Frequency Of Aggression Research Articles

Divergence in bonobo and chimpanzee social life.

New research is shedding light on the nuances and complexity of social relationships in our closest relatives, revealing cooperative intergroup relationships in bonobos, in contrast to lethal intergroup violence in chimpanzees. At the same time, intragroup relationships, at least among males, are characterized by higher frequencies of aggression and lower rates of coalitionary cooperation in bonobos than chimpanzees.

Applying a person-oriented approach to workplace aggression: Implications for employee emotional well-being

Abstract Using a person-oriented approach with a broad sample of 200 employees across several sectors, we identified four victim subgroups sharing similar configurations of frequency and severity of aggression: high–high (high levels of frequency and severity; 15%), moderate–moderate (moderate levels of frequency and severity; 15%), high–low (high frequency but low severity; 26.5%), and low–low (lowest levels of frequency and severity; 43%). Further, we examined the relationship between victim groups, social demographics, and victim disposition. The results showed that women, young, and lower-tenured employees are at risk of belonging to the high–high victim group. In addition, employees with high negative affect and psychopathy traits are at risk of belonging to the high–high victim group. Drawing upon learned helplessness theory, we examined whether victim groups differed concerning internalizing problems. Results suggest that high–high group victims experienced the highest anxiety, loss of confidence, and social dysfunction, whereas low–low group members experienced the lowest levels.

Early Socialization Triggered ROS-Mediated Activation of Canonical NF-κB Pathway Leading to Inflammation of Spleen in Suckling Piglets

Early socialization during lactation is advocated as a feeding strategy to reduce the weaning stress of piglets. However, early socialization has often been accompanied by more frequent aggression between individuals, and its effect on the immune system of piglets has yet to be evaluated. In this study, 89 piglets were raised separately under conventional feeding and early socialization environments. Based on differences in the aggressive behavior of the piglets in different environments during lactation, we further investigated the effects of early socialization on oxidative stress in the spleen of the piglets and the inflammatory responses involved in the canonical nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathway. The results revealed that early socialization led to a higher aggression level between individuals (p < 0.01), increased malondialdehyde (MDA) and H2O2 levels and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) activity, and inhibited glutathione (GSH) levels and the activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) in the piglet spleens (p < 0.05). The mRNA expression levels of the protein kinase A (PKA), inhibitor of kappa B kinase-α (IKK-α), inhibitor of kappa B kinase-β (IKK-β), inhibitor of NF-κB-α (IκB-α), NF-κB(p65), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2), iNOS, and heat shock protein (HSP) genes were significantly up-regulated, as well as the protein levels of P-p65, IKK-β, P-IkB-α, pro-IL-1β, and TNF-α. In summary, early socialization caused oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in the spleen of the piglets by inducing ROS production and the activation of the canonical NF-κB pathway. Our study revealed that early socialization significantly increased the ROS level in the piglet spleens and activated the canonical NF-κB signaling pathway, which induced a high expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and COX2) and HSP genes regulated by NF-κB signaling, leading to oxidative stress and the inflammatory response.

The cycle of violence: effects of violence experience, behavior, and attitudes on adolescents’ peer rejection networks

Previous research on adolescent peer networks has mainly focused on friendship networks and their association with violence, but very limited research is available on peer rejection networks. This lack of knowledge hinders the effectiveness of preventing peer rejection and its negative effects. Based on the theory of the cycle of violence, the present study examines the extent to which parental physical abuse experiences, aggressive behavior toward peers and acceptance of violence are related to peer rejection networks at school. Social network analysis with a stochastic actor-oriented model of longitudinal data collected from high school students (Wave 1, n = 620; Wave 2, n = 590) confirms that adolescents who frequently use aggression toward their peers are more likely to be rejected, especially if those adolescents have experienced abuse. Similarly, peers are more likely to reject adolescents with high levels of accepting violence. The results also show that aggression toward peers generally tends to decrease over time but not for adolescents who reject a larger number of students. For students who reject many peers, aggression frequency increases. From the perspective of resilience theory, peer rejection, when combined with aggression toward peers and acceptance of violence, particularly in female adolescents, creates a significant risk factor for socio-emotional development. Therefore, tackling violence attitudes, experiences and behavior in the school environment and at home is crucial in overcoming the cycle of violence.

