Sublethal Research Articles

Lethal v. Non-Lethal Weapons. Legal Analysis of the Use of Weapons

Lethal v. Non-Lethal Weapons. Legal Analysis of the Use of Weapons

Canada and the situation around Ukraine

Canada is one of the most active participants in the policy of the West towards Ukraine. It operates in all directions: expands its military presence in Europe, supplies Ukraine with non-lethal and lethal weapons, imposes tough anti-Russian sanctions, and accepts Ukrainian refugees. At the same time, Canada's political elite stands out for its harsh anti-Russian rhetoric. The purpose of the article is to summarize information about Canadian-Ukrainian relations during the Ukrainian crisis of 2022 (January-March 2022).

Knight’s move: the use of non-lethal weapons against civiliansduring an armed conflict

Knight’s move: the use of non-lethal weapons against civiliansduring an armed conflict

How to Assess the Impact of Non-Lethal Weapons

How to Assess the Impact of Non-Lethal Weapons

How to Assess the Impact of Non-Lethal Weapons

How to Assess the Impact of Non-Lethal Weapons

ESSENTIAL FEATURES AND FUNCTIONAL COMPONENTS OF MODERN UNCONVENTIONAL (HYBRID) CONFLICT

In the article the authors argue that the strategy and arsenal of hybrid (asymmetrical, unconventional) warfare in the contemporary world are fundamentally based on the qualitative changes that took place at the turn of the XXI century as a result of radical changes in the balance of power in the international arena, chaos in international relations, the development of new types of lethal and non-lethal weapons, new technologies of constructing and dismantling social communities with predetermined characteristics. These changes involved the conceptual framework, structure, strategy and tactics, forms and methods of the military and political confrontation between modern states and their blocks, as well as between states and non-governmental organisations.
 The authors identify the essential features and functional components of hybrid warfare, such as its latency phases; the remote undermining of national defense capabilities by non-military and non-contact means; breaching the international law of war; the integrated use of military methods as well as specific means of non-military, diplomatic, financial and economic, humanitarian pressure on a victim state. They also include the extensive use of anti-government groups and movements; illegal armed groups, separatists, irredentists, radical ethnic and religious groups, extremist organizations, and artificially constructed destructive groups; the privileged role of intelligence services, special operations forces and their use for engineering a powerful anti-government infrastructure designed to destabilize the legitimate state system; the priority role of targeted influence on public opinion through the extensive use of methods of information and psychological warfare and cyberwarfare.

CONCEPT AND SYSTEM OF IMPACT MUNITIONS USED IN LAW ENFORCEMENT

This article examines importance of impact munition based on new conceptual ideas related to humanization of forms and methods of law enforcement. It is emphasized that in implementation of public safety and the order of law enforcement agencies should meet requirements of the rule of law whereby human, his rights and freedoms are recognized as the highest values and determine the content and direction of the state and its legal institutions. It is emphasized that use of specific means contributes to implementation of this principle by creating opportunities to avoid injuries and casualties by law enforcement officers, ordinary citizens and among offenders directly. It is noted that specific means should be considered as protection means and separated from non-lethal weapons. Definition of specific protection means is given. The system of specialized protective equipment is considered because of a conceptual position: specialized protective equipment of law enforcement agencies is a basic concept and consists of subsystems that have their own structure. Place of specialized protective equipment in the system of specialized machinery of law enforcement agencies is determined. System of specialized protective equipment of and branches of these means are structured considering purpose of special means and tactical and technical features of their application in law enforcement activity.

On Weaponizing Cannabis

ABSTRACT Neither non-lethal violence nor psychochemical weapons are new concepts. History provides examples of attempts to use these both to limit the scope of war and to turn mind-altering compounds into weapons. One of these substances has been marijuana. Although previous efforts to find its military applications failed, the idea persists – as indicated by a US patent granted in 2017. As “weaponized cannabis” may again attract the interest of government agencies, the consequences of its potential deployment call for a debate. In an attempt to encourage such a discussion, in the context of the ongoing decriminalization/legalization of marijuana in some countries and US states, the article raises ethical issues pertaining to weaponized cannabinoids. It argues against the militarization of the drug, on the basis that such a development would constitute an ultimate instrumentalization of marijuana and result in a dangerous destabilizing reconstruction of its meaning along the lines of state coercion.

