Sublethal Research Articles

폭발형 고섬광 발생장치의 설계 변수에 관한 실험적 연구

목표 대상을 치명적이거나 파괴하지 않고 제압할 수 있는 무기를 비살상무기라 하며, 그중 고섬광발생장치는 강한 섬광으로 적의 광학센서를 무력화시키거나 시력을 일시적으로 마비시키는 무기체계이다. 본 연구에서는 고폭화약에 의한 충격파로 인해 발생한 플라즈마를 이용한 폭발형 고섬광발생장치의 형상에 대한 설계 방안을 도출하여 시료를 제작하고 광학센서를 사용한 기초시험을 수행하였다. 또한, 시험결과를 분석하여 설계 변수에 따른 고섬광 효과를 최대화시키는 방안을 도출하고자 한다. 충전가스 종류로 아르곤보다 제논의 경우 2배 가량 광도가 높게 나타났으며, 비활성가스가 광도에 미치는 영향을 알아보기 위한 비교로써 공기보다 제논의 경우 4배 가량 광도가 높게 나타났다. 또한, 화약량이 증가할수록 원주방향으로 전달되는 충격파가 도달할 수 있는 단면적이 증가할수록 광도가 증가함을 알 수 있었으며, 단일기폭보다 이중기폭의 경우 광원이 2배가 되어 광도도 2배됨을 입증하였다.

비 살상 무기 개발을 위한 생분해성 발포 폴리우레탄에 대한 연구

본 연구에서는 불법 조업 어선 제압 및 장비 불용화를 위한 접착형 퇴치제 개발의 일환으로 발포형 생분해성 폴리우레탄 연구를 수행하였다. 발포형 폴리우레탄 접착제는 폴리에스터계 및 폴리에테르 폴리올을 포함하는 주재와 고분자형의 이소시아네이트로 이루어진 경화제를 혼합하여 반응이 완결되는 2액형으로, 단기간의 생분해성을 위해 주재에 starch와 dextrin 및 amylase 등을 첨가하여 4주간 약 34%의 생분해도를 OECD 301C법에 의해 얻을 수 있었다. 주재와 경화제의 온도에 따른 점도를 <TEX>$0{\sim}50^{\circ}C$</TEX>의 온도범위에서 측정하여 혼합 시 참고할 수 있도록 하였으며, 또한 신속한 발포 및 접착성능을 위해서 <TEX>$0{\sim}50^{\circ}C$</TEX>의 온도 범위에서 발포형 폴리우레탄 접착제의 반응 완결 속도(rising time)를 조절하여 1 min 내외로 제어하였다. 또한 면 직물에 대한 T-peel 시험을 수행한 결과 최대 20.78 N/cm, 평균 11.95 N/cm의 접착력을 얻을 수 있었다. Foam-type biodegradable polyurethane adhesives were developed as a non-lethal weapon against illegal fishing boats. The adhesives were prepared from a hardener of polymeric methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) and a base composed of polyester and/or polyether polyols. In order to accelerate biodegradability, starch, dextrin, and amylase were added into the base, and which present about 34% degradability within 4 weeks confirmed by OECD 301C method. For proper mixing and corresponding prompt foam reaction, viscosities of hardener and base compositions were investigated in the temperature ranges from 0 to <TEX>$50^{\circ}C$</TEX>. For fast completion of the foam forming and corresponding adhesion, rising time was recorded in the same temperature range, and the rising time of the adhesive was varied within around 1 minute. T-peel adhesion tests with cotton fabrics were performed which showed 20.78 N/cm and 11.95 N/cm as the maximum and the average values, respectively.

NUMBERS THAT COUNT: National monitoring of police conduct

Publicly available data on police misconduct and the use of force has been found to be unreliable and inconsistent. Such information is important for public accountability, but also for police managers to monitor their staff and thereby improve performance and service delivery. Indicators of police use of lethal and nonlethal force, torture, public complaints and corruption must be developed and monitored by the police, and reported to the public via the SAPS annual report.

