Victims Of Warfare Research Articles

Agency in Removal: How the Iowa Tribe Navigated War and Colonization Between 1812 and 1824

This thesis examines how the Iowa Tribe preservedits survival from 1812 to 1824. Rather than being victims of tribal warfare, asearly histories portrayed, it argues that Ioway leaders actively negotiatedwith rival tribes and colonial powers in the decade leading up to their firstremoval. Prior to the nineteenth century, the Iowa Tribe lived in most of themodern-day State of Iowa and Northern Missouri. The War of 1812 divided theIoway between allegiances to the United States and Great Britain but emergedunited under the leadership of Chief Hard Heart. The following decade sawincreased pressure from American settlement, and relations between the Iowayand Sauk and Meskwaki tribes deteriorated to the point where the Iowa Tribeleft behind their old villages on the Des Moines and Mississippi Rivers toreside with the Otoe in Northern Missouri. In 1824, in wake of Missouriachieving statehood, Ioway chiefs White Cloud and Great Walker signed awaytheir lands in Northern Missouri, beginning a long period of removal andattempts by the United States to assimilate the Iowa Tribe. Although they losttheir lands as a result of this agreement, the Iowa leaders’ pragmatismultimately preserved the tribe.

Poisonous Workplaces: What Workers Faced in British Chemical Weapons Factories.

Soldiers were not the only victims of chemical warfare in the twentieth century; the workers who produced these weapons also risked injury and death. Focusing on British chemical weapons factories during both world wars, this article advances our understanding of the human costs not only of war but also of the preparation for war. Technologies such as physical barriers, ventilation systems, protective equipment, and detection systems mitigated some hazards to workers, but financial constraints, wartime pressures, and limited knowledge of the damage caused by prolonged exposure to low levels of chemical weapons resulted in serious damage to workers' bodies.

‘Jihad literacy’: the legacy of US-sponsored textbooks for Afghan children

ABSTRACT This paper uses critical discourse analysis and critical literacy to analyze the first in a series of literacy primers developed with US support for children in Afghanistan in the 1980s, called ‘Jihad literacy’. The text is analyzed for its ideological content as related to the themes of religion, violence, and martyrdom in the historical perspective of the Cold War and the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. The paper demonstrates how the notion of ‘Jihad’ was subverted to promote a holy war against the Soviet invasion. The educational system supported by the US created a radical version of Islam based on violence and martyrdom, shaping the Afghan society to this day. We contend that the same or similar institutions shape current discourses as in the past and that children are the main victims of politico-economic warfare.

Militarized environment in narratives and practices of Russian medical personnel of the First World War

Based on the analysis of individual narratives and expert materials created by Russian doctors and nurses of mercy during the occupation of Galicia in the First World War, the article intends to reconstruct the models of perception of the hostile environment and the practice of its mastering by medical personnel. The appeal to ego-documents allows revealing little-studied aspects of the interaction between man and nature in the conditions of the first industrial war. On the one hand, natural conditions were the most important factor in the activities of doctors and nurses of mercy: the peculiarities of climate, soil and water determined the activities on medical support of the front, occupied regions and frontline territory. On the other hand, epidemiological practices based on the construction of negative images of alien nature had a direct impact on the state of the environment: disinfection of water, soil and air sources, and the spread of sanitary and hygienic infrastructure. In this regard, the perception of belligerent landscapes and their construction, the use of environmental images in the communication of medical professionals fit into a wide range of motifs and forms: nature as a victim of industrial warfare and an object of compassion, nature and the living beings inhabiting it as a space of epidemiological danger, nature as an object of potential control by means of disinfection.