Differentiation of oleoresin capsicum sprays based on their capsaicinoid profiles

Oleoresin capsicum (OC) sprays, often referred to as 'pepper sprays', contain a solution of active compounds, exerting an irritating effect on the human body. The active component of OC sprays are capsaicinoids, obtained by extraction from peppers. The profiles (quantitative relations) of natural capsaicinoids depend on the plant material, they were extracted from. Pepper spray is a non-lethal weapon that should only be used for self-defense but is often used by criminals to attack and incapacitate victims. Evidence related to these types of incidents, such as containers, clothes of victims or suspects, as well as traces of substances found at the scene, are submitted to the forensic laboratory. The purpose of the analysis is to identify the ingredients of the preparation (especially active components) and compare the traces found on objects from the victim or the scene of the incident with the preparation from the can or traces found on objects related to the suspect. The study aimed to investigate the possibility of differentiating OC gases based on capsaicinoid profiles recorded in GC-MS analyses. Sixty-four gases from 12 different manufacturers were purchased and tested.The likelihood ratio (LR) approach was applied to the data expressing the relative capsaicinoids contents computed by integrating GC-MS signals. Two hypotheses were assumed that stated either common or different origins of the samples. Several LR models have been developed, and their performance has been controlled by the number of false positives and false negatives as well as empirical cross entropy.The research results showed that differentiation was very successful, with more than 90% of correct responses. The results obtained show that OC sprays may be distinguished, even if they were produced by the same producer presumably if produced using different batches of pepper extract.

Special acoustic devices of law enforcement agencies: a short history, medical and biological effects on the hearing organ

Relevance. The introduction of special acoustic devices into the security system necessitates a medical and biological assessment of the impact of acoustic signals.Intention – To analyze domestic and foreign literature on the history of acoustic weapons and their medical and biological effects, as well as to study current ideas about sound-induced damage to operators of this equipment and exposed persons.Methodology. In this paper, we analyzed domestic and foreign publications (monographs, articles) about creation and use of special acoustic devices as non-lethal acoustic weapons. Besides, regulatory documents on safe levels of noise exposure were analyzed. PubMed, Russian Science Citation Index, Сonsultant plus database were also searched.Results and Discussion. Non-lethal acoustic weapons were developed and their effects studied mainly by foreign researchers (USA, UK). Sources of special acoustic signals (sound generators, cannons, grenades) are mainly used to disperse crowds of people and control illegal actions against law-enforcement officers. Such weapons are widely used by foreign police and military personnel (USA, Georgia, Ukraine etc.). Only a few publications in Russian describe special acoustic effects on the hearing organ of animals and humans.Conclusion. Safety assessment of acoustic effects of special devices is very important and requires further study in relation to the national legislation.

Research on Modeling and Simulation of Head Injury Assessment Based on LSDYNA Software Technology

In the anti-terrorism and anti-riot missions, there have been many kinds of excessive injury caused by the use of kinetic energy projectiles as a non-lethal weapon, so it is urgent to predict its wounding effect scientifically in order to assess the safety in actual combat. In order to study the injury power of SIR-X sponge grenade (SIR-X for short) impacting the head, LSDYNA software was used to simulate the process of SIR-X vertically impacting the temporal region of the head of the fourth generation THUMS 50 percentile standing virtual human AM50 model (AM50 for short). Taking the maximum effective range of the SIR-X as a reference, the maximum TICP and contact force at the corresponding impact velocity of 86m/s were calculated to be 178.25kPa and 9.516kN, respectively. Both results are bigger than the brain injury thresholds for the human maximum transient intracranial pressure inside the cisterna magna and the maximum force on the human head, severe skull fractures were likely to occur.

Development and Validation of TSFEM to Blunt Impact Based On Artificial Intelligence and Information Technology

The numerical simulation method is highly repeatable and has a short research cycle, which has been widely popular in predicting blunt ballistic impact to the thorax. A Thorax Simplified Finite Element Model (TSFEM) of projectile-structure interaction was developed by using ABAQUS software. The projectiles made of plastic stick which were used in Bir’s whole body impact testing. The force dynamic response, deflection dynamic response and force - deflection dynamic response were obtained, and validated with the test response corridors of the human body (PMHS) announced by the researchers of Wayne State University, we confirmed the finite element model can be used to predict the ballistic blunt thorax injury risk, in order to provide certain reference to further formulate and assess the design criterion and injury criterion of non-lethal kinetic energy weapons.

