing type and transportation, and overall vulnerability. Modified Poisson models estimated adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) among the overall sample and stratified by crime type (assault and homicide, robbery, and sexual offense). Covariates included year and crime type. Results: Relative to high tertile areas, we observed a higher prevalence of social media-involved violent crimes in areas with low SES vulnerability (aPR: 1.82, 95% CI: 1.37-2.43), low housing type and transportation vulnerability (aPR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.17-2.02), and low overall vulnerability (aPR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.23-2.17). Low SES vulnerability areas were significantly associated with higher prevalences of social media-involved assaults and homicides (aPR: 1.64, 95% CI: 1.02-2.62), robberies (aPR: 2.00, 95% CI: 1.28-3.12), and sexual offenses (aPR: 2.07, 95% CI: 1.02-4.19) compared to high SES vulnerability areas. Low housing type and transportation vulnerability (vs. high) was significantly associated with a higher prevalence of social media-involved robberies (aPR: 1.54, 95% CI:1.01-2.37). Modified Poisson models also indicated that low overall vulnerability areas had higher prevalences of social media-involved robberies (aPR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.10-2.67) and sexual offenses (aPR: 2.14, 95% CI: 1.05-4.39) than high overall vulnerability areas. Conclusions: We quantified the prevalence of social media-involved violent crimes across social vulnerability levels. These insights underscore the need for collecting incident-based social media involvement in crime reports among law enforcement agencies across the United States and internationally. Comprehensive data collection at the national and international levels provides the capacity to elucidate the relationships between neighborhoods, social media, and population health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual dimorphism and male combat are observed in many species. Often, the outcome of male combat affects the outcome of subsequent combats, mating success, number of sperm, and fitness of the male's offspring. Also, the quantity and quality of sperm may be regulated by winning or losing, depending on species ecology and mating system. However, very few studies have experimentally examined the influence of fight outcomes on male offspring fitness. We studied male combat in the giant mealworm (Zophobas atratus) in which males bite each other's hind legs. We hypothesized that subsequent fitness could differ between winners and losers in the escalated male combat of this species. We measured several fitness traits including the number of eggs laid by mated females, and the number of hatches sired by uncontested males, winners, and losers in escalated and non-escalated combat, and compared the fitness of each winner and loser to that of an uncontested male. We also measured mating duration. The numbers of eggs and the percentages of hatched eggs of losers in the escalated combat were significantly reduced compared to that of the uncontested males. This reduction may be due to injuries from escalated leg- biting fights and a result of the sperm amount of the uncontested males being greater than that of the loser males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dark Web is a subset of the Deep Web, requiring special browsers, the Dark Net refers to encrypted networks, the Deep Web encompasses non-indexed online content, and darknet includes unused IP address networks. The Dark Net has become a hotbed of cybercrime, with individuals and groups using the anonymity and encryption provided by the network to carry out a range of criminal activities. One of the most concerning trends in recent years has been the weaponization of cybercrimes, as criminals use their technical skills to create tools and techniques that can be used to launch attacks against individuals, businesses, and governments. This paper examines the weaponization of cybercrimes on the Dark Net, focusing on the question of detection and application. This paper uses a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method to appraise the Dark Web, examine the crimes and their consequences and identify future measures to reduce crime threats. Data from 88 relevant articles from 2011 to 2023 were extracted and synthesized, along with the latest data from 2024 to answer research questions, providing comprehensive knowledge on growing crimes; assessing social, economic, and ethical impacts; and analyzing established techniques and methods to locate and apprehend criminals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Abstract Background Individual and social characteristics are attributed to violent behavior in schools, yet environmental hazards may play an understudied role. Ambient air pollution has been linked to neurological dysfunction that inhibits decision-making and may result in violent behavior in adult populations. However, little is known on how air pollution may be associated with violent behaviors in children. Methods A cross-sectional ecologic study was designed to estimate the associations between air pollution (fine particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen dioxide) with the occurrence of violent incidents and incidents involving a weapon among a cohort of children in Minnesota schools (2008–2012). Differences by urban and rural status of schools were also explored. Negative binomial regression models were developed to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRR) and incidence rate differences (IRD) to describe associations between air pollution and violent incidents in school settings. Results Our results indicate that the highest levels of carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter concentrations were associated with increased violent disciplinary incidents. Among the total student population, the 4th quartile of carbon monoxide exposure was associated with an IRD of 775.62 (95% CI 543.2, 1008.05) violent incidents per 100,000 students per school year compared to schools in the lowest quartile of exposure. Comparing the 4th to the 1st quartiles of exposure, nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter had an IRD of 629.16 (95% CI 384.87, 873.46), and 510.49 (95% CI 274.92, 746.05) violent incidents per 100,000 students per school year respectively. Schools in urban settings shared a larger burden of violent incidents associated with air pollution compared to rural schools. Conclusions Modifying environmental pollutants surrounding school environments, particularly for high exposure communities, may be a novel tool for reducing violence and subsequent injuries in schools.