Information Is Not a Weapons System

ABSTRACTWhile many militaries have tried to capitalize on the potential of information operations in internal war, few have succeeded. I argue that military information campaigns fall short of expectations for two reasons. First, the theory of influence militaries generally embrace – communications as a non-lethal weapons system – is largely invalid. While treating information as a weapons system makes it easier to integrate it into the existing military planning system, this overstates the independent effects of communications on behavior and understates the importance of interactive effects of what commercial marketing theory refers to as the “marketing mix” – product, price, promotion, and placement. It would be more appropriate to treat military information operations as a form of marketing: a composite effort to induce a specific behavior in a target audience by applying a combination of material and ideational instruments. The marketing model suggests that the efficacy of information operations will depend not simply on the message and its delivery (promotion) but on the behavior the sender seeks to induce (the product), the costs of that behavior (the price), and the opportunities available for such behavior (the placement).

Sublethal effects of Biomite® on the population growth and life table parameters of Tetranychus turkestani Ugarov and Nikolskii on three cucumber cultivars

Abstract The strawberry spider mite Tetranychus turkestani Ugarov & Nikolskii (Prostigmata: Tetranychidae) is an important pest on greenhouse cucumber. Therefore, understanding the effect of sublethal concentration of acaricides using demographic toxicological analysis is important for successful management of this pest. Laboratory studies were conducted to assess sublethal (LC25) effects of Biomite®, a natural based miticide, on the population growth and life-table parameters of T. turkestani. Three commonly greenhouse cucumber cultivars including Milad, Khasib and Puia were used in the study. Developmental times of T. turkestani immature stages were decreased on treated cultivars, while total life spans were significantly increased on treated cultivars when compared with the control groups. For Milad cultivar, adult pre-oviposition period (APOP) was significantly decreased when females were treated with LC25 of Biomite®. However, the total pre-oviposition period (TPOP) increased in the treated females. ...

Shining a Regulatory Spotlight on New Lasers

The purpose of this article is to consider potential legal implications of deployment of nano-enhanced technology in armed conflict. Nano-lasers will undoubtedly enhance the performance of many weapons systems, including autonomous systems, with better energy storage, more rapid computations, and lower power consumption, to name just a few features, but in this article I consider just two types of technology purportedly utilising nano-lasers. Firstly, I will discuss the Laser Weapons System (“LaWS”), a directed weapon already in use. The LaWS system is often wrongly described as nano-enhanced; I will explain why the descriptor is fallacious while also discussing the legal implications, if any, which arise from the deployment of the system (and whether this error has any legal implications). Secondly, I will examine optogenetics, which utilises nano-laser light delivery technology to effectively switch neurons “on” and “off” to alter brain function. This technology is currently at the research stage with mice, and has not yet been used by the military. I plan to identify the key legal implications if such technology were to be used in humans in armed conflict.Two key legal issues arise in relation to both technological developments. One involves the responsibility of States Parties to Additional Protocol I to review and supervise the use of emerging weapons technology to ensure compliance with the law of armed conflict (LOAC) and the second involves identifying what specific and general rules may apply to such technology. General legal principles have relevance to all means and methods of warfare and so apply as much to nano-enhanced or based laser weapons systems as to any other category of lethal or non-lethal weapon. Furthermore, the lack of anticipation of the technology by the original drafters does not remove the obligation to review any such technology before its use in armed conflict.