Study on Common Mental Disorders (CMD) in medical residents victims of aggressions in the Medical Residency Program in the state of Paraná

Medical residency entails supervised on-the-job training, where the dual role of worker and learner subjects’ residents to constant internal tension, potentially triggering common mental disorders (CMD). This cross-sectional, quantitative study involved 165 medical residents, administering three simultaneous virtual questionnaires on sociodemographic data, aggressions, abuse, mistreatment, and CMD. A significance level of 5% was utilized. Among residents frequently subjected to aggression, abuse, and mistreatment, 89.23% were classified as possible CMD cases (p < 0.001). Preceptors and supervisors were the most reported aggressors (66.15%). "Depreciation or humiliation" (p = 0.018), "assignment of punitive rather than educational tasks" (p = 0.022), and "threat of harm" (p = 0.008) were the most associated frequent aggression modalities with the classification of possible CMD cases. Imbalance among emotional, mental, and social spheres is linked to poor technical performance and inefficiency in patient relations.

The long-term effectiveness of a personality-targeted substance use prevention program on aggression from adolescence to early adulthood.

Addressing aggressive behavior in adolescence is a key step toward preventing violence and associated social and economic costs in adulthood. This study examined the secondary effects of the personality-targeted substance use preventive program Preventure on aggressive behavior from ages 13 to 20. In total, 339 young people from nine independent schools (M age = 13.03 years, s.d. = 0.47, range = 12-15) who rated highly on one of the four personality traits associated with increased substance use and other emotional/behavioral symptoms (i.e. impulsivity, anxiety sensitivity, sensation seeking, and negative thinking) were included in the analyses (n = 145 in Preventure, n = 194 in control). Self-report assessments were administered at baseline and follow-up (6 months, 1, 2, 3, 5.5, and 7 years). Overall aggression and subtypes of aggressive behaviors (proactive, reactive) were examined using multilevel mixed-effects analysis accounting for school-level clustering. Across the 7-year follow-up period, the average yearly reduction in the frequency of aggressive behaviors (b = -0.42; 95% confidence interval [CI] -0.64 to -0.20; p < 0.001), reactive aggression (b = -0.22; 95% CI 0.35 to -0.10; p = 0.001), and proactive aggression (b = -0.14; 95% CI -0.23 to -0.05; p = 0.002) was greater for the Preventure group compared to the control group. The study suggests a brief personality-targeted intervention may have long-term impacts on aggression among young people; however, this interpretation is limited by imbalance of sex ratios between study groups.

Minimally Verbal Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders/Intellectual Disability and Challenging Behaviors: Can Strategic Psychiatric Treatment Help?

(1) Background: Psychiatrists are increasingly required to treat minimally verbal (MV) individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual disability (ID) and behavior problems without much published guidance. (2) Methods: We reviewed 80 charts of MV patients managed strategically for challenging behaviors, following IRB approval. Data extracted included demographics, ASD/ID level, diagnoses, epilepsy and medications. In this descriptive study, we examined the course of assessment and treatment and made recommendations for a strategic, person-centered approach. (3) Results: Of 53 males and 27 females, mean age 34 years (range 7–76), all had ID; 75 had ASD (94%). Diagnoses included seizures in 40/80 (50%), frequent aggression (89%), self-injury (80%), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (64%) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) (34%). The commonest medication classes adjusted were antiseizure medications, antipsychotics, and non-stimulant ADHD medications. (4) Conclusions: Clinical impressions suggested that this strategic psychiatric approach was beneficial, notably a review of antiseizure and all other medications for polypharmacy, behavioral and other side effects, followed by a review of possible childhood/current ADHD and a trial of low-dose non-stimulant ADHD medications if warranted. Low-dose risperidone was often effective and tolerable for irritability and self-injury.