Background: Individual and social characteristics are attributed to violent behavior in schools, yet environmental hazards may play an understudied role. Ambient air pollution has been linked to neurological dysfunction that inhibits decision-making and may result in violent behavior in adult populations. However, little is known on how air pollution may be associated with violent behaviors in children. Methods: A cross-sectional ecologic study was designed to estimate the associations between air pollution (fine particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen dioxide) with the occurrence of violent incidents and incidents involving a weapon among a cohort of children in Minnesota schools (2008–2012). Differences by urban and rural status of schools were also explored. Negative binomial regression models were developed to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRR) and incidence rate differences (IRD) to describe associations between air pollution and violent incidents in school settings. Results: Our results indicate that the highest levels of carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter concentrations were associated with increased violent disciplinary incidents. Among the total student population, the 4th quartile of carbon monoxide exposure was associated with an IRD of 775.62 (95% CI 543.2, 1008.05) violent incidents per 100,000 students per school year compared to schools in the lowest quartile of exposure. Comparing the 4th to the 1st quartiles of exposure, nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter had an IRD of 629.16 (95% CI 384.87, 873.46), and 510.49 (95% CI 274.92, 746.05) violent incidents per 100,000 students per school year respectively. Schools in urban settings shared a larger burden of violent incidents associated with air pollution compared to rural schools. Conclusions: Modifying environmental pollutants surrounding school environments, particularly for high exposure communities, may be a novel tool for reducing violence and subsequent injuries in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A two‐wheeled robot has high maneuverability and can spin around with a high velocity but is prone to roll over under a recoil force. Because the wheels are only used to control the maneuver speed of the robot. However, a two‐wheeled robot using a gyroscope does not need the control of the wheels and can maintain the stability of the robot under a recoil force during maneuvers even if the gimbal of the gyroscope is not controlled by a torque. In this study, the equations of motion of the gyroscopic robot are derived via Lagrangian equations, and the balancing performance of the uncontrolled gyroscope is simulated via Matlab to determine a desired configuration for mechatronics system design. Then, a linear‐quadratic regulator (LQR) is implemented to the chosen control moment gyroscope (CMG) configuration and compared in simulations of RecurDyn. LQR controller was used to prevent oscillating motions of double CMGs under the recoil force of a weapon. The simulation results showed that the gyroscopic two‐wheeled robot is improved using an LQR controller and powerfully balanced in static with excellent performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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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]