Computer-assisted evaluation of small airway disease in CT scans of Iran-Iraq war victims of chemical warfare by a locally developed software: comparison between different quantitative methods

ObjectiveDiagnosis of small airway disease on computed tomography (CT) scans is challenging in patients with a history of chemical warfare exposure. We developed a software package based on different methodologies to identify and quantify small airway disease in CT images. The primary aim was to identify the best automatic methodology for detecting small airway disease in CT scans of Iran-Iraq War victims of chemical warfare.MethodsThis retrospective case–control study enrolled 46 patients with a history of chemical warfare exposure and 27 controls with inspiratory/expiratory (I/E) CT scans and spirometry tests. Image data were automatically segmented, and inspiratory images were registered into the expiratory images' frame using the locally developed software. Parametric response mapping (PRM) and air trapping index (ATI) mapping were performed on the CT images. Conventional QCT methods, including expiratory/inspiratory mean lung attenuation (E/I MLA) ratio, normal density E/I (ND E/I) MLA ratio, attenuation volume Index (AVI), %low attenuation areas (LAA) < -856 in exhale scans, and %LAA < -950 in inhale scans were also computed. QCT measurements were correlated with spirometry results and compared across the two study groups.ResultsThe correlation analysis showed a significant negative relationship between three air trapping (AT) measurements (PRM, ATI, and %LAAExp < -856) and spirometry parameters (Fev1, Fvc, Fev1/Fvc, and MMEF). Moreover, %LAAExp < -856 had the highest significant negative correlation with Fev1/Fvc (r = -0.643, P-value < 0.001). Three AT measurements demonstrated a significant difference between the study groups. The E/I ratio was also significantly different between the two groups (P-value < 0.001). Binary logistic regression models showed PRMFsad, %LAAExp < -856, and ATI as significant and strong predictors of the study outcome. Optimal cut-points for PRMFsad = 19%, %LAAExp < -856 = 23%, and ATI = 27% were identified to classify the participants into two groups with high accuracy.ConclusionQCT methods, including PRM, ATI, and %LAAExp < -856 can greatly advance the identification and quantification of SAD in chemical warfare victims. The results should be verified in well-designed prospective studies involving a large population.

Multiregional Pb isotopic linear patterns and diagenesis: Isotopes from ancient animal enamel show Native American “foreign war trophies” are local ancestors

Skull burials are found all over the world and often are interpreted to be foreigners, sacrifices, or victims of warfare. The cause of ancient Native American skull deposits often leads to disagreement among scholars torn between warfare and ancestor veneration. Most previous research suggested a Caddo skull-and-mandible deposit (consisting of clusters of skulls and clusters of isolated mandibles) in southwest Arkansas, USA contained foreign victims of interregional warfare, representing at least 352 people (1253–1399 CE). While Sr isotopes are commonly used in archaeology to investigate such issues, they did not provide a conclusive answer to the geographic origin of the remains. This study advances the biologically available Pb method by constructing a large-scale multiregional Pb isotopic background with ancient animal tooth enamel and uses their associated linear patterns to evaluate human geographic origins. Evaluation of Pb contamination through diagenesis in human tooth enamel is evaluated and advanced using correlation analysis of trace elemental data from teeth and burial soil. A total of 180 animal teeth were processed from 28 ancient sites in the southcentral USA. Combining Pb isotopic linear patterning analysis with the Sr isoscape allows us to establish that the skulls and mandibles are local to southwest Arkansas and indicate or strongly suggest they are non-local to all other tested regions. This illustrates the importance of Pb isotopes in studies of human geographic origins. It also provides one cautionary tale that interpretations about violence related to detached skulls should be evaluated with appropriate methods and evidence and with a critical eye for other explanations. This study was conducted in collaboration with the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma and provided both the descendant community and researchers with answers to the questions surrounding the remains, serving as one example of how stakeholders can come together and produce positive outcomes.

Accelerating synergistic effects of preconditioned mesenchymal stem cells with Crocin and dexamethasone in pulmonary epithelial cells injury.

