The aim of this thesis is to interpret and discuss the weapon-graves of Viking Age Birka. The weapon-grave phenomenon is deemed differential in relation to the rest of the grave-material of the site, and thus the questions that motivate the thesis is: who was buried with weapons and why? Further questions arise regarding the social aspects of individuals who were buriedalong with weapons. The theoretical approach will be to evaluate any differences in 'social class', 'social age' and 'gender' between the weapon-grave contexts. By conducting qualitativeand quantified analysis of the grave-goods, this thesis adresses both overall and detailed patterns in correlation and constellations between weapons, other grave-goods and terms of burial.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / November 04-07, 1991 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / The Gulf Range Drone Control Upgrade System (GRDCUS) Mobile Control System (GMCS) is an integral part of the test ranges located on the Gulf of Mexico. This paper begins with a brief overview of the current Gulf Range systems. These systems consist of five major components: ground stations, ground computer systems, data link/transponders, consoles, and software. The GMCS van contains many of these components to provide a stand-alone range capability for remote operations. This paper describes the development and assembly of the GMCS van and focuses on the on-board computer systems, consoles, and data link technology. An overall system engineering approach was used during GMCS development and is highlighted through the use of rapid prototyping. This methodology and the lessons learned are presented in the paper. Suggestions for future applications are considered.

Šio magistro darbo objektas – Korėjos Liaudies Demokratinės Respublikos (toliau Šiaurės Korėja) branduolinė programa ir jos keliamos grėsmės tarptautiniam saugumui. Pastarosios yra nagrinėjamos pasitelkiant realizmo teoriją ir jos atstovo Hans J. Morgenthau sisteminį ir nesisteminį požiūrį į valstybę, R. Cooper senosios ir naujosios pasaulio tvarkos sąvokas, Šiaurės Korėjos reakcijas į tarptautinės bendruomenės galios demonstravimą tarptautinėje arenoje. Taip pat analizuojamos tarptautinės bendruomenės pastangos spręsti susidariusią situaciją plėtojant daugiašalius santykius (dėmesį sutelkiant į keturšales ir šešiašales derybas). Šiame darbe yra teigiama, jog Šiaurės Korėja traktuoja tarptautinę aplinką kaip priešišką sau, nes vis dar grindžia savo politiką senosios pasaulio tvarkos koncepcija, t. y. Šaltojo Karo laikotarpio nustatytomis taisyklėmis, todėl daugiašalės derybos netenka prasmės. Galiausiai yra pateikiamos įžvalgos, kaip ateityje gali klostytis įvykiai Korėjos pusiasalyje. Darbą sudaro trys pagrindinės dalys. Pirma – realizmo teorijos analizė pasitelkiant Hans J. Morgenthau sisteminį ir nesisteminį požiūrį į valstybę. Antra – Šiaurės Korėjos branduolinės programos įtaka tarptautiniam saugumui. Trečia – daugiašalių santykių neefektyvumo priežastys, Šiaurės Korėjos reakcija į tarptautinės politikos pokyčius ir ateities perspektyvos. Darbe pateikiama sutrumpinimų rodyklė ir priedai. / The object of this major thesis is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (North Korea) nuclear program and the threat it possesses to international security. The latter are being analyzed within realism theory and Hans J. Morgenthau’s systemic and non-systemic view to the state, R. Cooper’s new and old world order concepts, North Korea’s reactions to international community’s power demonstration in international system. Also, the analysis of international community’s efforts to deal with the emerging situation through multilateral negotiations is being carried out (concentrating the attention to four and six-party talks). In this thesis the statement is being made, that North Korea is viewing international system as rival to her, because it still forms politics according to the old world order concept, that is according to the rules that emerged during Cold War, and this is why the multilateral talks most of the times are meaningless. Lastly, the insights to the future events in Korea peninsula are being proposed. The thesis is composed of three parts. In the first part the analysis of realism theory according to Hans J. Morgenthau is being carried out. In the second part the influence of nuclear North Korea’s program to international security is pointed out. The third part tells why multilateral negotiations were not effective, what is the North Korea’s reaction to the changes in international politics and the future perspectives are being told. This analysis includes... [to full text]