Exploratory study into the culturability and viability of three strains of Escherichia coli after exposure to simulated gastric fluid of sub-lethal pHs

It has long been established that the acidic nature of gastric juice constitutes an important line of defence against invasion of the gut by microorganisms. Survival of the gastric barrier was traditionally tested using microbiological techniques (culturability), however, advances in viability studies have highlighted the viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state. The purpose of this study was to assess culturability and viability in the survival response of strains of Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) exposed to simulated gastric fluid (SGF) of varying pH. Bacteria were subjected to acid-stress conditions by incubation in SGF at various pH over 180 minutes. Survival was evaluated by assessing culturability, and viability via membrane integrity. The results showed that all strains of E. coli studied were able to remain viable in an injured state after exposure to various acidic SGF environments for the duration of incubation. These viable cells persisted in either a live or injured state. The Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) strain was both viable and culturable at all pHs, showing a high level of acid tolerance. The Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) strain was not culturable at the lower pH of 1.5 and 2.5, however, showed a high viability percentage. This could show that the bacteria had entered a VBNC state at these low pHs. This exploratory study indicates that certain strains of pathogenic E. coli are able to endure the stomach pH and may enter into a VBNC state. This might prove to be a major public health concern due to the fact that these organisms can survive the harsh acidic environment of the stomach and may possibly return to the infectious state once in the favourable conditions of the intestines.

High dose chemotherapy with stem cell support in the treatment of testicular cancer.

Testicular germ cell cancer (TGCC) is rare form of malignant disease that occurs mostly in young man between age 15 and 40. The worldwide incidence of TGCC is 1.5 per 100000 man with the highest rates in North Europe. After discovery of cisplatin cure rates of TGCC are very favorable between 90%-95% and unlike most solid tumors, cure rate for metastatic TGCC is around 80%. Metastatic TGCC is usually treated with 3-4 cycles of bleomycin, etoposide, cisplatinum chemotherapy with or without retroperitoneal surgery and cure rates with this approach are between 41% in poor risk group and 92% in good risk group of patients. Cure rates are lower in relapsed and refractory patients and many of them will die from the disease if not cured with first line chemotherapy. High dose chemotherapy (HDCT) approach was used for the first time during the 1980s. Progress in hematology allowed the possibility to keep autologous haematopoietic stem cells alive ex-vivo at very low temperatures and use them to repopulate the bone marrow after sub-lethal dose of intesive myeloablative chemotherapy. Despite the fact that there is no positive randomized study to prove HDCT concept, cure rates in relapsed TGCC are higher after high dose therapy then in historical controls in studies with conventional treatment. Here we review clinical studies in HDCT for TGCC, possibilities of mobilising sufficient number of stem cells and future directions in the treatment of this disease.

Protection to Fusarium oxysporum induced oxidative stress in wheat by a sub-lethal dose of Cd2+ pre-treatment.

A sub-lethal dose (50 μM) of cadmium chloride (CdCl2) pre-treatment protected wheat (Triticum aestivum, cv. Sonalika) seedlings against Fusarium oxysporum by antagonizing oxidative stress developed during infection. A reduced level of H2O2 content was observed in case of co-stressed (50 μM CdCl2 pre-treatment followed by Fusarium oxysporum infection) tissues as compared with healthy phenotypes. An elevated concentration of SA as well as DPPH, ABTS free radical scavenging activity was observed in co-stressed tissues as compared with Fusarium-infected seedlings. In contrast, lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation in co-stressed tissues were comparatively lower when compared with Fusarium-infected seedlings. However, total phenolic and chlorophyll contents were observed to be marginal in Fusarium-infected tissues as compared with co- stressed, untreated control and Cd2+ pre-treated seedlings. Thus, a comparative biochemical assay with relation to the oxidative stress in infected, uninfected and co-stressed tissues suggest the protective nature of a low dose (50 μM) of Cd2+ against Fusarium infection in wheat. Hence, a Cd2+ pre-treatment offered resistance to wheat directly and/or indirectly by reducing the oxidative stress developed during Fusarium infection.