Homicide means the killing of one human being as a result of conduct of another. Homicidal deaths are seen in every part of the world but the toll varies from place to place. As per National Crime Records Bureau and Statistics, in 1953 the number of homicidal deaths were 9082 which has exponentially increased to the extent of 29,272 in 2021.Such being the disturbing data and Belagavi being the biggest district of Karnataka state, a detailed study was undertaken on the pattern of injuries in homicidal deaths. Materials and Methods: A Prospective study was conducted on all cases of homicidal deaths registered under Sec 302 IPC autopsied at Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences from January 1st 2016 to June 30th 2017 formed the study material. Information on various factors such as age, sex, weapon used, injury pattern were noted for each case in a separate proforma. Results: Among 1265 cases autopsied during the study period, 54 cases were homicidal deaths. Among 54 cases, head injuries were present in 15 cases (27.78%), stab injury involving neck, thorax and abdomen were present in 14 cases (25.93%), injuries caused by asphyxia were seen in 14 cases (25.93%), majority of the victims were males (64.81%) and the predominant age group was 20 to 39 years (48.15%). Conclusion: The homicide being the preventable cause of death, its incidence and prevalence can be reduced by strict implementation of law. The long term, wide-ranging policies are required to eradicate this heinous crime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve complex forensic cases, medico-legal issues such as cause of death, manner of death, weapon used, postmortem interval, and volitional activity must be resolved. An otherwise healthy 43-year-old male was found dead in a pool of blood 500 m from his home. On inspection, six penetrating lacerations were found on the left side of the chest. Police began an inquiry because they suspected firearm injuries. A dual-pointed weapon inflicted these paired penetrating injuries. The same weapon stabbed the victim three times. The injuries resembled rifle entry wounds, yet there were no exit wounds or bullets inside the corpse. In the field of forensic pathology, there exist numerous cases when antemortem penetrating wounds and post-mortem defects exhibit similarities to firearm injuries, leading to potential confusion among the parties involved in the investigation. In order to effectively manage complex cases, a thorough comprehension of various injury types and the weapons responsible for causing them is essential. Therefore, appropriate training and close supervision are required to enhance the quality and credibility of these investigations as a whole.

Weapon target assignment is a critical challenge in military contexts. Traditionally, commanding officers manually decide weapon assignments, but the problem’s complexity has grown over time. To address this, automated systems have been introduced. These systems fall into two categories, which are static (time-independent) and dynamic (considering changes over time). Static systems solve the problem for a single time step without considering temporal changes. Dynamic systems incorporate time as a variable, adapting to evolving scenarios. Two main approaches exist, which are asset-based and target-based. Asset-based approach maximizes the survival probability of assets, which is our focus in this study. We propose a solution using game theory that spans the entire area and all time frames. We employ game theory, treating continuous functions of time as utility functions for vessels. Continuous probability-to-kill values for weapons are defined across the area. Threat trajectories yield continuous kill probabilities for the weapons, translating to vessel utility. To avoid inefficiencies, we align individual vessel utility with global utility. The Nash Equilibrium provides the optimal weapon assignment strategy. Our study uses a naval environment for analysis. In summary, our research leverages game theory to dynamically assign weapons to naval vessels, aiming to maximize asset survival.

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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.

The subject matter of this work is the metal military equipment that was found in the military settlement of Tepecik, situated on a natural rock north of the Patara city center and east of the inner harbor. Construction activities for defense purposes can be traced back to the 6th century B.C. in the settlement. During the excavations conducted in recent years, a garrison was unearthed, that had been built in the middle of the 4th century B.C. and remained in use until the end of the 3rd century B.C. with some architectural transformation. The metal military equipment comprises a pilum, arrowheads, bolt-heads / spear butts, javelin heads, a catapult trigger mechanism part, sling bullets and a dagger. A limited number of metal military tools are dated to the 6th/5th century B.C. Apart from these, the great majority of the weapons pertain to the period to the middle of the 4th century B.C. and the 3rd century B.C. with a few other examples dating to the 2nd century B.C. All the metal equipment accords well with the history of Patara and strengthens the data on various architectural phases detected in the Tepecik settlement. Furthermore, we can say that certain weapons found among the military equipment stand out as rarely seen specimens: A pilum and a curved dagger which are known to have very few examples in Anatolia. A lead sling bullet inscribed with the names of Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great is the one and only example of this specimen in Anatolia. The trigger claw of a catapult is also of capital importance since it provides evidence for a much-debated mechanism.