Esta dissertação baseia-se em observações etnográficas e em entrevistas realizadas entre 2016 e 2018, principalmente com policiais do Batalhão de Operações Especiais (Bope) de Macapá/ AP. O trabalho se voltou para a compreensão que eles têm de seu processo de formação e para a construção de um ethos bopeano. Foram analisadas as suas percepções a respeito do uso da força e do que entendem por violência policial, além de símbolos identificadores da corporação, como a farda preta e a caveira. Uma das principais conclusões é que a formação de um bopeano implica a construção de um Corpo-Arma coletivo a partir de Corpos-Armas individuais, sendo que, para a maioria deles, a violência policial ou excessos respondem ao amplo contexto de violência social em que se inserem. / This dissertation is based on ethnographic observations and interviews conducted between 2016 and 2018, mainly with police officers from the Special Operations Unit (Bope) of Macapá/AP, in the North of Brazil. The work has focused on the understanding these officers have of their training process and to the construction of a bopean ethos. Their perceptions regarding the use of force and what they understood as police violence were analyzed, as well as symbols that identify the corporation, such as the black uniform and the skull. One of the main conclusions is that the formation of a bopean implies the construction of a collective Body-Weapon that is a result of singular body-weapons and, for most of them, police violence or \"excessive force\" respond to the broad context of social violence in which they live in.

UWB technology has been developing in imaging applications. For security imaging applications, it is vital to detect and image metallic targets concealed in bag at airports, subway stations or other public environments. To reduce the cost of the deployment of X-ray machines, a novel UWB imaging system has been developed, including the design of the UWB rotating antenna array, the design of RF circuits and the implementation of the two-dimensional delay-and-sum (DAS) image reconstruction method. Two types of UWB antennas, the circular-edge antipodal Vivaldi antenna and the corrugated balanced antipodal Vivaldi antenna (BAVA) have been designed and studied in both frequency domain and time domain. Both of them can work across UWB frequency range from 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz, and have directional radiation patterns. The corrugated BAVA with smaller physical size has been improved to have a relative high gain around 7 dBi across the operating frequency range. It also causes less distortion to signals in the time domain. So the corrugated BAVA is used as the antenna element in the UWB rotating antenna array. The UWB rotating antenna array comprises one central transmitting antenna and four receiving antennas. The receiving antennas, which rotate around the central transmitting antenna, are placed side-by-side on a straight arm. The equivalent antenna elements in space are increased by the rotation of the antenna array. The two-dimensional image reconstruction method has been developed based on DAS algorithm. This UWB imaging system can detect and reconstruct the image of the single and pairs of metallic targets concealed in bag. The smallest single target with the size of 4 cm × 4 cm × 1 cm can be reconstructed in images at a maximum distance of 30 cm away from the system. It can achieve 6 cm in cross-range resolution and 15 cm in down-range resolution. Therefore, the feasibility of the proposed UWB imaging system has been proved.

Many research groups have conducted the investigation into UWB imaging radar system for various applications over the last decade. Due to the demanding security requirements, it is desirable to devise a convenient and reliable imaging system for concealed weapon detection. Therefore, this thesis presents my research into a low cost and compact UWB imaging radar system for security purpose. This research consists of two major parts: building the UWB imaging system and testing the imaging algorithms. Firstly, the time-domain UWB imaging radar system is developed based on a modulating scheme, achieving a receiver sensitivity of -78dBm and a receiver dynamic range of 69dB. A rotary UWB antenna linear array, comprising one central transmitting antenna and four side-by-side receiving antennas, is adopted to form 2D array in order to achieve a better cross-range resolution of the target. In operation, the rotation of the antenna array is automatically controlled through the computerised modules in LabVIEW. Two imaging algorithms have been extensively tested in the developed UWB radar system for a number of scenarios. In simulation, the “Delay and Sum (DAS)” method has been shown to be effective at mapping out the metallic targets in free space, but prone to errors in more complicated environments. However, the “Time Reversal (TR)” method can produce better images in more complex scenarios, where traditionally unfavorable multi-path interference becomes a valuable asset. These observations were verified in experiment in different testing environments, such as penetration through wooden boards, clutters and a stuffed sport bag. The detectable size of a single target is 8×8×1 cm3 with 30cm distance in a stuffed bag, while DAS can achieve the estimation of 7cm cross-range resolution and 15cm down-range resolution for two targets with sizes of 8×8×1 cm3 and 10×10×1 cm3, which fits within the theoretical prediction. In contrast, TR can distinguish them with a superior 4cm cross range resolution.