Chemical warfare victims suffer from bronchiolitis and chronic pulmonary obstruction caused by sulfur mustard (SM) toxicity. Despite the mesenchymal stem cells capacity to alleviate inflammation, their low survival rate under oxidative stress severely limits their effectiveness. This study aimed to examine how natural (Crocin) and synthetic (Dexamethasone) antioxidants might affect MSC efficacy. MSCs were treated with the optimal doses of Crocin (Cr.), Dexamethasone (Dex.), and their combination. The A549 cells line was pretreated with the optimal dose of the CEES to mimic the lung disease. Then, the affected A549 cells were exposed to the preconditioned MSCs and conditioned media, and then their survival rates were estimated by MTTor2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Annexin-V PI apoptosis test was conducted for MSCs and A549 cells. Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) assay and Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test demonstrated the percentage of production of ROS and the cytokines levels in A549/CEES, respectively. The results revealed significant increases in Cr.+Dex. treated MSCs (P<.01) and A549 cells treated with MSCs-CM/Cr/Dex (P<.01) groups' survival. The apoptosis rate and ROS production were reduced in the MSCs-CM/Cr/Dex. Also, considerable decreases in IL-1β (P<.01) and IL-6 (P<.01) and a significant increase in IL-10 (P<.05) in treated A549/CEES by Cr/Dex and MSCs-CM/Cr/Dex supported the synergistic effects of Crocin and Dexamethasone.

Framing data witnessing: Airwars and the production of authority in conflict monitoring

Civilian victims of aerial warfare too often go uncounted and unrecognised by the belligerents. Myriad images and video of attacks against Syrian civilians did little to end their suffering, for example. The UK-based not-for-profit Airwars has had tangible impact on civilian harm disclosures and reparations because they have been able to shape such representations in a form that will be recognised by those with the power to enact change. Building on established theories of media witnessing and their extension to what Gray calls ‘data witnessing’, we argue that Airwars reveals the operative role of framing in open-source investigation and the forms of it witnessing it produces. Through interviews with key team members and detailed analysis of Airwars published methodology and other materials, this article shows how open-source investigations broadens the frame for witnessing civilian harm and in doing so generates relational, multi-scalar accounts of state violence that remain open to contestation and confirmation. In doing so, Airwars claims an epistemic authority via its distinctive framing of emergent practices of witnessing that depend upon the assembling of roles, standards, spatialities and techniques.

Crisis сommunication in social work during the war

The article analyzes the concepts of crisis and crisis communication in social work. The author notes the relevance of the need for the scientific development of algorithms and programs of crisis communications in social work during the war. Crisis communication in social work is defined as the establishment of sustainable interaction between local governments, civil society institutions, social institutions, churches, business representatives, and contact audiences (community residents, internally displaced persons, families of fallen soldiers, and other categories of victims of warfare) about existing problems and needs, their prompt resolution by all participants of the interaction. The following key properties of crisis communication in social work are identified by the author: flexibility and adaptability of methods of interaction between subjects; strengthening the informal means of reception and transmission of information; reduction of centralism in the communication process; promptness of the situational response to emerging problems. Crisis communication in social work is a sequence of actions that form a сеrtain communication strategy. The article determines the requirements for the development of a communication strategy during martial law in Ukraine and measures for its implementation, namely: identification of all possible contact audiences expecting information about further actions; reporting only verified and confirmed information; establishment of channels for receiving feedback from the contact audiences, as well as systematicity of two-way interaction of the subjects; assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the communication activities carried out in order to avoid mistakes in crisis communication in the future. The author emphasizes that the crisis contains both potential threats and the danger of loss, as well as new renewal and transformation opportunities for society, creating new modern approaches to interaction after a crisis period. Crisis phenomena in society will contribute to the emergence of new or modification of existing social practices, and cause a reaction to them from the public. As a result, new behavioral and communication practices and new subjects of interaction will emerge.

Tear proteomics analysis of patient suffered from delayed mustard gas keratopathy

Understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of ocular injured induced by mustard gas can help better identify complications and discover appropriate therapies. This study aimed to analyze the proteomics of tears of chemical warfare victims with mustard gas ocular injuries and compare it with healthy individuals. In this case-control research, 10 mustard gas victims with long-term ocular difficulties (Chronic) were included in the patient group, while 10 healthy persons who were age and sex matched to the patients were included in the control group. Schirmer strips were used to collect the tears of the participants. Proteomics experiments were performed using the high-efficiency TMT10X method to evaluate the tear protein profile, and statistical bioinformatics methods were used to identify the differently expressed proteins. 24 proteins had different expressions between the two groups. Among these 24 proteins, 8 proteins had increased expression in veterans’ tears, while the remaining 16 proteins had decreased expression. Reactome pathways were used to look at proteins with various expressions, and 13 proteins were found to be engaged in the immune system, 9 of which were effective in the innate immune system, and 5 proteins were effective in the complement cascade. Ocular mustard gas exposure may cause a compromised immune system on the eye’s surface, exposing the cornea to external and endogenous infections, and eventually causing corneal opacity and reduced vision.