The present study is a descriptive, exploratory approach, which aims to carry out a short conceptual analysis for the main predictors that describe the criminal behavior of the sociopathic type. Among them, in addition to the favorable environment, the authors describe the presence of the weapon in the criminal's social environment, considered one of the most important predictors of the development of sociopathic behavior. Added to this is the existence of defense mechanisms specific to the sociopathic personality.

The Museum of History and Local Lore (Altai State Pedagogical University) contains a vast collection of weapon items from the Early Iron Age. Most of the artifacts were obtained by the famous Siberian archeologist Alexei P. Umansky. This article introduces the burial semantics of two iron spearheads from archeological sites Novotroitskoye 2 and Maslyakha 1. These artifacts have already been described in several theses on the ancient military art of the Upper Ob Valley. However, they remain understudied in terms of local funeral rituals in the second half of the 1st millennium BC. The author used some rare archival materials from the museum of the Altai State Pedagogical University to give a new perspective to the spearheads from the Upper Ob. The contextual analysis involved related finds from the burial sites of Bystrovka 1, Bystrovka 2, and Kamenny Mys. It made it possible to interpret the role of weapon in the rite of passage. Unusual and symbolically broken items could represent event sacralization, which was a widespread adaptation strategy for integrating objects and ideas into the funeral practice of a multicultural community.

Kurul Fortress in Ordu is one of the many fortresses constructed during the reign of Mithradates VI Eupator Dionysus (120-63 BC), a significant figure in the Hellenistic Pontic Kingdom in the Middle and Eastern Black Sea regions. The large number of these fortresses is due to the king’s struggle with the Roman Republic. Three major wars occured between Mithradates VI and Rome. The last of these wars (74-63 BC), known as the Mithradatic Wars, mostly consisted of the battles that took place in the Black Sea region. During this last war, Pontos was exposed to two major Roman invasions, first under the command of Lucullus and then under the command of Pompeius. While the initial damage to Mithradates’ fortresses occurred during Lucullus’ campaign, the real destruction occurred as a result of Pompey’s campaign. The Roman army commanded by Pompey destroyed all the fortresses of Mithradates VI and made them unusable. Kurul Fortress is one of the most important settlements that contains traces of this destruction. The large number of weapons and missiles found in the Kurul Fortress, which was never inhabited again after the Roman invasion, is evidence of what happened at that time. Most of the weapons and missiles associated with the last building phase, which coincided with the invasion of Pompey. The presence of traditional Roman weapons such as pila, javelin and spear-sickle (Falx muralis) among these weapons are the most important military technologies that point to the perpetrators of the destruction in the Kurul Fortress.

The Dark Web is a subset of the Deep Web, requiring special browsers, the Dark Net refers to encrypted networks, the Deep Web encompasses non-indexed online content, and darknet includes unused IP address networks. The Dark Net has become a hotbed of cybercrime, with individuals and groups using the anonymity and encryption provided by the network to carry out a range of criminal activities. One of the most concerning trends in recent years has been the weaponization of cybercrimes, as criminals use their technical skills to create tools and techniques that can be used to launch attacks against individuals, businesses, and governments. This paper examines the weaponization of cybercrimes on the Dark Net, focusing on the question of detection and application. This paper uses a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method to appraise the Dark Web, examine the crimes and their consequences and identify future measures to reduce crime threats. Data from 88 relevant articles from 2011 to 2023 were extracted and synthesized, along with the latest data from 2024 to answer research questions, providing comprehensive knowledge on growing crimes; assessing social, economic, and ethical impacts; and analyzing established techniques and methods to locate and apprehend criminals.

