Heavy Arms Research Articles

Persistence of somatic symptoms after COVID-19 in the Netherlands: an observational cohort study

BackgroundPatients often report various symptoms after recovery from acute COVID-19. Previous studies on post-COVID-19 condition have not corrected for the prevalence and severity of these common symptoms before COVID-19 and in populations without SARS-CoV-2 infection. We aimed to analyse the nature, prevalence, and severity of long-term symptoms related to COVID-19, while correcting for symptoms present before SARS-CoV-2 infection and controlling for the symptom dynamics in the population without infection.MethodsThis study is based on data collected within Lifelines, a multidisciplinary, prospective, population-based, observational cohort study examining the health and health-related behaviours of people living in the north of the Netherlands. All Lifelines participants aged 18 years or older received invitations to digital COVID-19 questionnaires. Longitudinal dynamics of 23 somatic symptoms surrounding COVID-19 diagnoses (due to SARS-CoV-2 alpha [B.1.1.7] variant or previous variants) were assessed using 24 repeated measurements between March 31, 2020, and Aug 2, 2021. Participants with COVID-19 (a positive SARS-CoV-2 test or a physician's diagnosis of COVID-19) were matched by age, sex, and time to COVID-19-negative controls. We recorded symptom severity before and after COVID-19 in participants with COVID-19 and compared that with matched controls.Findings76 422 participants (mean age 53·7 years [SD 12·9], 46 329 [60·8%] were female) completed a total of 883 973 questionnaires. Of these, 4231 (5·5%) participants had COVID-19 and were matched to 8462 controls. Persistent symptoms in COVID-19-positive participants at 90–150 days after COVID-19 compared with before COVID-19 and compared with matched controls included chest pain, difficulties with breathing, pain when breathing, painful muscles, ageusia or anosmia, tingling extremities, lump in throat, feeling hot and cold alternately, heavy arms or legs, and general tiredness. In 12·7% of patients, these symptoms could be attributed to COVID-19, as 381 (21·4%) of 1782 COVID-19-positive participants versus 361 (8·7%) of 4130 COVID-19-negative controls had at least one of these core symptoms substantially increased to at least moderate severity at 90–150 days after COVID-19 diagnosis or matched timepoint.InterpretationTo our knowledge, this is the first study to report the nature and prevalence of post-COVID-19 condition, while correcting for individual symptoms present before COVID-19 and the symptom dynamics in the population without SARS-CoV-2 infection during the pandemic. Further research that distinguishes potential mechanisms driving post-COVID-19-related symptomatology is required.FundingZonMw; Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sport; Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs; University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen; Provinces of Drenthe, Friesland, and Groningen.

Threats to the security of Polish military contingents in the UN forces on the example of the PMC in Lebanon – experiences and perspectives

This paper attempts to identify threats to the security environment of Lebanon and the prospects for their changes, affecting the activities of Polish military contingents and their personnel, taking into account historical aspects, internal and external threats and contemporary conditions of the security environment of the region and Lebanon. It uses the results of research conducted by the author in the years 2012-2020. Included in the study there are Polish military contingents operating as part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) between 1992 and 2009, such as: the Polish Military Medical Unit, the Polish Military Contingent in Lebanon (PMC Lebanon/PMC UNIFIL), and the “new” PMC in Lebanon, which began performing mandated tasks in November 2019. Polish contingent operations in Lebanon have been affected by the aftermath of the never-ending conflict with Israel since 1948, the civil war in Syria, the growth of terrorist organisations in the Levant region, Shiite Hezbollah, growing in terms of military strength and political influence, and nearly two million war refugees. These factors resulted in a significant increase in threats to peacekeepers and observers serving in Lebanon, and the primary source of these threats is the direct impact caused by the enemy using various heavy weapons, aviation and other arms in attacks on the bases, patrols and posts of the contingent’s subdivisions. UNIFIL forces, together with the PMC Lebanon, are likely to face the problem of “participation” in another armed conflict, whether small or large-scale. The PMC soldiers, due to their deployment and the nature of their tasks, are likely to be exposed to possible personnel loss and material damage.