Perlindungan Korban Perang Laut Menurut Konvensi Jenewa dan Hukum Islam

The Second Geneva Convention of 1949 concerning the Improvement of the Condition of Wounds, Sick and Victims of the Armed Forces in the Sea, is an improvement over the Hague Convention of 1907 on the same matter. The Hague Convention of 1907 concerning the protection and improvement of the fate of victims of land warfare in conditions of war at sea. Whereas in Islamic law, sea warfare was underestimated by Islamic jurists. The lack of attention shows, that at the beginning of the growth of Islam, moslems have not realized that the sea is important, and perhaps more importantly caused Islamic power does not cover the sea, but only applies on land. Therefore they depend on qiyas rules about land warfare or the customs of other nations that has been recognized.&#x0D; Keywords: Protection of Victims of the Sea War, Geneva Conventions, Islamic law

Sulfur Mustard and Immunology; Trends of 20 Years Research in the Web of Science Core Collection: A Scientometric Review.

Background:We aimed to use the scientometric approach to evaluate immunological studies on the subject of sulfur mustard over the past 20 years.Methods:In this scientometric study, the Web of Science Core Collection was searched on the studies about sulfur mustard. The published papers related to the field of immunology were retrieved from these papers. HistCite software and VOSviewer were the applied software packages for bibliometric analysis, information visualization, and creating bibliometric networks.Results:Over the past 20 years, 741 researchers from 22 countries have published 201 scientific papers in 95 journals. Iran and the United States with 93 and 68 published articles ranked at the top. The Journal of International Immunopharmacology, with 33 published papers, 439 Total Global Citation Score (TGCS), and 105 Total Local Citation Score (TLCS) was the most productive and most influential in this regard. The paper entitled “Biomonitoring of exposure to chemical warfare agents: A review” and another paper entitled “Sardasht-Iran Cohort Study of Chemical Warfare Victims: Design and Methods” were the most influential papers in this topic with 200 TGCS and 27 TLCS, respectively. The most productive and the most influential centers were “Immunoregulation Research Center of Shahed University” and “The Janbazan Medical and Engineering Research Center (JMERC),” respectively.Conclusion:The result of our report as the unique scientometric evaluation of the research on sulfur mustard and Immunology can be used as a roadmap for authors, researchers, and policymakers to define the best ways to allocate their financial and executive resources.

A minimum data set of user profile or electronic health record for chemical warfare victims' recommender system

Background:There are many people who are suffering from a variety of physical and mental illnesses due to the chemical attacks. There are various technologies such as recommender systems that can identify the main concerns related to health and make efforts to address them. To design and develop a recommender system, preparation of data source of this system should be considered. The aim of this study was to determine the minimum data set for user profile or user's electronic health record in chemical warfare victims’ recommender system.Methods:This applied descriptive, cross-sectional study which was conducted in 2017. A questionnaire was developed by the authors from the data elements that were collected using the data extraction form from the studied sources. Content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by using the experts. Test–retest method was used to determine the reliability of the questionnaire. The reliability of the questionnaire with Cronbach's alpha coefficient was confirmed as 84%. The questionnaire were submitted for related experts based on Delphi method by email or in person. Data resulting from the Delphi technique with descriptive statistics methods in SPSS software were analyzed.Results:Forty-seven nonclinical data elements and 181 clinical data elements were classified.Conclusion:Determining minimum data set of user profile or electronic health record in the recommender system for chemical warfare victims helps the health authorities to implement the recommender system which demonstrates chemical warfare victims’ needs.