Pengaruh insektisida deltametrin terhadap perilaku orientasi parasitoid Anagrus nilaparvatae (Pang et Wang) (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae)

Perilaku pencarian inang oleh parasitoid mencakup juga perilaku orientasi terhadap senyawa volatil (bau) inang atau tanaman inang. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui perubahan perilaku orientasi parasitoid Anagrus nilaparvatae (Pang et Wang) yang terpapar insektisida deltametrin dengan konsentrasi subletal dan residu deltametrin pada tanaman padi terhadap penemuan inang oleh parasitoid. Konsentrasi subletal deltametrin 0,023 ppm (LC10) dan 2,235 ppm (LC40) secara kontak diaplikasikan pada parasitoid A. nilaparvatae . Konsentrasi deltametrin yang diaplikasikan pada tanaman padi adalah 12,5 ppm dan 6,25 ppm. Residu yang diuji adalah 3 jam, 1 hari, 3 hari, dan 7 hari setelah aplikasi. Perilaku orientasi diuji dengan menggunakan olfaktometer tabung-Y. Deltametrin konsentrasi subletal pada parasitoid dan tanaman padi menurunkan kemampuan orientasi parasitoid A. nilaparvatae untuk menemukan tanaman yang mengandung inang Nilaparvata lugens (Stal) . Semakin tinggi konsentrasi perlakuan deltametrin baik yang diperlakukan pada parasitoid maupun tanaman maka pengaruhnya terhadap perubahan orientasi semakin besar dan gangguan terhadap orientasi A. nilaparvatae dalam menemukan inang semakin besar. Efek subletal insektisida pada parasitoid dan tanaman padi akhirnya menyebabkan parasitoid A. nilaparvatae menjadi kurang efektif sebagai agens pengendali hayati di lapangan karena menurunnya performa dalam memarasit dan menyerang inangnya.

Establishment and biological characterization of radiation-resistant lung carcinoma cell lines

Objective To establish radiation-resistant lung carcinoma cell lines, and to investigate the changes in morphology, apoptosis, invasive migration, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in cells. Methods The radiation-resistant lung carcinoma cell lines were obtained by exposure of lung carcinoma cell lines, A549 and H1299, to radiation with a low dose in fractions, a sublethal dose, or a gradually increasing dose. The morphological changes in cells, radiosensitivity, survival rates after exposure, apoptosis rates, changes in invasive migration, and expression of EMT marker proteins were evaluated using microscopy, colony formation assay, CCK-8 assay, flow cytometry, transwell migration assay, and Western blot, respectively. Results Radiation with a gradually increasing dose successfully induced the radiation-resistant cell lines, A549R and H1299R. The morphological study showed that the morphology of radiation-resistant cells was converted to the morphology of mesenchymal cells. Compared with A549 and H1299 cells, the values of D0, Dq, and SF2 were significantly increased in A549R (P=0.017, P=0.001, P=0.000) and H1299R (P=0.033, P=0.000, P=0.008) cells, respectively; the values of α and α/β were significantly reduced in A549R (P=0.018; P=0.007) and H1299R (P=0.001; P=0.009) cells, respectively. The survival rates in A549R and H1299R cells after exposure to radiation with various doses were significantly higher than those in the control groups (all P<0.05). After exposure, the apoptosis rates were significantly reduced in A549R and H1299R cells (P=0.02, P=0.01); the invasion and migration rates were significantly increased in A549R (P=0.000; P=0.001) and H1299R (P=0.001, P=0.002) cells; the expression of E-cadherin was significantly down-regulated in A549R and H1299R cells (P=0.00, P=0.01), while the expression of vimentin was significantly elevated in A549R and H1299R cells (P=0.02, P=0.01). Conclusions The radiation-resistant lung carcinoma cell lines are successfully established. Both cell lines show enhanced invasion and migration, which may be associated with EMT. Key words: Lung carcinoma cell line, radioresistance; Colony formation assay; Transwell cell assay; Epithelial-mesenchymal transition

Histopathological alterations in the striatum caused by Karwinskia humboldtiana (Buckthorn) fruit in an experimental model of peripheral neuropathy.