Self-Perceived Fatigue After Motor Abilities Testing in Adolescent Elite Tennis Players

SummaryThe objective of the study was to determine self-perceived fatigue (S-PF) after motor abilities testing (MAT) in adolescent male and female elite tennis players. The research sample comprised of 17 male (mean age of 13.00 ± 1.54 years) and 20 female (mean age of 13.15 ± 1.42 years) adolescent elite tennis players who underwent testing of selected motor abilities in tennis. The level of fatigue in adolescent elite tennis players was measured with the Training Distress Scale (TDS). Both groups of elite tennis players declared the lowest, zero level of S-PF by TDS symptoms as inability to remember things and loose bowels or diarrhoea and significant S-PF during 48 hours after MAT was in both genders felt by lack of energy, feeling of heavy arms and legs, joint stiffness of soreness, and muscle soreness. Boys versus girls experienced significantly higher S-PF in the symptoms as difficulty falling asleep, being unusually tired during the day, joint stiffness of soreness, and ordinary tasks require extra effort. No significant differences were found in overall TDS between males and females adolescent elite tennis players.

Hierarchy and the Provision of Order in International Politics

The anarchic international system is actually heavily structured: communities of states join together for common benefit; strong states form hierarchical relationships with weak states to enforce order and achieve preferred outcomes. Breaking from prior research, we conceptualize structures such as community and hierarchy as properties of networks of states’ interactions that can capture unobserved constraints in state behavior, constraints that may reduce conflict. We offer two claims. One, common membership in trade communities pacifies to the extent that breaking trade ties would entail high switching costs: thus, we expect heavy arms trade, more than most types of commercial trade, to reduce intracommunity conflict. Two, this is driven by hierarchical communities in which strong states can use high switching costs as leverage to constrain conflict between weaker states in the community. We find empirical support for these claims using a time-dependent multilayer network model and a new measure of hierarchy based on network centrality.

항만공사용 사석 고르기 수중로봇의 제어 및 지형인식에 관한 연구

When underwater rubble leveling work is carried out by a robot, real-time information on the topography around the robot is required for remote control. If the topographical information with respect to the current position of the robot is displayed as a 3D graphic image, it allows the operator to plan the working schedules and to avoid accidents like rollovers. Up until now, the topographical recognition was conducted by multi-beam sonars, which were only used to assess the quality before and after the work and could not be used to provide real-time information for remote control. This research measures the force delivered to the bucket which presses the mound to determine whether contact is made or not, and the contact position is calculated by reading the cylinder length. A variable bang-bang control algorithm is applied to control the heavy robot arms for the positioning of the bucket. The proposed method allows operators to easily recognize the terrain and intuitively plan the working schedules by showing relatively 3-D gratifications with respect to the robot body. In addition, the operating patterns of a skilled operator are programmed for raking, pushing, moving, and measuring so that they are automatically applied to the underwater rubble leveling work of the robot.

Impulse noise and acute acoustic trauma in Finnish conscripts. Number of shots fired and safe distances.

This prospective study of acute acoustic trauma (AAT) from exposure to impulse noise during compulsory military service focused on three issues the number of shot or explosion impulses that the conscript was exposed to at the time of AAT, distance of injured ear from causal firearm, and the circumstances under which AAT occurred protected ears. The series includes 449 consecutive, verified cases of AAT seen at the Central Military Hospital in Helsinki, Finland, in the period 1989-1993. AAT usually occurred during combat training (87%) as a result of exposure to impulses from small arms (83%). In 41%. AAT was caused by a single shot or detonation impulse. As many as 92% of all AATs occurred within 2 m of the causal firearm. Fourteen percent were wearing hearing protectors when the accident took place, but every third had badly fitting protectors or had neglected safety regulations and used insufficient protection. Of all AATs caused by one noise impulse in protected ears. 83% were attributable to heavy arms and only 14% to small arms. The results of the study suggest that combined use of earmuffs and earplugs in association with a safe distance of over 5 m from the noise source gives adequate protection against AAT. However, for conscripts using certain heavy arms e.g. hazooka. more effective hearing protection should be developed.