Cybersecurity in the Making – Policy and Law: a Case Study of Georgia

Summary The given article is an evaluation of the implementation and development of Georgia’s cybersecurity policy, and its influence on Georgia’s global cybersecurity index. The study covers the period from 2008 to 2018. In 2008 Georgia became one of the first victims of hybrid warfare. During the August 2008 Russo-Georgian war, Georgian government websites were attacked by hackers affiliated with Russia. In the given period, cybersecurity was not the priority direction for Georgia, therefore government portals were easy targets for cybercriminals and the government couldn’t prevent the cyberattacks. After 2008, the government decided to develop a state cybersecurity policy. In 2012 the country ratified the Council of Europe’s cybersecurity convention. At the same time, the “Law of Georgia on Information Security” which had become a basic document of the cybersecurity state policy implementation, had been adopted. The document was followed by a cybersecurity strategy. During the following years, based on cybersecurity strategy document, Georgia implemented 2 action plans and defined the relevant state agencies responsible for “cyber safety” of the country. As a result of the reforms, in 2017, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Cybersecurity Global Index, Georgia has been ranked among the top ten countries. The given article is a chronological description of a Georgian cyberpolicy and cybercapabilities evolution. It includes cases of organized cybercrime carried out against the state and examples of the development of Georgian cybersecurity policy which was reflected on the global international cybersecurity index of the country.

Unprotected Data: Review of Internet Enabled Psychological and Information Warfare

Abstract Since the last elections in the United States, France, and other nations, fake news has become a tool to manipulate voters. This creation of fake news creates a problem that ripples through an entire society creating division. However, the media has not scrutinized enough on data misuse. Daily it appears that there are breaches causing millions of users to have their personal information taken, exposed, and sold on the Dark Web in exchange of encrypted currencies. Recently, news has surfaced of major social media sites allowing emails to be read without user consent. These issues bring upon concern for the misuse of data and more importantly, how can this be used for information warfare and the exploitation of targeted groups through the use of the Internet. It is essential that organizations continuously review current data policies to ensure that they do not become victims of information warfare.

“The Lions of Tomorrow”: A News Value Analysis of Child Images in Jihadi Magazines

This article reports and discusses the results of a study that investigated photographic images of children in five online terrorist magazines to understand the roles of children in these groups. The analysis encompasses issues of Inspire, Dabiq, Jihad Recollections (JR), Azan, and Gaidi Mtanni (GM) from 2009 to 2016. The total number of images was ninety-four. A news value framework was applied that systematically investigated what values the images held that resulted in them being “newsworthy” enough to be published. This article discusses the key findings, which were that Dabiq distinguished different roles for boys and girls, portrayed fierce and prestigious boy child perpetrators, and children flourishing under the caliphate; Inspire and Azan focused on portraying children as victims of Western-backed warfare; GM portrayed children supporting the cause peacefully; and JR contained no re-occurring findings.

Evaluation of corneal biomechanical properties in mustard gas keratopathy

BackgroundDegenerative biomechanical factors and immunologic processes with effect on collagen and corneal reparative process are known as the main cause of ocular surface dysfunction in mustard gas keratopathy (MGK) and may cause changes in the corneal biomechanical values. Therefore, we evaluate corneal biomechanical properties of these patients. Methods and materialsThis case-control study includes 61 chemical warfare victims with MGK. After omission according to our exclusion criteria, 88 eyes of patients with MGK were enrolled as the case group and also a group of 88 normal eyes, which were matched regarding their age and sex in the control group, were enrolled. Measurements of corneal biomechanical properties which reported by ORA and Corvis ST (CST) devices were compared. The SPSS software version 23.0 was used in the statistical analysis. For comparisons between groups, if the data had a normal distribution, were analyzed by Student’s t-test and ANOVA, and if the data didn’t have a normal distribution, Mann–Whitney U test, and Kruskal-Wallis were used. Furthermore, to identify a relationship between two groups of data Spearman's rank Correlation test was used. P value < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. ResultsIn the MGK group, A1 length (A1L), A1 velocity (A1V), A2 velocity (A2V), deformation amplitude (DA) and peak distance (PD) were higher than the control group (P < 0.001). However, the corneal hysteresis (CH) (P = 0.003), corneal resistant factor (CRF), non-corrected IOP (IOPnct), corrected IOP based on corneal thickness (IOPpachy), and central corneal thickness (CCT) were lower than the control group (P < 0.001). The visual acuity according to the LogMAR scale and severity of MGK was positively associated with IOPpachy and negatively associated with CH, CRF, CCT and highest concavity radius (Radius). ConclusionMeasurement of corneal biomechanical properties may be, have a useful role in the classification, monitoring or diagnosis of MGK.