Differences in expression of male aggression between wild bonobos and chimpanzees

Researchers investigating the evolution of human aggression look to our closest living relatives, bonobos (Pan paniscus) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), as valuable sources of comparative data.1,2 Males in the two species exhibit contrasting patterns: male chimpanzees sexually coerce females3,4,5,6,7,8 and sometimes kill conspecifics,9,10,11,12 whereas male bonobos exhibit less sexual coercion13,14 and no reported killing.13 Among the various attempts to explain these species differences, the self-domestication hypothesis proposes negative fitness consequences of male aggression in bonobos.2,15,16 Nonetheless, the extent to which these species differ in overall rates of aggression remains unclear due to insufficiently comparable observation methods.17,18,19,20,21,22,23 We used 14 community-years of focal follow data-the gold standard for observational studies24-to compare rates of male aggression in 3 bonobo communities at the Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve, Democratic Republic of Congo, and 2 chimpanzee communities at Gombe National Park, Tanzania. As expected, given that females commonly outrank males, we found that bonobos exhibited lower rates of male-female aggression and higher rates of female-male aggression than chimpanzees. Surprisingly, we found higher rates of male-male aggression among bonobos than chimpanzees even when limiting analyses to contact aggression. In both species, more aggressive males obtained higher mating success. Although our findings indicate that the frequency of male-male aggression does not parallel species difference in its intensity, they support the view that contrary to male chimpanzees, whose reproductive success depends on strong coalitions, male bonobos have more individualistic reproductive strategies.25.

The role of intent to harm in workplace aggression

AbstractConceptualizations of workplace aggression converge in treating intent to harm others as a necessary feature of aggression. However, inspection of workplace aggression scales suggests that many items do not specify intent to harm. In a series of three studies, we examined the effect of inclusion of intent to harm on workplace aggression's psychometric properties. Study 1 found that existing workplace aggression scales do not consistently specify or imply intent to harm. Study 2 found that inclusion of intent to harm has substantial implications for aggression's occurrence rate. Prior research that does not assess intent to harm overestimates the frequency of aggression. Study 3A found that workplace aggression's correlations with external variables were also overestimated when failing to include intent to harm. We found that aggression measured without specifying intent is highly correlated with counterproductive work behavior (CWB), whereas aggression measured with intent specified is empirically distinguished from CWB. In Study 3A, a construct‐valid workplace aggression scale was created, called the Intentional Workplace Aggression Scale (IWAS). Study 3B showed that the IWAS displayed relationships with affective constructs, such as trait anger and emotional stability, as well as with situational variables, such as job satisfaction and organizational justice perceptions.

Aggressiveness in systemic anticancer therapy at the end of life in an oncology center.

An increasing aggressiveness in cancer treatment at the end of life (EoL) has been reported in several, but not all, countries. This study aimed to see how aggressive cancer treatment is at the EoL in an oncology center. Retrospective study of patients 18 years or older with a solid cancer diagnosis who died in 2017. The focus was systemic anticancer therapy (SACT), excluding hormonotherapy. In 2017, 2024 patients with solid tumors died. Of those patients, 1262 (62%) were male, and the median age was 69 (range 19-97) years. The most frequent primary cancer was lung cancer, followed by colorectal and stomach cancers, and 740 (37%) patients had metastatic disease. The median interval between SACT and death was 61 days. Of the patients undergoing SACT, 216 (27%) did it in the last month of life, 174 (22%) between 8 and 30 days from death, and 42 (5%) in the last week. On multivariable analysis, head and neck, colorectal, breast, and melanoma primaries; age group (older than 65 years); and metastatic disease had statistical significance associated with SACT. Of these variables, only metastatic disease is more likely to undergo SACT. This study confirms the relatively frequent aggressiveness in cancer treatment at the EoL. Taking into consideration previously published data, it can be tentatively concluded that the use of SACT increased in the last month and the last week of life.

The Impact of Early-Life Cecal Microbiota Transplantation on Social Stress and Injurious Behaviors in Egg-Laying Chickens.

