Use Of Gun Research Articles

The Effects of Massage Guns on Performance and Recovery: A Systematic Review.

The use of massage guns has become increasingly popular in recent years. Although their use is more and more common, both in a clinical and sports context, there is still little information to guide the practitioners. This systematic review aimed to determine the effects of massage guns in healthy and unhealthy populations as pre- and post-activity or part of a treatment. Data sources used were PubMed, PEDro, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science and Google Scholar, and the study eligibility criteria were based on "healthy and unhealthy individuals", "massage guns", "pre-activity, post-activity or part of a treatment" and "randomized and non-randomized studies" (P.I.C.O.S.). Initially, 281 records were screened, but only 11 could be included. Ten had a moderate risk of bias and one a high risk of bias. Massage guns could be effective in improving iliopsoas, hamstrings, triceps suralis and the posterior chain muscles' flexibility. In strength, balance, acceleration, agility and explosive activities, it either did not have improvements or it even showed a decrease in performance. In the recovery-related outcomes, massage guns were shown to be cost-effective instruments for stiffness reduction, range of motion and strength improvements after a fatigue protocol. No differences were found in contraction time, rating of perceived exertion or lactate concentration. Massage guns can help to improve short-term range of motion, flexibility and recovery-related outcomes, but their use in strength, balance, acceleration, agility and explosive activities is not recommended.

Variable Velocity Coating Thickness Distribution Model for Super-Large Planar Robot Spraying

This study proposed a dynamic optimization method for spray gun flow to address the issue of uneven film thickness in the acceleration and deceleration section of the z-shaped spray trajectory in large plane ship segments. The method takes into account the acceleration and deceleration section of the spray trajectory and improves the film thickness distribution. The study first established a static vertical spray coating growth model of the spray gun without considering the acceleration and deceleration of the spray trajectory. Then, we used an integral method to optimize the coating uniformity and established a film thickness distribution model. The optimization of spray speed and spray spacing is crucial in the use of variable flow spray guns. It is assumed that the acceleration and deceleration sections of the spraying trajectory are linear and symmetrical, which forms the basis for establishing a mathematical model for the variable flow spray gun. To determine the flow of the spray gun at different speeds in the acceleration and deceleration sections, the pattern search method was adopted. A section of a ship was used as an example for this study. In this study, we utilized numerical simulations to compare the uniformity of paint film thickness when using a spray gun with a constant flow versus variable flow. The results indicate that when taking into account the acceleration and deceleration section of the spray trajectory, the film thickness was more uniform with a variable flow. These findings demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.

American society keeps a lid on the number of deaths from guns and car accidents but not from mass shootings

The number of deaths from car accidents and from the unlawful use of guns can be described by logistic growth curves. The annual rates of both have traced completed logistic trajectories following which they have been self-regulated for many decades at what seems to be a homeostatic equilibrium level through legislative actions. Exception constitutes the number of deaths from mass shootings, which has been so far tracing an exponential trajectory. Despite the fact that mass-shooting deaths represent only 0.1 % of all gun deaths today, they are poised to continue growing exponentially until they become the major cause of gun deaths, short of unprecedented action by society.

Vision-threatening ocular injury secondary to calcium carbide gun use in Indian children and young adults: A case series

Ocular injury, a significant risk factor for acquired visual impairment, is common among children and young adults during Indian festivals. However, calcium carbide gun-induced ocular injuries have rarely been reported. The current manuscript describes the clinical profile and sociodemographic information of five young male patients from central India who were injured while using cheap carbide guns with no safety features bought from local vendors/made at home using online information. All patients had monocular injuries (eyelid edema, conjunctival congestion, corneal opacification, and limbal ischemia) with vision loss ranging from 6/36 to no light perception. Improper handling, easy availability, low cost, and lack of awareness of risks contributed to the incident. Therefore, it is recommended that public awareness be generated, and restrictions are imposed on the widespread unlicensed sale of carbide guns and raw materials.

Improving the Spreading Pattern of Precision Rifles by Modelling and Optimising Barrel Harmonics

In the use of precision long guns, there is a continuous effort to improve accuracy and precision, in other words the accuracy of the weapons. These characteristics of the weapons are determined by the consistency of the whole “weapon system”. In this article, we will explore the application of a method that offers a relatively low-cost development opportunity for sport shooters and shooters who use manual ammunition assembly (reloading), which can greatly improve the accuracy of the weapon. The method described in this article adjusts the time the projectile spends in the barrel to achieve a pre-calculated state of barrel deflection and vibration. To do this, it varies the ammunition assembly parameters (load size, seating depth, neck extraction force, etc.) to tune the internal ballistic processes in the weapon. The procedure is referred to in the literature as “Optimal Barrel Time” (OBT).