Laser weapons have long been the subject of debate. The article discusses the potential adoption of laser weapons by infantry units and the future of small firearms. The text analyses these weapons in selected categories that subsequently support the evaluations and the conclusion. If miniaturisation is successfully managed, the comparison reveals an interesting paradox. While laser weapons and firearms do not rival each other as distinct functionalities, given the right conditions, they can actually complement each other and compensate for any disadvantages within their respective categories. Today's complex battlefield is placing ever greater demands on small arms, pushing conventional weapon mechanisms – combined with ammunition that guarantees accuracy and lower recoil, albeit at the expense of penetration – towards the limits of further possible advancement in technology. Improved passive individual protection restricts the wounding potential of pistol ammunition, reducing it to below 150 m for rifle cartridges, while guided ammunition tends to be prohibitively expensive. Under the right conditions, laser weapons could compensate for any of these drawbacks.

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Christianity in Africa has changed in several ways since the rise of the independent church movement early in the twentieth century. Among the changes that have taken place is the way in which Christianity is instrumentalised against the forces of evil that impair human efforts at flourishing. In contemporary Pentecostal/charismatic Christianity with its emphasis on prosperity and well-being, imprecatory prayers and curses have become important in dealing with the shortfalls of this gospel of success and upward mobility. The use of curses, although justified by its exponents by appeal to various scriptures, also resonates with African traditional systems of thought in which sources of evil are cursed in libation prayers to remove them as obstacles to human self-actualisation believed to be promised by God. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acquisition evaluations are expensive, have a high time liability, and tend to prioritize engineering requirements over human factors and good experimental design. Shooting serials usually consist of static prone shooting to minimize movement variability, increase reliability of accuracy and timing data or use a single data point to make acquisition decisions. To better understand the number of trials required to achieve representative performance of accuracy and timing, 60 shots from the standing unsupported position while cyclically moving the weapon from the low ready to shoot was utilized. Intra‐class correlations, standard error of measurement, minimal detectable change, and sequential averaging analysis (SAA) were used to evaluate the variables of radial error, shot interval, x‐bias and y‐bias over the 60 shots. The number of trials required to achieve an intraclass correlation of greater than 0.8 ranged from 2 (shot interval) to 58 (y‐bias), whereas SAA varied between 3 (x‐bias) and 43 (shot interval) trials. When averaging 10 shots at a time, the moving intraclass correlation remained above 0.8 for radial error and y‐bias between 7 and 15 shots, shot interval from the second shot, but x‐bias never reached 0.8. The number of trials required to satisfy each reliability method was inconsistent, in line with previous literature. Given the limitations identified in the literature as well as practical considerations such as the preference for prioritizing radial error reasonable performance stability can be achieved after 15 shots, and using the moving intraclass correlation results it is recommended that the first six shots are discarded with the following nine shots used for analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homicide is the ultimate crime and its effects go far beyond the original loss of human life. Homicide also affects the lives of the victim's family, assailant's family and the community as a whole. Hence, they are the "secondary victims". This study was done to know the age distribution, gender distribution, social background, pattern of weapon used for homicidal purpose and the cause of death in homicidal death. This retrospective study was done by analysis of data from inquest reports, dead body challan and autopsy reports at the Department of Forensic Medicine, Silchar Medical College and Hospital, Silchar for a period of one year from 1st January 2022 to 31th December 2022. Data were entered in Microsoft excel sheet and statistical analysis was done using descriptive statistics. In this study majority of homicide victims were in 45-59 year age group. Most victims were male. Homicides are rare crime and hence reflected in our results. Law enforcement forces and every individual should feel responsible and help the state in the deliverance of justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Without a principal law in Ukraine on weapons and munitions for them, certain difficulties arise in law enforcement activities with the qualification of the actions of offenders in the field of illegal circulation of weapons, manufacture of munitions, and the use of explosives. The purpose of this study was to investigate such weapons as ammunition and explosives, which become the subject of offences by criminals in connection with the illegal circulation of weapons, their components, their manufacture, and use. The study employed historical-legal, comparative-legal, systemic-structural, statistical, and sociological methods. Military supplies and explosives were classified to establish a particular object as an object of criminal encroachment; their forensically significant features and properties were determined. The role of ballistics specialists, explosives specialists, and other experts during the inspection of the scene, the investigation of illegal arms trafficking, the manufacture of ammunition and the use of explosives was covered. It was proved that ammunition and explosives have a close relationship with the persona of the criminal, the method of committing the criminal offence, and the trace pattern. The theoretical provisions regarding the properties and signs of ammunition and explosives were improved. Forensic recommendations on the actions of law enforcement officers with ammunition and explosives in criminal proceedings were developed. Recommendations regarding the removal and packaging of munitions and explosives as physical evidence have gained further development. The practical significance lies in clarifying the properties and signs of ammunition and explosives, which allows for the identification of these items at the initial stage of the investigation; correct actions for their detection, fixation, extraction, packaging; appropriate criminal-legal qualification of the offence committed