Injurious behaviors (i.e., aggressive pecking, feather pecking, and cannibalism) in laying hens are a critical issue facing the egg industry due to increased social stress and related health and welfare issues as well as economic losses. In humans, stress-induced dysbiosis increases gut permeability, releasing various neuroactive factors, causing neuroinflammation and related neuropsychiatric disorders via the microbiota-gut-brain axis, and consequently increasing the frequency and intensity of aggression and violent behaviors. Restoration of the imbalanced gut microbial composition has become a novel treatment strategy for mental illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, impulsivity, and compulsivity. A similar function of modulating gut microbial composition following stress challenge may be present in egg-laying chickens. The avian cecum, as a multi-purpose organ, has the greatest bacterial biodiversity (bacterial diversity, richness, and species composition) along the gastrointestinal tract, with vitally important functions in maintaining physiological and behavioral homeostasis, especially during the periods of stress. To identify the effects of the gut microbiome on injurious behaviors in egg-laying chickens, we have designed and tested the effects of transferring cecal contents from two divergently selected inbred chicken lines on social stress and stress-related injurious behaviors in recipient chicks of a commercial layer strain. This article reports the outcomes from a multi-year study on the modification of gut microbiota composition to reduce injurious behaviors in egg-laying chickens. An important discovery of this corpus of experiments is that injurious behaviors in chickens can be reduced or inhibited through modifying the gut microbiota composition and brain serotonergic activities via the gut-brain axis, without donor-recipient genetic effects.

Correlation between aggression at the veterinary clinic and problem behaviors at home for cats in the USA.

The aim of the study was to determine whether cats that exhibit aggression during veterinary visits are more likely to have behavior problems at home. An online, anonymous, cross-sectional survey was developed and distributed to residents in the USA who were aged over 18 years and who were the primary owners of at least one cat. The survey collected information about cat and household factors, and utilized a validated questionnaire instrument for obtaining behavioral information of pet cats. Aggression at the veterinary clinic was reported in 42.6% of the cats. The frequency of aggression exhibited at the veterinary clinic was lower in cats that lived in multi-cat households. Most cats did not receive medications intended to reduce fear, anxiety and/or pain before veterinary visits. Aggression at the veterinary clinic was positively associated with behavior problems at home, including stranger-directed aggression, owner-directed aggression, resistance to restraint, familiar cat aggression, dog-directed aggression, house-soiling, separation-related behaviors and scratching claws on inappropriate surfaces indoors. Cats that exhibit aggression at the veterinary clinic are more likely to exhibit aggression and anxiety-related behaviors at home. Veterinarians should screen cats that exhibit aggression at the veterinary clinic for behavior problems at home to institute prompt diagnosis and treatment.

Validation of behavioural sampling techniques for 20-25 kg pigs during transport

Monitoring behaviour during transport is challenging due to the design of vehicles and often limited deck height. The aim of the present study was to validate behavioural sampling techniques during transport. This study used data from four journeys, constituting a subset of 32 experimental journeys in a commercial vehicle transporting weaners of 20–25 kg for 23 h. In each journey, behaviour was observed in two compartments holding pigs, each with a deck height of either 60 cm or 90 cm.Body posture (upright, lying, sitting) was recorded using instantaneous scan sampling at 1 min intervals (considered ‘true’ occurrence). Based on these, less frequent sampling intervals were created (5, 10, 15, 30, and 60 min) and the resulting percentages of behaviour per hour were compared. Occurrences of inter-pig aggressive events were recorded using continuous sampling. It was investigated whether the occurrence of aggression when observed during selected recording sessions per hour (20, 30 and 40 min/h) differed from observing the whole hour throughout the journey (the ‘true’ occurrence).Two methods were used to compare sampling techniques. First, estimates of body posture and aggression were pairwise compared with the ‘true’ occurrence using regression metrics (RMSE, MAE, R2). The results showed that instantaneous scan sampling of body posture at 15 min intervals or less did reflect the ‘true’ values, whereas for aggression use of shorter recording sessions of 20 min/h generally did not reflect the ‘true’ values.Secondly, similar results were achieved by using mixed effects logistic regression. These models showed that sampling every 30 min differed from the ‘true’ values, whereas scanning in 5-, 15- or 60 min intervals did not. Compared with sampling the whole hour, the total duration of aggression was significantly underestimated in all three recording sessions (20, 30 and 40 min/h), while the total frequency of aggression was only significantly underestimated in 20 min/h recording session.Based on results of this study, the use of instantaneous scan sampling intervals of 15 min or less is considered valid for analyses of body postures during long distance transport of 20–25 kg pigs. Due to the sporadic occurrence of aggressive interactions, continuous sampling using recording sessions of 20 min cannot be recommended. Using longer recording sessions of 30 or 40 min/h should be approached with caution dependent on the specific scientific context.