The accidental ingestion of Karwinskia humboldtiana (Kh) fruit in humans and animals causes chronic or acute intoxication. Acute poisoning induces respiratory failure that progresses rapidly to death. Studies in animals intoxicated with Kh describe lesions in cerebral cortex, cerebellum, spinal cord, hippocampus and caudate nucleus. Kh intoxication in Wistar rats models the sub-lethal clinical phase observed in humans. Considering these reports, the present study analyzed the histopathological alterations within the striatum following experimental Kh intoxication. Twenty Wistar rats were divided into three groups (n =5) and were intoxicated with Kh fruit. A control group (n =5) was included. Animals were euthanized at several time points (48, 58 and 170 days post-intoxication). The brain was collected, divided and processed for conventional histology or electron microscopy. Sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, cresyl violet, Klüver-Barrera, and toluidine blue. Immunolabeling was performed for glial cells in the striatum, and the samples were analyzed with light microscopy. Morphometric and statistical analyses were performed. In control group, neurons, axon bundles and neuropil had a normal appearance. At 48 days, hyperchromic neurons with apparent decreased size were observed interspersed among the normal neurons. At 58 days, we observed an increased number of hyperchromic neurons and disorganization of the myelin sheath and neuropil. At 170 days, these alterations persisted in the paralysis group. In treated groups, we observed signs of gliosis and increased axonal diameters. This study is the first report that describes the histopathological alterations within the striatum caused by chronic intoxication with Kh fruit in the Wistar rat.

Potential Application of Triploidy Induction in Important Aquatic Species in South East Asia

Triploidy, a stage of having 3 sets of chromosomes, occurs naturally in fish. Induction of triploidy is possible by subjecting newly fertilized eggs to sub-lethal conditions prior to the extrusion of polar bodies. The purposes of the induction include improving growth and/or obtaining sterile animals for various purposes. This article gives a brief background of triploid induction in aquatic animals, performances of triploid and collective information on triploidy induction in aquatic species native to South East Asia, and future direction.

Activities of Detoxification Enzymes and Expressions of Related Genes in Spodoptera exigua Larvae Treated with Sublethal Concentrations of Emamectin Benzoate

Activities of Detoxification Enzymes and Expressions of Related Genes in Spodoptera exigua Larvae Treated with Sublethal Concentrations of Emamectin Benzoate

Glyphosate induced nucleic acid alterations in freshwater fish, Catla catla

The freshwater fish, Catla catla were exposed to lethal and sub-lethal concentrations of glyphosate (glycil SL 41%) to study the alterations in the nucleic acid (DNA and RNA) content of various tissues (gill, brain, liver, kidney and muscle) after exposure to 24, 48, 72 and 96 h LC 50 . In static method the LC 50 values were found to be 6.622, 6.546, 6.05 and 5.798 mg/L respectively for 24, 48, 72 and 96 h and in continuous flow-through system the LC 50 values were 5.759, 5.374, 5.249 and 5.191 mg/L respectively for 24, 48, 72 and 96 h. In both the methods the LC 50 values showed decreased trend with time of exposure and the decrease is more in continuous flow through method than in static method. A decline in the DNA and RNA content was observed and the percentage decrease is more apparent at lethal concentrations than at sub-lethal concentrations.

Encouraging coercive control: militarisation and classical crowd theory in Turkish protest policing

The coercive character of protest policing is a tangible problem in Turkey. Since the resurgence of contentious politics from the late 1980s, major issues in protest policing have been officially recognised, and eventually addressed by public authorities with an agenda of reform. However, the excessive use of force by the police, even in the face of predominantly peaceful protests, lingered on well into the past decade, leaving behind dozens of dead citizens and thousands injured. In this article, I consult two main concepts, militarisation and police knowledge, to understand the institutional factors that underpin the repressive policing practices in Turkey. Among the different aspects of militarisation, I am particularly interested in the proliferation and adoption of less-lethal weapons in the strategies of protest control, while by police knowledge, I largely refer to the role of crowd theory in shaping the mind-set of the police and their behaviour on the street. Drawing on the theoretical debates in the literature and a variety of empirical sources, I argue that the growing reliance on less-lethal weapons, on the one hand, and police knowledge conditioned by classical crowd theory, on the other, encourage, if not propel, coercive styles of policing at public protests in Turkey.