Winning the Gray Zone: The importance of intermediate force capabilities in implementing the National Defense Strategy

While the United States must always be ready to prevail during a high-end conflict --and overwhelming lethality represents a significant deterrent to conflict in the first place --the Nation must also be able to overwhelmingly compete and deter activity short of traditional armed conflict. In the language of emerging Joint Doctrine, this is known as the “Competition Below Armed Conflict” portion of the “Competition Continuum.” It is also referred to as the Gray Zone, Hybrid Warfare or Irregular Warfare. Winning in the Gray Zone means completing the “deterrence equation,” that is, precluding adversary aggression in competition below armed conflict with intermediate force capabilities (IFCs) in a manner similar to equipping the U.S. military element of national power with overwhelming lethality as a deterrent to armed conflict. IFCs, which include non-lethal weapons as well as other non-lethal tools, will bridge the gap that exists between a mission of mere presence and the use of lethal effects. These capabilities allow active measures when presence alone is insufficient to deter malign activities or when the use of lethal or destructive force is neither desired nor appropriate. The addition of IFCs to the Joint Force’s toolkit will help the Services maintain a decisive advantage over strategic competitors, in addition to the lethal force that is the hallmark of the U.S. military.

X-ray fluorescent spectral analysis in forensic medical assessment of injuries caused by electric shock devices

Introduction and purpose. Electroshock devices are a type of non-lethal weapon and are widely used. The systematized data concerning the forensic medical assessment of injuries caused by electric shock devices are extremely limited. The purpose of the study was to increase the efficiency of forensic assessment of injuries caused by electroshock devices by using the methods of elemental analysis, namely, X-ray fluorescence spectral analysis. Methods. During the experiment, the electric discharges were applied to the skin flaps using electric shock devices under two conditions, namely, in close contact of the ESD electrodes with the skin and from a distance of 3-5 mm. A macroscopic study of skin changes obtained due to the electric impact of electric shock devices was carried out, as well as X-ray fluorescence spectral analysis to establish qualitative and quantitative indicators of the chemical elemental composition of the studied objects. Results. It was found that under the condition of causing damage from a distance the formation of macroscopically visible changes resembling the typical electric burn was observed. No increase in the concentration of chemical elements (metals) is determined in all samples of biological material after the impact of electric discharges of ESD in this condition. Under the condition of close contact of the electrodes of electric shock devices with the surface of the skin no macroscopically distinguishable lesions were found on the skin. The XRF spectral analysis revealed metal deposits in the areas of skin flaps that were subject to ESD. Conclusion. The XRF spectral analysis can be useful tool for objective confirmation of the action of electroshock devices.

Accurate analysis of limiting human dose of non-lethal laser weapons

In order to maximize the lethality and reversibility of the non-lethal laser weapons (NLLW) at the same time and thus provide a theoretical basis for the R&D of laser weapons in the future, this paper accurately analyzed the limiting biological dose of irreversible damage to human skin caused by the NLLW. Firstly, based on the burn theory in medicine and the actual tactical background, this paper redefines the evaluation criteria of the limiting laser dose of NLLW to the human body. Secondly, on the basis of anatomical knowledge, a 5-layer finite element model (FEM) of superficial skin is proposed, constructed and verified, which can accurately describe the limiting reversible damage. Based on the optimized Pennes bioheat transfer equation, the diffusion approximation theory, the modified Beer-Lambert law, the Arrhenius equation, and combined with dynamic thermophysical parameters, this paper highly restored the temperature distribution and accurately solved the necrotic tissue distribution inside the human skin irradiated by 1064 nm laser. Finally, it is concluded that the maximum human dose of the 1064 nm NLLW is 8.93 J/cm2, 8.29J/cm2, and 8.17 J/cm2 when the light spots are 5 mm, 10 mm and 15 mm, respectively, and the corresponding output power of the weapon is 46.74 W,173.72 W and 384.77 W. Simultaneously, the temperature and damage distribution in the tissue at the time of ultimate damage are discussed from the axial and radial dimensions, respectively. The conclusions and analysis methods proposed in this paper are of great guiding significance for future research in military, medical and many other related fields.