Incidence of Eye Trauma in Children Associated With Foam Bullets or Foam Darts From Nonpowder Guns

This case series estimates the annual incidence of pediatric eye injuries associated with recreational use of nonpowder guns at an ophthalmologic emergency department in France.

In the Name of Love or Hatred: a Systematic Comparison Between Filicide-Suicide and Mariticide/Uxoricide-Suicide in Hong Kong.

While much of work on homicide-suicide (HS) arises out of the USA and the UK, there is a paucity of research on HS outside of the Anglo-American sphere. This paper investigates HS in Hong Kong (HK), comparing the subtypes of filicide-suicide (FS) and mariticide/uxoricide-suicide (MUS) in that context as a means of testing the generalizability of past studies. Data from the HK Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government and the HK Police Force reports retrieved 156 cases from 2000 to 2019. In that timeframe, HS resulted in 261 deaths, with MUS being the most prevalent type of HS. Male offenders and female victims are more commonly seen. Offenders are generally older than their victims, and over half of offenders are married. FS and MUS display distinct characteristics in terms of offender and victim demographics, relationship dynamics, motives, and mode of killing. Depressed mothers tend to victimize their sons in FS as a means of saving their sons from a perceived miserable future, whereas male offenders aggress upon their female partners in MUS to alleviate their own frustrations, subsequently dying by suicide out of sorrow or a fear of consequence. MUS offenders are more hostile towards their victims and tend to kill with aggressive means, whereas FS offenders are more likely to kill with altruistic motives and with minimal force. These results match patterns of MUS and FS in the Anglo-American sphere, but with some important differences in terms of the use of guns and the presence of altruistic killing.

Size-resolved chemical composition and toxicity of particles released from refit operations in shipyards

Ship refit and repair operations in shipyards generate aerosol emissions with high potential for environmental impacts. Metal-bearing nano-, fine and coarse particles are incidentally formed and can be released to indoor and ambient air and the aquatic environment. This work aimed to further the understanding of these impacts by characterising particle size-resolved chemical composition (15 nm – 10 μm), organophosphate esters (OPEs) content (e.g., plasticisers) and cytotoxic and genotoxic potential. Results showed that nanoparticle emissions (20–110 nm) took place in bursts, coinciding with the use of mechanical abraders and spray-painting guns. Tracers of these activities were Sc, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Rb, Nb, and Cs. Key components were V and Cu, probably sourcing from nanoadditives in the coatings. Abrasion of coatings also emitted OPEs, especially from old paints. Toxicity assessments consistently evidenced hazardous potential for the different endpoints assessed, for a number of samples. Exposures to spray-painting aerosols were linked with reduced cell viability (cytotoxicity), significant generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and increases in micronuclei frequency (genotoxicity). Even though spray-painting did not contribute significantly to aerosol mass or number concentrations, it was a major driver of potential health effects. Results suggest that aerosol chemical composition (e.g., content in nano-sized Cu or V) may have a larger impact on toxicity than aerosol concentration. While direct human exposures may be prevented using personal and collective protective equipment and environmental release can be minimised by enclosures and filtration systems, impacts on ambient air and the aquatic environment cannot be fully prevented. The continued use of good practices (exhaust, dilution, general ventilation systems, PPE, already in place) is encouraged to reduce inhalation exposures inside the tents. Understanding the size-resolved chemical and toxicological properties of aerosols is key to reducing human health and environmental impacts of ship refit operations in shipyards.

Proceedings from the Second Medical Summit on Firearm Injury Prevention, 2022: Creating a Sustainable Healthcare Coalition to Advance a Multidisciplinary Public Health Approach.

Proceedings from the Second Medical Summit on Firearm Injury Prevention, 2022: Creating a Sustainable Healthcare Coalition to Advance a Multidisciplinary Public Health Approach.

School Shootings, Protests, and the Gun Culture in the United States

Abstract Scholars document that attitudes toward guns and gun policy reflect deeply entrenched cultures that overlap with ideological affiliations and party politics. Does exposure to dramatic events such as school shootings and protests regarding gun control affect these patterns? I explore two aspects of the gun culture: attitudes favoring (or rejecting) stricter gun policies and the number of memberships in a key organization supporting the expansion of gun rights, the National Rifle Association (NRA). I first argue that school shootings are significant triggering events that become associated with attitudes favoring gun restrictions. A second argument holds that while triggering events such as school shootings reinvigorate the growth of a gun-rights organization, school shootings that are also accompanied by gun-control protests will decrease growth in that organization. To examine these ideas, I combine information from national exit poll data on respondents’ attitudes toward gun policy with state-level information on the counts of recent school shootings, gun-policy protests, existing laws restricting gun use, and membership in the NRA. To minimize problems associated with observational data, the analysis of public opinion applies Coarsened Exact Matching techniques followed by analysis using mixed-level logit. The second analysis uses data on gun control protests, school shootings, and NRA memberships in states over time. Results show that conservatives (but not liberals) exposed to more school shootings favor more restrictive gun policies. The second, longitudinal analysis found that there is a significant interaction effect between increases in school shootings and gun control protests that diminishes NRA memberships significantly.