Fresh water fish, Channa punctatus, as a model for pendimethalin genotoxicity testing: A new approach toward aquatic environmental contaminants.

Pendimethalin (PND) is one of the common herbicides used worldwide. Fresh water fish, Channa punctatus, was exposed to PND in aquaria wherein its LC50 value was recorded to be 3.6 mg/L. Three sublethal (SL) concentrations, namely, 0.9, 1.8, and 2.7 mg/L were selected for the evaluation of genotoxicity and oxidative stress generated in the fish. In vivo comet assay was carried out in the blood, liver, and gill cells after exposing the fish to aforesaid SL concentrations of PND for 24, 48, 72, and 96 h. The results of the comet assay demonstrated the genotoxicity of PND in all the three tissues. Induction of oxidative stress in the gill cells was affirmed by the increased lipid peroxidation (LPO) and decreased levels of reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and catalase. Frequencies of erythrocytic nuclear abnormalities (ENA) and micronuclei (MN) were also used to assess the genotoxic potential of PND on C. punctatus. MN frequency did not show any enhancement after PND exposure, but the frequency of ENA such as kidney-shaped nuclei, segmented nuclei and lobed nuclei, showed a significant increase after 24-96 h. Thus, ENA seems to be a better biomarker than MN for PND induced genotoxicity. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 31: 1520-1529, 2016.

Volatile compounds and microbial development in sonicated cloudy apple juices: preliminary results

Two studies (storage and challenge tests) investigated the microbial shelf life combined with a semi-quantitative determination of volatile compounds of cloudy apple juices after power ultrasound (US) treatment. The sublethal injury of spoiler yeasts (Candida parapsilosis and Rhodotorula glutinis) was also evaluated. The maximum effect of sonication was observed 14 days post-treatment in both tests, especially on psychrotrophic count. Sublethal injury occurred only in C. parapsilosis. Microbiological data estimated the shelf life of sonicated juices to be around 21 days. The typical aroma compounds of the raw juices decreased quickly in control samples compared with sonicated ones. The flavor stability provided by US treatment seemed to be maintained for at least the first 14 days of cold storage. The US affected the shelf life of raw apple juices, probably due to yeast sublethal stress; some specific aroma compounds could be used as freshness or treatment markers.

База данных "Оружие нелетального действия" как инструмент прогнозирования рисков развития ОНД-технологий

База данных "Оружие нелетального действия" как инструмент прогнозирования рисков развития ОНД-технологий

DUAL USE RESEARCH OF CONCERN: DERIVATIVES OF 3-QUINUCLIDINYL BENZILATE (BZ)

Summary Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC) deals with the unintended consequences of and development and is particularly acute in the area of drug development. The United States National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) has defined DURC as research that, based on current understanding, can be reasonably anticipated to provide knowledge, products, or technologies that could be directly misapplied by others to pose a threat to public health, agriculture, plants, animals, the environment, or materiel” (1). One particular receptor antagonist and glycolate anticholinergic compound (BZ, QNB or 3 -quinuclidinyl benzilate) was stockpiled by the United States as a non-lethal chemical weapon that incapacitates and severely degrades the capability of exposed individuals (2). Given time and medical treatment, combatants and non-combatants exposed to such incapacitating agents could recover without any long-term effects. The purpose of this review is to identify potential new and more potent incapacitating agents based on the structures of BZ or atropine using peer reviewed publications of new pharmaceutical agents. A number of peer reviewed studies have reported on compounds with effects observed at lower concentrations than or comparable to BZ suggesting that these compounds could also be developed as potential chemical incapacitating chemical warfare agents and represent good examples of the principal of Dual Use Research of Concern.