Bite Wounds and Dominance Structures in Male and Female African Spiny Mice (Acomys cahirinus): Implications for Animal Welfare and the Generalizability of Experimental Results.

Bite wounds due to aggression in male laboratory mice (Mus musculus) are a major welfare concern, often leading to attrition, chronic activation of the innate immune system, and significant impacts on the experimental results derived from the use of these animals as models. Bite wounding within the home-cage of spiny mice (Acomys cahirinus)-a valuable research model for wound healing and menstruation-is poorly characterized. While we have anecdotally observed frequent bite wounding in Acomys, the frequency of aggression within the home-cage, the severity of the bite wounds, and the types of dominance structures remain unstudied. Here, we report that 46% of Acomys cages in our colony had at least one bite wound over the course of a year and that same-sex pairs fought in the home-cage 10% of the time during their dark/active phase. Both sexes inflicted wounds and frequently engaged in agonistic behaviors, even with stable dominance structures. We found that females inflicted less severe bite wounds in same-sex housing. Also, aged females in same-sex pairs were never observed fighting, and no bite wounds were observed in aged Acomys. These results suggest that we should consider whether bite wounding negatively impacts our experimental results since physical trauma is known to alter menstrual cycling and healing.

Aggression Severity as a Predictor of Mortality in Dementia

ObjectivesIn psychogeriatric units for patients with dementia and behavioral problems, aggression is prevalent. Predictions and timely interventions of aggression are essential to create a safe environment and prevent adverse outcomes. Our study aimed to determine whether aggression severity early during admission to these units could be used as an indicator of adverse outcomes. DesignDuring one year, all aggressive incidents on a psychogeriatric unit were systematically recorded using the Revised Staff Observation of Aggression Scale (SOAS-R). The study investigated the link between the severity of incidents within the first 48 hours of admission and adverse outcomes. Setting and ParticipantsAll patients included in the study were admitted to a psychogeriatric unit for dementia and behavioral problems between November 2020 and October 2021. MethodsThe study population was categorized into groups according to the level of aggression severity during the first 48 hours of admission. The impact of aggression severity on the duration of admission, aggression frequency and severity during admission, medication usage at discharge, discharge destination, and mortality risk were examined. ResultsDuring the initial 2 days of admission, 9 of 88 patients had 1 or more severe aggression incidents. An early manifestation of severe aggression was significantly associated with more incidents during hospitalization, a higher total SOAS-R score, and a sevenfold higher 1-year mortality risk compared with patients who did not or only mildly manifested aggression in the first 48 hours of admission. Conclusions and ImplicationsAn early manifestation of aggression not only poses a direct safety risk to all involved but is also an early indicator of patients at risk for more detrimental outcomes, specifically mortality risk. By identifying patients at higher risk for adverse outcomes early, health care providers can provide preventive or timelier interventions, mitigating the risk of adverse outcomes and optimizing care services.