Submitted by William Justo Figueiro (williamjf) on 2015-07-28T22:21:19Z No. of bitstreams: 1 34d.pdf: 527027 bytes, checksum: 3a2994f6e833591e621767e0894712b3 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-07-28T22:21:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 34d.pdf: 527027 bytes, checksum: 3a2994f6e833591e621767e0894712b3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / Nenhuma / Arma de fogo tem sido um tema amplamente discutido na literatura científica. Entretanto, pouquíssima atenção vem sendo dada aos aspectos motivacionais e psicológicos do seu uso. Este estudo teve como objetivo desenvolver um instrumento capaz de investigar as atitudes motivacionais de adultos com relação às armas de fogo. Foram realizados dois estudos. No Estudo I, foi feita uma revisão das escalas existentes na literatura internacional juntamente com grupos focais com civis e militares sobre a motivação para o uso de armas. A partir daí, foi criado um modelo que continha quatro fatores: “Arma como Risco”, “Arma como Proteção”, “Direito ao Porte de Arma” e “Exposição” e elaborados itens que os contemplasse. Cada item foi analisado por três juízes quanto à sua semântica, clareza e pertinência teórica. Baseando-se na concordância e notas atribuídas pelos juízes, foram selecionados 51 itens que formaram a primeira versão da Escala Motivacional para o Porte de Arma (EMPA). No Estudo II, a EMPA foi aplicada em 550 respondentes, sendo 258 homens (46,90%) e 292 mulheres (53.10%). A idade variou de 18 a 86 anos (Média= 28 anos, DP= 13,75 anos). A aplicação foi coletiva e o projeto foi aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa. Os dados foram analisados por meio de análise fatorial exploratória com o método dos componentes principais e rotação Varimax para quatro fatores, conforme modelo desenvolvido no Estudo I. Posteriormente foram feitas análises fatoriais confirmatórias. Após a retirada de alguns itens (devido à baixa saturação e comunalidade), obteve-se uma solução com 36 itens, índice KMO=0.91 e Teste de Bartlett significativo. O modelo explicou 48% da variância com os fatores “Arma como Proteção” (13 itens), “Arma como Risco” (11 itens), “Direito” (cinco itens) e “Exposição” (sete itens). Os resultados da análise fatorial confirmatória apoiaram a estrutura da EMPA encontrada na análise fatorial exploratória. Todas as relações entre as variáveis latentes e observadas foram significativas, indicando que o fator contribui para a explicação da variância do item. Foram observadas também correlações entre os fatores. Quanto maior a intensidade no fator “Proteção” e “Direito” menor são o “Risco” e a “Exposição”. Da mesma maneira, quanto maior a variável “Risco” e “Exposição”, menor o “Direito”. Os escores da EMPA foram analisados com relação ao sexo, estado civil e experiência com arma de fogo. Os resultados mostram índices psicométricos de validade e fidedignidade satisfatórios para a EMPA, indicando que o instrumento poderá auxiliar futuramente no processo de avaliação psicológica para o porte de arma e em pesquisas. / Firearm has been a theme thoroughly discussed in the scientific literature. However, little attention has been given to the motivational and psychological aspects of its use. This study had as objective the development of an instrument capable of investigating the motivational attitudes of adults regarding firearms. Two studies were conducted. In the first Study, a review on the existent ranges in international literature was made along with focal groups made up of civilians and military relate to the motivation for using weapons. From then on, a model that contained four factors was created: “Weapon as a Risk”, “Weapon as Protection”, “Right to Carry a Weapon” and “Exhibition” and elaborated items to contemplate them. Each item was analyzed by three judges as for its semantics, clarity and theoretical pertinence. Based on the agreement and grades given by the judges, 51 items were selected which formed the first version of the Motivational Range for Carrying a Weapon (MRCW). In the second Study, MRCW was applied in 550 respondents, being 258 men (46,90%) and 292 women (53.10%). Ranging from 18 to 86 years old (Average = 28 years old, DP = 13,75 years old). The application was collective and the project was approved by the Committee of Ethics in Research. The data were analyzed through exploratory factorial analysis with the method of the main components and Varimax rotation for four factors, as the model developed in the first Study. Later empirical factorial analyses were made. After the retreat of some items (due to low saturation and commonality), a solution with 36 items was achieved, index of KMO=0.91 and significant Bartlett Test. The model explained 48% of the variance with the factors “Weapon as Protection” (13 items), “Weapon as a Risk” (11 items), “Right” (5 items) and “Exhibition” (7 items). The results of the empirical factorial analyses supported the MRCW structure found in the exploratory factorial analysis. All of the relationships among the latent and observed variables were significant, indicating that the factor contributed to the explanation of the variance of the item. Correlations among the factors were also observed. The higher the intensity in the factor “Protection” and “Right” the lower are “Risk” and “Exhibition.” In the same way, the higher the variable “Risk” and “Exhibition”, the lower is “Right.” The scores of MRCW were analyzed regarding the sex, marital status and experience with firearm. The results show psychometric indexes validity and loyalty satisfactory for MRCW, indicating that the instrument will hereafter be able to help in the process of psychological evaluation for the carrying of a weapon load and in researches.