This contribution focuses on the notion of territory in video games, and on the way in which video games participate in the circulation of representations of territories among cultural industries. To this end, the article proposes an analysis of the notion of “spatial emblem” (Lussault, 2007, p. 173) and endeavors to show its relevance in the communicational and representational dynamics at work in the video game, but also in the way in which these emblems can, in a formal way, arouse a ludic attitude. The article then examines the Japanese sword, the katana, and explores, from the notion of ludic attitude, how this weapon acts both as a spatial emblem and as an element orienting the ludic attitude towards a specific framework of reception and experience. For this purpose, the analysis considers the Monster Hunter’s game license and questions the nature of the weapon within the game.

The interpretation of a legal norm and its correct application to concrete cases depends on its understanding. It is therefore necessary that certain phrases or certain terms benefit from a legal definition. Sometimes, depending on the amendments and additions that are made by the legislator in the content of an incrimination norm, the legal provision that includes the definition of the concept used in that norm is also amended. [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]

In the article, the concept of the latest tool of global digital governance and administration is formed as control from space in the conditions of demilitarization and denuclearization of the aggressor states. The concepts of “demilitarization of the aggressor state” and “denuclearization of the aggressor state” were formed as global processes. A scheme of the process of demilitarization and denuclearization of the aggressor state is proposed. The role of space in the conditions of active activity of the aggressor states is revealed. The unique characteristics of control from space in the conditions of demilitarization and denuclearization of the aggressor states have been formed. A scheme for implementing control from space in the conditions of demilitarization and denuclearization of the aggressor states is proposed. The international mechanism for verifying control from space in the conditions of demilitarization and denuclearization of the aggressor states has been tentatively defined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information technology for detecting armed people is proposed and its software implementation is investigated. The YOLO convolution neural network was used to detect objects in real time. The Python programming language and the PyTorch library were used to develop the neural network. A program designed to detect armed people in a video stream has been created, the functionality of which allows classifying the type of recognized weapon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Höyük is the property of Turkish Historical Society 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 present study is a descriptive, exploratory approach, which aims to carry out a short conceptual analysis for the main predictors that describe the criminal behavior of the sociopathic type. Among them, in addition to the favorable environment, the authors describe the presence of the weapon in the criminal's social environment, considered one of the most important predictors of the development of sociopathic behavior. Added to this is the existence of defense mechanisms specific to the sociopathic personality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper identifies longitudinal predictors of weapon-carrying in a sample of 10–25 year olds in England and Wales. It conceptualises weapon-carrying as anticipation of an adverse event and proposes hypotheses about the origins of weapon-carrying derived from the field of risk analysis. Specifically, it tests if worry about victimisation and experience of violence predict later weapon-carrying and assesses the moderating influence of trust in the police. The results indicate that worry about victimisation does not predict weapon-carrying, but experience of violence does. Distrust of police and peer criminality were also identified as important precursors to weapon-carrying. The study provides further evidence that, at least over longer periods, weapon-carrying is a product of experience of violence and criminogenic factors rather than a response to concern about victimisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The archaeological survey of the Kamon cave revealed several groups of finds, including a hoard of coins and jewelry; a cache comprising a lamp with agate beads inside it; several pottery vessels and an arrowhead found together in a rock crevice; and scattered pottery and metal artifacts. Based on the finds, it was concluded that the major period of human activity in the cave was at the beginning of the Hellenistic period, with meager activity during Iron Age IIA. The cave probably served as a refuge for a group of people during the Wars of the Diadochi. This article discusses the social background of the refugees and the circumstances leading to the deposition of the hoard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the defect that traditional PPC usually leads to control singularity when dealing with the input constrained problem, a new non-fragile prescribed performance control (PPC) methodology is proposed based on neural approximation for waverider vehicle (WV). To deal with the saturation of velocity control input and altitude control input, compensated systems are devised. Furthermore, the states of compensated systems are used to construct adaptive re-adjusting terms that are further applied to improve the constraint envelopes of traditional PPC. Besides, neural networks are introduced to approximate the WV normalized unknown terms, which guarantees the robust performance. The advantage of the proposed method is that it overcomes the fragile defect of traditional PPC, and also reduces the control complexity and online computational load. Finally, the effectiveness and superiority of the exploited method are validated via numerical simulation.