Chest symptoms after sumatriptan: a two-year clinical practice review in 735 consecutive migraine patients.

To assess, in clinical practice, the (i) incidence, (ii) within-patient consistency, and (iii) clinical spectrum of chest symptoms (chest symptoms) after subcutaneous (sc) and oral sumatriptan, and (iv) to identify risk factors for chest symptoms. Two-year retrospective survey with mailed self-administered questionnaire. Neurology outpatient clinic of university hospital. Migraine patients with or without aura (n = 869). Incidence, within-patient consistency and characteristics of chest symptoms; demographic and clinical characteristics of patients. There were 735 (85%) respondents. Sumatriptan was used by 453 patients, during 25 months (median), for 28000 attacks (median: 33 attacks/patient). Of sumatriptan users, 41% (sc) and 24% (oral) had chest symptoms in all attacks, 39% (sc) and 58% (oral) in none, and the remaining in some attacks. Because of chest symptoms, 10% discontinued sumatriptan. Chest symptoms mostly consisted of heavy arms and chest pressure, started within 5 (sc) to 30 (oral) min, and lasted 30 (sc) to 60 (oral) min. Compared with patients without chest symptoms, patients with chest symptoms more often were females and younger, and went to rest immediately after sumatriptan administration (all p < 0.001); they also tended to have lower body mass indices, more severe attacks and less efficacy of sumatriptan (all 0.001 < p < 0.05). Patients with chest symptoms had no higher incidence of cardiovascular symptoms or risk factors. Chest symptoms are frequent, within-patients consistent, but rarely important, adverse events of (notably sc) sumatriptan. The risk of chest symptoms is patient-dependent and not related, even opposite, to cardiovascular disease. This contradicts the hypothesis that chest symptoms after sumatriptan are caused by cardiac ischemia. Patient acceptance of chest symptoms is improved by pre-advising on the risk and nature of chest symptoms.

Effect of chronic exposure to acrylonitrile on subjective symptoms.

A cross-sectional study was performed to clarify the relationship between exposure to acrylonitrile (AN) and its effect on subjective symptoms by using a modified Cornell Medical Index (CMI) health questionnaire. The 7 acrylic fiber manufacturing factories surveyed were classified into 3 groups, namely, group L with a mean environmental acrylonitrile concentration of 1.8 ppm, group M with 7.4 ppm, and group H with 14.1 ppm. The total number of workers engaged in acrylic fiber manufacturing processes (acrylonitrile workers) and reference workers analyzed were 504 and 249, respectively. These consisted of 92 acrylonitrile workers and 108 reference workers in group L, 304 and 102 respectively in group M, and 108 and 39 respectively in group H. The mean values for length of exposure to acrylonitrile were 5.6 years in group L, 7.0 years in group M, and 8.6 years in group H. Neurotic status as determined by Fukamachi's criteria and Cornell Medical Index profiles did not show any AN-related differences between AN workers and reference workers in any of the groups. The subjective symptoms with significantly high prevalences in AN workers were "headache", "tongue trouble", "choking lump in throat", "fatigability", "general malaise", "heavy arms", and "heavy sweating". Except for "choking lump in throat" there was no relationship between the prevalence of symptoms and the length or level of exposure to acrylonitrile. These results suggested that long-term exposure to acrylonitrile at levels up to 14.1 ppm did not induce neurotic effects in acrylonitrile workers, but might cause some reversible subjective symptoms.

Biomechanics and allometric scaling in primate locomotion and morphology.