Analysis of the factors influencing multiple uses of crime guns: An exploratory study

PurposeA broad body of literature has explored the topic of gun violence in the United States. The characteristics of communities, victims, and offenders have each been used to explain variation in gun crime. Less attention has been given to covariates of repeat use of crime guns. We examine the influence of neighborhood and initial incident characteristics on the odds that crime guns will be used in multiple incidents. MethodsWe apply binary logistic regression to a sample of 309 crime guns used in offenses in a city in the Southeastern U.S. to examine how neighborhood and initial incident characteristics influence the likelihood that a crime gun will be used in multiple incidents. ResultsWe find that neighborhood levels of disadvantage and violence, gang involvement during the initial incident, and time in circulation following initial use in a known crime impact the odds that crime guns will be used in more than one offense. ConclusionsTaken together, the findings lead to clear policy implications in terms of improved police-community relations, reconceptualization of case closures, and prioritization of crime gun seizures.

Transfusion Transmission of Syphilis and HIV from Earlobe Piercing in Tattoo Clinic – A Case Study from the Coal Capital of India

The practices of body piercing and tattoos have gained popularity, but, they also pose a risk of transmitting diseases. This article details a case of a young male individual who acquired HIV subsequent to undergoing earlobe piercing at a nearby tattoo parlour. A 28-year-old male, who was in good condition overall, received a diagnosis of HIV following testing positive for treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay (TPHA) after frontal palmar rashes. The diagnosis of syphilis and HIV was incongruous with his stated behaviour, and the stated reasons were not acknowledged by the counsellors. The patient was notified about our research emphasis in the Department of Community Medicine and requested our aid in identifying the underlying reason for his HIV and TPHA positive. The patient and his parents had a thorough history assessment, which eliminated all recognised potential modes of HIV transmission. After ruling out all other possible means of transmission, it was determined that the patient’s HIV and TPHA positivity may be attributed to the use of a tattoo gun for earlobe piercing to insert diamond studs at a local tattoo parlour. The widespread establishment of tattoo parlours throughout the nation presents a potential hazard to adolescents, who may acquire HIV without participating in activities associated with the high risk of transmission. Tattoo parlours must provide education to their clients, adhere to strict hygienic and sterile protocols and undergo government inspections to verify compliance with hygiene and sterilisation regulations.

Carnival and the Theme of Migration

Carnival and the Theme of Migration

Enhancing the defense application with ANSYS model of thermoelectric generation for coil gun

The concept and functioning of coil guns were investigated after soldiers used reusable and multipurpose rounds in their rifles during combat. Traditional firearms use gunpowder, which limits the gun's use to a single function and quickly depletes the ammo supply. The coil gun, which uses electrical energy harvested from a Bio-thermal energy harvester, allows multifunctional bullets to be used in a rifle during an emergency without exploding. As coil cannon projectiles, deflected bullets or bullet shells from the battlefield can be used if necessary. This means that energy collecting and conversion for autonomous and flexible wearable technologies, as well as other applications like Internet of Things (IoTs), military, industrial, consumer and non-consumer domains, will become an extensively explored topic. Nowadays, energy independence is a hot concern thanks to flexible gadgets' rising popularity. Thermoelectric energy harvesting, a potential new method to gather easily accessible body heat, is particularly well-suited to the wearing of sensors and electronics. A coil gun battery can be charged using a thermoelectric generator (TEG), which can harness energy from the human body. The thermoelectric generator and charger can both be found in a single patch that can be worn. The TEG ANSYS model is used in this research project. Human body heat can be used to power highly specialized applications like medical ones since it is reliable and natural. The average human body produces roughly 100 W of heat while at rest, and about 525 W of heat while exercising.