181 Effect of Mixing at Weaning and Dietary Nutrient Density on Growth Performance and Welfare of Pigs

Abstract Mixing pigs at weaning compromises animal welfare and may reduce growth performance (GP). Reducing nutrient density of the nursery diet is a strategy to avoid gastrointestinal problems in newly weaned pigs. However, the potential for compensatory growth in subsequent stages and the impact on welfare are still unknown. This study investigated the effect of mixing and reducing dietary nutrient density on GP, body lesions (BL), and behavior in pigs from weaning to slaughter. Forty-eight litters [554 pigs, 11-12 pigs/litter; Danish Duroc × (Large White × Landrace)] were included in the trial. At 28 days of age, pigs were housed in the nursery rooms as litter pens (INTACT, n = 24) or mixed with other litters by body weight to reduce variability within pen (MIXED, n = 24). A dietary regimen meeting the nutritional requirements (CON) of the pigs and a low-density regimen (LOW; -10% energy and protein) completed a 2x2 factorial arrangement (Mixing x Diet, n =12). On day 73, pigs moved to a growing-finishing room without further mixing and all pigs received the CON dietary regimen. At the beginning and at the end of each production phase, the number of BL and the frequency of aggressions and damaging behavior were determined. Data were analyzed using general linear mixed models. Mixing increased FCR by 4.0 % during the nursery period (P = 0.003; Table 1). Pigs fed LOW had decreased GP during the nursery period but better feed conversion ratio (FCR; P = 0.008) during the growing-finishing period, when all groups were fed the same diet. However, pigs fed LOW showed a lower slaughter weight (-2.6 kg; P = 0.025). Initial differences in the coefficient of variation (CV) between MIXED (10.4%) and INTACT (17.6%; P &amp;lt; 0.001) were reduced in CON pens (6.9 % to 0.5 %) but not in LOW pens (7.9 % to 4.5 %; interaction P = 0.025) at the end of the nursery period. Pigs in MIXED pens showed 358% more BL (P &amp;lt; 0.001), more aggressions (P = 0.005) and damaging behavior (P = 0.042) at weaning, and more aggressions (P = 0.003) after being moved to growing-finishing rooms. Animals fed LOW showed more aggressions at weaning (P &amp;lt; 0.001) and more damaging behavior at the end of the nursery period (P &amp;lt; 0.001). When their diet was changed to CON, they showed 14% more BL (P = 0.009) but less aggressions (P = 0.004). Mixing animals at weaning had little impact on GP, but lesions, aggressions and damaging behavior towards pen mates indicate a detrimental effect on welfare and strategies to avoid mixing should be studied. The provision of a low-density diet during the nursery period had negative effects on welfare and growth was not totally compensated during the growing-finishing period.

Exposure to patient aggression and health outcomes for forensic mental health nurses: A cross-sectional survey.

The aims of the study were to determine the types and prevalence of forensic mental health nurse exposure to patient aggression and explore the impact of these exposures on their physical and mental health and work absences. Cross-sectional survey conducted January to April 2020. All 205 nurses working in an Australian high-security inpatient forensic mental health hospital were invited to participate. An online survey included the Perception of Prevalence of Aggression Scale to measure respondent exposure to types of patient aggression, and the SF-36v2 to measure mental and physical health. Absence from work and other work and individual characteristics were also explored. Sixty-eight respondents completed the survey. Verbal abuse was the most experienced aggression type, followed by physical violence and observing violence, patient self-harming behaviours and sexual violence. Nurses who worked in acute units experienced significantly more exposure to overall aggression than nurses in non-acute units. Higher level of aggression was associated with number of days sick leave taken and days off due to aggression or violence. Higher level of aggression was associated with poorer mental health, and patient self-harming behaviour was associated with poorer physical health. Nurses in acute units experience higher levels of inpatient aggression and are therefore at increased risk of being impacted by the exposure. Findings indicate a psychological impact of exposure to frequent aggression and potential for an accumulative effect of exposure to traumatic events on nurse well-being. Nurses who are victim of, or witness, physical violence are most likely to take time off work. This study provides further evidence that forensic mental health nurses are frequently exposed to various forms of patient aggression. For some nurses, this exposure to patient aggression negatively impacted their mental and physical health. Employing organizations should therefore prioritize provision of formal support for nurses. No patient or public contribution.