The Comparison Between Mindfulness Based Therapy and Pharmacotherapy on Trauma Related Symptoms

Background: Trauma related disorder is a common disorder in warfare victims. The present study investigated the effectiveness of mindfulness-based therapy and pharmacotherapy improving the clinical symptoms of warfare victims suffering from the disorder. Methods: This experimental study was carried out in 2016 on 28 warfare victims with a trauma related disorder. They were randomly assigned into two groups (mindfulness therapy and pharmacotherapy). The study gathered combat-related trauma related disorder data and analyzed it via repeated measures ANOVA. Results: The results showed that a significant (P < 0.001) decrease in the psychological symptoms of mindfulness therapy group was noted in the post-test and follow-up test. Conclusions: The results showed the effectiveness of mindfulness-based therapy improved the psychological symptoms of warfare victims with trauma related disorders. Mindfulness-based therapy can reduce the psychological symptoms of individuals with trauma related disorders.

Early Neolithic executions indicated by clustered cranial trauma in the mass grave of Halberstadt

The later phase of the Central European Early Neolithic witnessed a rise in collective lethal violence to a level undocumented up to this date. This is evidenced by repeated massacres of settled communities of the Linearbandkeramik (ca. 5600–4900 cal bc), the first full farming culture in this area. Skeletal remains of several dozen victims of this prehistoric warfare are known from different sites in Germany and Austria. Here we show that the mass grave of Halberstadt, Germany, a new mass fatality site from the same period, reveals further and so far unknown facets of Early Neolithic collective lethal violence. A highly selected, almost exclusively adult male and non-local population sample was killed by targeted blows to the back of the head, indicating a practice of systematic execution under largely controlled conditions followed by careless disposal of the bodies. This discovery significantly increases current knowledge about warfare-related violent behaviour in Early Neolithic Central Europe.

Comparison of Local Anesthetic Transcricothyroid Membrane Injection With Local Anesthetic Spray ‘as you go’ in Diagnostic Bronchoscopy

Background: Chemical warfare victims with pulmonary injuries require frequent bronchoscopy, and most of these diagnostic procedures are performed using deep sedation and local anesthetic as you technique. The aim of the study was to compare spray as you go and trans-cricothyroid membrane injection. Methods: In this clinical trial, all candidates for diagnostic bronchoscopy were divided to 2 groups. In group 1, after intravenous injection of 1 mg midazolam and 50 mcg fentanyl and intravenous injection of 20mg propofol, 3 cc of 4% lidocaine was injected into the trans-cricothyroid membrane. In group 2, after passing the bronchoscope through the nose, the clinicians proceeded to spray 6 cc of 2% lidocaine (spray as you go technique) with bolus doses of propofol, intravenously. The total dose of propofol, the convenience of the physicians, and cough episodes were recorded. The patients were monitored in terms of vital signs before and during bronchoscopy. Moreover, according to the discharge criteria, the time of discharge from the recovery room and side effects were recorded. Using SPSS-21, the data were analyzed and P values of < 0.05 were considered as significant. Results: In the present study, 80 patients (2 groups of 40) were evaluated. The patients in both groups were not significantly different regarding age, gender, and duration of bronchoscopy. In group 1, the rate of satisfaction of the physician was significantly higher than that of group 2. In group 2, the average cough episodes, mean dose of anesthetic, and the average time of recovery were higher than that of group1. Both groups were comparable with respect to hemodynamic stability. No side-effects, i.e. hematoma, lung inflation or subcutaneous emphysema, were observed. Conclusions: Trans-cricothyroid injection anesthesia is a safe method for anesthesia of the respiratory mucosa, tolerable for patients without major side-effects.