A meta-analysis of the impact of community policing on crime reduction

Over the last few decades, many studies have been conducted to understand whether community policing (CP) has an impact on reducing crime rates. Yet there is still substantial controversy surrounding the question of the impact of CP on crime rates. Despite the broad understanding of CP, various types of measurement of crime statistics have led research- ers to conduct meta-analyses of the phenomenon. This study combines two previous meta-analyses of CP and Turkish and English online searches. We used the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA 3.0) statistical program to calculate the effect sizes of previous studies. We employed odds ratio (OR) as the effect size, since it is one of the most appropriate methods for proportions. We found no evidence suggesting that CP has an impact on reducing disorders, drug sales, or property crime, but it does have an impact on reducing crimes such as burglary, gun use, drug use, Part I crimes, and robbery, as well as fear of crime. Depending on crime type, CP can be a promising policing strategy to reduce crimes. und a statistically significant, positive impact of CP, despite the limitations of including only Turkish- and English-language studies.

All the gear: The prevalence and perceived effectiveness of recovery strategies used by triathletes

BackgroundTo minimise the deleterious effects of fatigue and muscle soreness and maintain availability for training and competition, triathletes may implement recovery strategies that act on various physiological, biomechanical, neurological or psychological domains. However, the use of common recovery strategies is yet to be investigated in this population. Methods322 triathletes (109 female, 212 male) of varying competition levels from 39 countries participated in the current study. Participants completed an anonymous online survey to determine their use and perceived effectiveness of various recovery strategies. Multiple chi-square tests were conducted to examine the association between training week type (normal vs post-competition), preferred event distance (short or long course), competition level and use of recovery strategies. ResultsThe most frequently used recovery strategies during normal training weeks were active recovery (51%), stretching (47%) and additional sleep (32%), while foam rolling (35%), massage guns (20%) and compression garments (19%) were the most commonly used recovery devices. The use of active recovery, additional sleep and professional massage was significantly (p = <.002) more common in the week following a competitive event than during a normal training week. Long course triathletes were more likely to use intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) devices (p = .008) and hydrotherapy (p = .05) than were short-course triathletes. ConclusionActive recovery, additional sleep and stretching are the preferred recovery choices for triathletes of all levels, though the use of foam rolling, massage guns and compression garments is common in this population. Active recovery, additional sleep and professional massage are more frequently used by triathletes in the week following a competitive event and are perceived to be the most effective recovery strategies overall.

(Invited) Carbon Nanotubes for Plant Genetic Engineering

Plants will benefit from genetic engineering to feed our growing global population in the midst of climate change, to provide our most clinically-relevant drugs, and for our environmental remediation efforts. New generation genome engineering technologies, such as CRISPR/Cas, hold the potential to alter plant genes in a precise and targeted manner. The first step of any plant genetic engineering application is to deliver important biomolecular cargoes into the desired subcellular locations of plant cells. However, the limitations of traditional plant gene delivery methods, i.e. Agrobacterium and gene gun, prevent plant genetic engineering from reaching its full potential.Given the lack of efficient biomolecule delivery vehicles to plants and potential impact of plant biotechnology on food security and sustainability, we developed nanoparticle-based platforms to efficiently deliver small interfering RNA1,2 and plasmid DNA3,4 cargoes into plant cells in a species-independent manner, which eliminates the use of gene gun and addresses the main delivery bottlenecks of plant genetic engineering. We show that pristine single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) can adsorb small interfering RNA molecules through pi-pi stacking for plant delivery, whereas a covalently modified and positively charged SWCNT platform is more efficient for large double-stranded DNA delivery to mature plant leaf cells.This talk will first briefly summarize the development, characterization and biological verification of each nanoparticle platform for plant delivery applications. Next, I will present our recent results of CRISPR/Cas gene editing in plant leaves using the SWCNT DNA delivery platform5. The talk will be concluded by discussing the several assays performed to demonstrate the effect of nanoparticles on plant health, including an RNA-sequencing analysis of nanoparticle-treated plant leaves6. We believe the SWCNT delivery technologies that are discussed in this talk will have an immense impact on food security and sustainability by enabling the generation of improved plants that can rapidly reach the market in a cost-effective manner. Demirer G.S.*, Zhang H.* et al., DNA Nanostructures Coordinate Gene Silencing in Mature Plants. PNAS (2019). Demirer G.S. et al., Carbon Nanocarriers Deliver siRNA to Intact Plant Cells for Efficient Gene Knockdown. Science Advances (2020). Demirer G.S. et al., High Aspect Ratio Nanomaterials Enable Delivery of Functional Genetic Material Without Transgenic DNA Integration in Mature Plants. Nature Nanotechnology (2019). Demirer G.S. et al., Carbon nanotube–mediated DNA delivery without transgene integration in intact plants. Nature Protocols (2019). Demirer G.S. et al., Nanotechnology to advance CRISPR–Cas genetic engineering of plants. Nature Nanotechnology (2021).González-Grandío E., Demirer, G.S. et al. Carbon nanotube biocompatibility in plants is determined by their surface chemistry. bioRxiv (2021).