Many research groups have conducted the investigation into terahertz technology for various applications over the last decade. THz imaging for security screening has been one of the most important applications because of its superior performance of high resolution and not health hazardous. Due to increasing security requirements, it is desirable to devise a high-speed imaging system with high image quality for concealed weapon detection. Therefore, this thesis presents my research into a low-cost and fast THz imaging system for security application. This research has made a number of contributes to THz imaging, such as proposing the beam scanning imaging approach to reduce the scanning time; developing the simulation method of the scanned imaging system; investigating new reconstruction algorithms; studying the optimal spatial sampling criterion; and verifying the beam scanning scheme in experiment. Firstly, the beam scanning scheme is proposed and evaluated in both simulation and experiment, compared to the widely applied raster scanning scheme. A better mechanic rotation structure is developed to reduce the scanning time consumed and realise a more compact system. Then, a rotary Dragonian multi-reflector antenna subsystem, comprising two rotated reflectors is designed to form a similar synthetic aperture being realised in the raster scanned scheme. Thirdly, the simulation of the THz scanning imaging system is achieved by employing Physical Optics algorithm. The transposed convolution and partial inverse convolution reconstruction algorithms are investigated to speed up the image re-construction. Finally, two THz imaging systems based on the raster and beam scanning schemes are assessed and compared in the experiments. The back-propagation, transposed convolution and partial inverse convolution algorithms are applied in these experiments to reconstruct the images. The proposed beam scanning scheme can be further explored together with antenna arrays to provide a compact, fast and low-cost THz imaging system in the future.

<p>In 1994, extremist Hutu rebels crossed into the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (Congo), then named Zaire, after committing genocide in their native Rwanda. Their violent presence destabilized the region and led to two wars in the Congo between 1996 to 2003 and continued violence that still plagues parts of the east, while instability remains widespread. For more than a decade, the conflict has seen civilians trapped in the middle and specifically, women and girls have found themselves under brutal attack as fighting factions employ sexual violence as a weapon in their battles. </p> <p>The widespread, systematic and vicious sexual violence against women and girls in the Congo is being perpetrated to serve a political purpose beyond individual objectives. Sexual violence has become an effective weapon used by the fighting forces as they compete for economic and political power through the control over land, resources, and the people that occupy the territory they seek. All women find themselves under attack, especially in the conflict-ridden east. All groups, including rebel forces and state agents such as the military and police, utilize sexual violence as a tool of destruction and terror against both the females they attack and the communities ripped apart by the stigma that accompanies the womens rapes. </p> <p>An examination of the specific reasons the groups commit strategic and systematic sexual assaults against women and girls, and of the contributing political and societal factors that create a climate where the abuse can occur without recourse, help to provide an understanding as to why sexual violence is being used as a political tool in the Congo. In addition, the ongoing political struggles, especially surrounding control over land, are rooted in a century of shifting political policies by divisive, oppressive and kleptocratic leadership that worked for themselves and left little for the population. It is this history that has led to an almost inevitable conflict that sees the destruction of women and girls through rape and other violent assaults on their being.</p>

The Russian implementation of the "energy weapon" plays an important role in understanding the complex Eurasian political dynamism that exists and influences relationships. Endowed with a greater amount of gas supplies, Russia has utilized its natural monopoly in an endeavor to maneuver its political objectives within the international scene. Its drive to espouse the "energy weapon" envelopes itself within Russia’s turbulent past and desire to regain political prominence experienced throughout much of the twentieth century. Thus, studying Russian motivations in employing gas resources allows political scientists, statespersons and other government intellectuals to better understand the economic backdrop affecting Eurasian affairs and potentially formulate strategic policy that would garner net positive outcomes with little to no negative externalities. Studying such information would prove to enhance relations, positively or negatively, for Ukrainian, Russian, and European authorities when conducting domestic and foreign policy.