Law Enforcement and Persons with Mental Illness: Responding Responsibly

According to a Washington Post database, in the USA, police-involved shootings have killed over 5680 people since January 1, 2015, with 1359 (23%) of those deaths involving a person with a mental illness. It has been asserted by Fuller et al. that people with an untreated mental illness are approximately 16 times more likely to be killed in a police-involved shooting than other community members. In response to this issue, several practices have been implemented to help prevent negative outcomes in police and person with mental illness interactions and promote safety for all involved parties. Three practices have developed into models for police departments which include the following: Community Oriented Policing, Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) programs and training, and co-responder mental health teams. In addition to the foregoing three practices, other individual-level approaches and techniques can be implemented that are evidence-informed, such as increased utilization of stress-reduction training techniques and implicit bias training. Based on an additional examination of the existing literature, this problem can be addressed at the macro level, through amending policies and procedures (e.g., use-of-force guidelines, use of community-review board) as well as increased access to non-lethal weapons, presence of civilians on the police staff roster, and utilization of special consideration response registries. This review aims to incorporate existing literature in an effort to synthesize best practice responses for law enforcement in improving outcomes related to interactions with persons with mental illness.

A Study on How to Overcome Crisis Management against Drone Threat

During the Fourth Revolution, the unmanned aerial vehicle sector is used not only for commercial transportation but also for reconnaissance and attack on battlefield areas in the military, and the development of unmanned aerial vehicles is emerging as a new type of threat. Through a comparative analysis of current and new response weapons, the effectiveness and cost of the response weapon system, management factors, and combatant minimization were analyzed. The development of a new concept response weapon system requires the establishment of a more efficient air defense system, and the development and necessity of laser weapons, a new concept response weapon suitable for the fourth revolution, were studied. By converting current military aircraft into oriented energy laser weapons among non-lethal weapons such as high-power microwave, high-power electromagnetic waves, and high-energy weapon systems, the development of various types of laser weapon systems will be able to develop for each army, navy, and air force.

The Interconnection between Masks and Oral Health

In healthy individuals, the immune system processes pathogens with a natural immune response that is mild and non-lethal [1];however in diseased tissues like the gum disease (Periodontitis), the immune system is compromised- which overreact to affect other organs and tissues During the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918-1919, common people, not just medical professionals were mandated to wear gauze face mask to limit the spread of the disease, and non-compliance led to tines, public ridicule and sometimes jail time [3] The oral cavity supports about 700 bacterial which are involved in the differentiation and maturation of immune cells, maintenance of the immune system and balance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory processes in the immune cells which are basically Neutrophils, T cells, B cells, monocytes, macrophages dendritic cells

Nonuniform Exposure to the Cornea from Millimeter Waves

This study examines the nonuniform exposure to the cornea from incident millimeter waves at 94-100 GHz. Two previous studies measured temperature increases in the rhesus cornea exposed to brief (1-6 s) pulses of high-fluence millimeter waves (94 GHz), one of which also estimated thresholds for corneal damage (reported as ED50, the dose resulting in a visible lesion 50% of the time). Both studies noted large variations in the temperature increase across the surface of the cornea due to wave interference effects. This study examines this variability using high-resolution simulations of mm-wave absorption and temperature increase in the human cornea from exposures to plane wave energy at 100 GHz. Calculations are based on an earlier study. The simulations show that the peak temperature increases in the cornea from short exposures (up to 10 s) to high-intensity mm-wave pulses are 1.7-2.8 times the median increase depending on the polarization of the incident energy. A simple one-dimensional "baseline" model provides a good estimate of the median temperature increase in the cornea. Two different estimates are presented for the thresholds for producing thermal lesions, expressed in terms of the minimum fluence of incident 100 GHz pulses. The first estimate is based on thresholds for thermal damage from pulsed infrared energy, and the second is based on a thermal damage model. The mm-wave pulses presently considered far exceed current IEEE or ICNIRP exposure limits but may be produced by some nonlethal weapons systems. Interference effects due to wave reflections from structures in and near the eye result in highly localized variations in energy absorbed in the cornea and surrounding facial tissues and are important to consider in a hazard analysis for exposures to intense pulsed millimeter waves.

B.2.16 is a non-lethal modifier of the Dark82 mosaic eye phenotype in Drosophila melanogaster.

Genetic screens have been used to identify genes involved in the regulation of different biological processes. We identified growth mutants in a Flp/FRT screen using the Drosophila melanogaster eye to identify conditional regulators of cell growth and cell division. One mutant identified from this screen, B.2.16, was mapped and characterized by researchers in undergraduate genetics labs as part of the Fly-CURE. We find that B.2.16 is a non-lethal genetic modifier of the Dark82 mosaic eye phenotype.