Reproductive payoffs of territoriality are snow‐dependent in a mountain ungulate, the Alpine chamois

AbstractFemale density and distribution are dependent on resource phenology and female availability strongly influences male mating behaviour and success. When a male adopts a ‘resource defence’ tactic, his reproductive success depends on the location and attractiveness of his territory. Environmental factors associated with territory quality are expected to influence mating success, for example, through territory features or male–male competition. In a protected population of a mountain‐dwelling polygynous herbivore, the Alpine chamois Rupicapra r. rupicapra, we investigated the relationships among mating opportunities, some environmental variables (snow depth, topographic features and size of territories) and male intra‐sexual competition for mating. We recorded the mating behaviour and territory size of 15 GPS‐GSM radio‐tagged territorial males, during five rutting seasons (early November to early December: N = 8 individuals in 2011, N = 9 in 2012, N = 8 in 2015, N = 11 in 2016, N = 7 in 2017; 80% of them were observed for more than one mating season) and related them to snow depth and topography of territories. In ruts with deep snow cover, territorial males had smaller territories and higher number of mating opportunities than in ruts with lower snow cover. Smaller territories showed the highest values of terrain roughness, in turn with little or no snow cover in the mating season, and were visited by a greater number of females, than larger territories. Number of wins was positively influenced by snow depth and negatively related to the frequency of aggressions. The frequency of male–male aggressive interactions was greater during ruts with deep snow cover and for males with territories at higher elevations; additionally, it was negatively related to interactions won. Thus, snow depth, which influences resource distribution and female movements, is confirmed as a strong determinant of male mating opportunities and mating behaviour.

Evaluation of multi‐user multiple‐input multiple‐output digital beamforming algorithms in B5G/6G low Earth orbit satellite systems

SummarySatellite communication systems will be a key component of 5G and 6G networks to achieve the goal of providing unlimited and ubiquitous communications and deploying smart and sustainable networks. To meet the ever‐increasing demand for higher throughput in 5G and beyond, aggressive frequency reuse schemes (i.e., full frequency reuse), combined with digital beamforming techniques to cope with the massive co‐channel interference, are recognized as a key solution. Aimed at (i) eliminating the joint optimization problem among the beamforming vectors of all users, (ii) splitting it into distinct ones, and (iii) finding a closed‐form solution, we propose a beamforming algorithm based on maximizing the users' signal‐to‐leakage‐and‐noise ratio served by a low Earth orbit satellite. We investigate and assess the performance of several beamforming algorithms, including both those based on channel state information at the transmitter, that is, minimum mean square error and zero forcing, and those only requiring the users' locations, that is, switchable multi‐beam. Through a detailed numerical analysis, we provide a thorough comparison of the performance in terms of per‐user achievable spectral efficiency of the aforementioned beamforming schemes, and we show that the proposed signal to‐leakage‐plus‐noise ratio beamforming technique is able to outperform both minimum mean square error and multi‐beam schemes in the presented satellite communication scenario.

Assessment of 19 years of a prospective national survey on drug-facilitated crimes in France

Drug facilitated-crime or chemical submission (DFC/CS) is defined as the concealed or forced administration of psychoactive substances to a victim for criminal purposes. This is a national program set up in the early 2000 s in the form of a prospective multicenter survey, the results of which this manuscript presents. Over this 19-year period, 5487 cases were collected, analyzed and classified into 54 % of suspected cases, 29 % of chemical vulnerability (CV) cases and 17 % of proven DFC/CS cases. In the overall data, the most prevalent victims were female (81 %), with an average age of 27 years. Sexual assault was the most frequent aggression (77 %), followed by theft (14 %).Victims of proven DFC/CS cases were from of all ages including children and elderly. In 934 victims of DFC/CS, 100 various psychoactive substances were detected mostly represented by benzodiazepines and z-drugs (55 %), various sedatives including antihistamines (16 %) and non-therapeutic substances (16 %). Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) was found in 4 % cases. In CV cases, alcohol (90 %) and cannabis (32 %) intake were mainly involved.In France, despite prevention messages, DFC/CS has been an epidemic for many years and has been proven by our national study. This national program has the aim to identifying the substances used but unfortunately not the goal to fight against this phenomenon. Since 2009, we observed a new modus operandi of the aggressors who pose as taxi drivers facilitating the reception of the victims leaving nightclubs. We can emphasize that GHB is not the “date rape drug” but rather the benzodiazepine class is.