Guns, Classrooms, and Politics: Eliciting and Reflecting Upon Education Student Beliefs in the Age of School Shootings

Unearthing the perspectives students bring with them in their college-level education coursework is especially important as education instructors are tasked with interrupting the unexamined proliferation of dominant ideologies among future educational professionals. The introduction to education course serves as an important site for this interrogation. One trend largely unexplored in the scholarly literature is the pedagogical use of controversy in introduction to education coursework. This study analyzes student discussion of the controversy of school gun violence within a redesigned introduction to education course. Data for this study come from student postings and final reflection papers in an online section of that course. Qualitative analysis of student thinking reveal three themes regarding U.S. school gun violence: gun violence as political intrusion into schools, gun policy as marginalizing and legitimizing presence, and gun use as professional boundary for teachers. These themes provide insight into the ways education students conceptualize teachers, professional educators, and the context of schooling. The student interactions and reflections in this study also suggest that scaffolded discussions of school gun violence present a poignant opportunity for education coursework to foster authentic student reflection on the policy, politics, and professions associated with American education.

Defensive gun use: What can we learn from news reports?

BackgroundIn the past decade, most people who buy and own guns are doing so for self-defense. Yet little is known about actual defensive gun use in the USA.MethodsTo discover what information newspaper articles and local news reports might add, we read the news reports of defensive use incidents assembled by the Gun Violence Archive. We examined a sample of more than a quarter of the incidents from 2019, the last year before the pandemic. We examined all cases from four months—January, April, July, and October. We created a typology of defensive gun use incidents.ResultsOf 418 incidents, in about half, the perpetrator was armed with a firearm. In almost 90% of the cases, the victim fired their firearm—315 perpetrators were shot and about half of them died. The average number of perpetrators shot per incident was 0.75; the average number of victims shot was 0.25. We estimate that in 2019 fewer than 600 potential perpetrators were killed in defensive gun use incidents that made the news. Among the thirteen categories of shooting were drug-related (4% of incidents), gang-like combat (6%), romantic partner disputes (11%), escalating arguments (13%), store robberies (9%), street robberies (5%), unoccupied vehicle theft (5%), unarmed burglaries (7%), home invasions (20%), and miscellaneous (6%).ConclusionWe believe the Gun Violence Archive dataset includes the large majority of news reports of defensive gun use—and especially those in which the perpetrator is shot and dies. Some of the strengths of using news reports as a data source are that we can be certain that the incident occurred, and the reports provide us with a story behind the incident, one usually vetted in part by the police with occasional input from the victims, perpetrator, family, witnesses, or neighbors. Defensive gun use situations are quite diverse, and among the various categories of defensive gun use, a higher percentage of incidents in some of the categories seemed far less likely to be socially beneficial (e.g., drug-related, gang-like, escalating arguments) than in others (e.g., home invasions).

Dynamic Deformation and Perforation of Ellipsoidal Thin Shell Impacted by Flat-Nose Projectile.

Experimental and theoretical studies were carried out on the dynamic deformation and penetration response characteristics of metal ellipsoidal thin curved shells under impact loads. The deformation characteristics of the impacted ellipsoid shell was investigated via the use of a light gas gun to carry out impact loading experiments at different speeds. Ten cases of experiments were conducted with the impact velocities distributed between 25.69 m/s and 118.97 m/s. Stereo digital image correlation (3D-DIC) technology was applied to capture the dynamic deformation and penetration process of the impacted shell. The recovered shells were measured, and the deformation characteristics were analyzed, along with the dynamic evolution, as observed through 3D-DIC analysis. Based on the experimental results, the displacement mode was summarized and the displacement distribution of the locally impacted ellipsoid shell was proposed. The governing equations were derived for the dynamic deformation and penetration of the impacted ellipsoid shell by means of the Lagrange equation. The proposed theoretical model was verified based on the experimental results. Finally, the influence of the curvature distribution on the impact resistance of ellipsoidal shells is discussed. The results indicated that the proposed theoretical model was effective in analyzing the large deformation and the penetration speed. Stretching the axial length of the ellipsoid shell in the impact direction improved its resistance to penetration. Stretching the axial length of the ellipsoid shell perpendicular to the impact direction improved its resistance to deformation, but reduced its resistance to penetration. Maintaining the triaxial ratio and appropriately reducing the size of the ellipsoidal shell improved its resistance to both deformation and penetration. The above research provides a reference for the analysis of the impact resistance of thin-walled curved shell structures in engineering.