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The objective of this study was to explore police officers' beliefs, meaning whether a "crime priming" is capable of showing automatic prejudice in the identification of weapons and whether a crime reduction priming can mitigate it, seeking to understand which processes can make the expression of racism more evident. With that we conducted two experiments with police officers (N = 80) and university students (N = 77) randomly allocated to an experimental group subjected to crime priming. In the second experiment we submitted the groups to a criminal's rehabilitation priming. In Study 1, crime priming contributed to shorter response times for both guns and tools preceded by a black individual's face. Under rehabilitation priming, participants showed longer response times for both guns and tools, an effect intensified when preceded by a black individual's face. With regard to hits, more hits occurred for guns than for tools, a result unaffected by the experimental manipulation. With regard to hits, more hits occurred for gun than for tool, a result unaffected by the experimental manipulation. In the 500 ms time-limited phase (study 2), there was no effect of the priming types on response times, with only a higher hit rate for black individual's faces. With that, questions about the importance of replicating WIT results in a more mixed sample in which both the control group and the police officers group can be considered as coming from minorities (i.e. blacks and latinx). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farm implements and weapons were both important in the pre-Qin period, and they were closely related in the early stage of development. Farm implements should be one of the sources of weapons. In the age of bronze and iron, there were obvious differences in the choice of raw materials for forging farm implements and weapons. The use of bronze in weapons was far more than that of agricultural implements, and iron farm implements were the main type of iron tools in the Warring States period. The difference in the application of the two new precious metals in agriculture and weapons was caused by both objective factors and political factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is now broadly admitted that female reproductive senescence – a decline in reproductive performance with increasing age – occurs in most species, at least among birds and mammals. Although information is more limited, male reproductive senescence has been regularly inferred from the decline in the size or performance of phenotypic traits that underly male reproductive success, particularly secondary sexual traits. However, the degree to which environmental conditions influence the pattern of senescence in sexual traits remains largely unknown. From the analysis of two long-term studies of populations of European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) subjected to markedly different environmental contexts in the wild, we tested the hypothesis that harsh natal and/or current conditions should lead to earlier and/or stronger rates of senescence in the length of fully-grown antlers than good natal and/or current conditions. We found evidence of similar patterns of antler length senescence in both populations, with an onset of senescence around 7 years of age and a decrease of length by about 1–1.5 cm per additional year of life from 7 years of age onwards. We found that good early-life conditions delay senescence in antler length in roe deer. Our results also revealed that senescent males seem to be unable to allocate substantially to antler growth, confirming that antler size is, therefore, an honest signal of male individual quality. By modulating age-specific allocation to secondary sexual traits, natal and current conditions could influence female mate choice and male–male competition over mates, and as a result age-specific reproductive success, and should be accounted for when studying the dynamics of sexual selection.