Body size has a dominant influence on locomotor performance and the morphology of the locomotor apparatus. In locomotion under the influence of gravity, body mass acts as weight force and is a mechanical variable. Accordingly, the application of biomechanical principles and methods allows a functional understanding of scaling effects in locomotion. This is demonstrated here using leaping primates as an example. With increasing body size, the decreasing ratio of muscle force available for acceleration during takeoff to the body mass that has to be accelerated dictates both the movement pattern and the proportions of the hindlimbs. In an arm-swinging movement, the long, heavy arms of the large-bodied leapers are effectively used to gain additional momentum. A new perspective on decreasing size identifies the absolutely small acceleration distance and time available for propulsion as factors limiting leaping distance and extensively determining locomotor behavior and body proportions. As the mechanical constraints differ according to body size for a given mode of locomotion, a typological approach to morphology in relation to locomotor category is ruled out. Across locomotor categories, dynamic similarity (sensu Alexander) can be expected if the propulsive mechanisms as well as the selective pressures acting upon locomotion are the same.

Dictatorship and Resistance: the Problem of How To Resist

WHEN WE THINK of to a despotic system or of revolutionary actions against such an order, of deeds which have marked and brought about so many turning points in history, many different images appear before our minds' eyes. Nations in Europe and Asia which have been doomed to go through the experience of modern totalitarianism and the victims who escaped the dreadful machinery of its jails and concentration camps, will hold very different views from those of us who have always enjoyed the blessings of a lawful order. To many, the word resistance or rebellion still provokes the memory of the classical revolutions of past centuries, of vague images of barricades, of fighters armed with breechloaders and of waving flags as has been depicted in the famous painting by Delacroix.' This romantic image is not valid today. The totalitarian state of our times, comparable to a powerful gangster team equipped with the latest techniques of mass control and holding in its hands more power than any other system before in history, is immensely more difficult to oppose than the despotisms of former centuries.2 The modern police state can not be fought with the weapons of our grandfathers. The barricades of the past could easily be rolled down by tanks while open would be rapidly suppressed with machine guns and heavy arms. The rebel of our times, always facing the danger of being abducted bei Nacht und Nebel (by night and fog), confronted with death in an unknown cellar under the torture of the NKVD 3 or the Gestapo, has to tackle an opponent who does not know either religious or ethical ties and is equipped with all the latest psychological techniques to destroy a man's personality. If he dies, he is not adorned with the glory of martyrdom and rarely, if ever, does history remember his name. The complete control of mass media and all means of communication plus a vast and all-pervasive spy system reaching into private homes and families, makes it extremely difficult for the opponents of the regime even to make contact and all the more difficult to organize resistance. If spontaneous riots against a totalitarian state do occur they are always ineffectual. This fact is shown by the permanent peasant unrest in Soviet Russia which, when outbreaks of active opposition occur, is always suppressed within a

Noneconomic Factors in the Institutionalization of the Cold War

The problem of converting world-war industry to peacetime enterprise is being seriously posed for the first time since the outbreak of World War II. Thus far, the cen ter of concern has been the economic feasibility of the transition process for an industrial complex. There are also noneco nomic factors which produce a lag between technical know-how for the reconversion process and the practical implementation of steps toward industrial reconversion. Five major noneco nomic deterrents are: absence of consciousness of the problem of conversion; rise of new industrial activities heavily depend ent upon continuation of arms spending; belief in armaments as a bulwark of social solidarity; acculturation to patterns of secrecy and coercion; fear that industrial reconversion would lead to deterioration of the Western alliance. Under critical examination, these factors prove to be insubstantial. How ever, disarmament and conversion to peacetime industrial poli cies would have to be phased in sociologically as well as eco nomically. A policy of heavy arms expenditures has gener ated profound social and political disorientation. No major shifts in the production orientation of American industry will occur until doubts about the future of the American economy are either assuaged or overcome by still greater trepidations about the future of the human community as such.

Southeast Asia Treaty organization

Following a three-hour special meeting of the Council of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) in Bangkok, Thailand, on December 12, 1960, a SEATO communique expressed the view, the press reported, that the shipment of heavy arms by the Soviet Union to the rebel forces in Laos would only prolong the crisis in that country. According to the press, however, the chairman of the Council had said that SEATO could not intervene, since all the parties involved in the fighting in Laos were Laotians and not the forces of a foreign nation.