Geographies of Chemical Warfare in Vietnam: The Merry Band of Retirees

This review explores the recent development of research on rainbow herbicides as chemical weapons and the geographies of chemical warfare in what is now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. While the use and impacts of Agent Orange have previously been well documented, the production and extensive application of five other rainbow agents by the United States military has only recently been investigated in detail. What is exceptional about this research of chemical warfare landscapes is that the 23 refereed journal publications in this review were designed, implemented, and published in a unique collective research project by Ken Olson and a Merry Band of Military Retirees. Their groundbreaking research portfolio includes many geographical dimensions and the political ecology of chemical warfare. This includes the extensive exposure of civilians in Vietnam to these chemical agents, exposure of US military personnel in Southeast Asia and Panama, exposure of civilians near the private industrial sites that produced these rainbow agents in North America and the hazardous soil contamination that perseveres at these sites in Vietnam and the US. Given this impressive research depth and global scope, this review explores the unique way this research portfolio was developed by a Merry Band of Retirees through an interview with its leader, Ken Olson. It examines the goals and ethical orientation of these military veterans, the political ecology involved, the creative strategies they utilized to produce this innovative research, and how they changed the way Veterans exposed to chemical warfare agents are treated by the US government.

Trench型N-Channel MOSFET低剂量率效应研究

基于抗辐射100V Trench型N-Channel MOSFET开展了不同剂量率的总剂量辐射实验并进行了分析,创新性提出了器件随低剂量率累积以及不同偏置状态下的变化趋势和机理,给出了器件实验前后的转移曲线和直流参数,进行了二维数值仿真比较,证明了实验和仿真的一致性。研究表明:随高剂量率的剂量增加,器件阈值电压(V_(TH))发生了明显负向漂移现象,导通电阻(R_(DSON))出现5%左右的降低,击穿电压(BV_(DS))保持基本不变;低剂量率下总剂量效应与高剂量率有明显不同,阈值电压漂移量减小,同时出现正向漂移现象;此时导通电阻(R_(DSON))和击穿电压(BV_(DS))较高剂量率变化量进一步下降。研究认为,低剂量率下器件界面缺陷电荷增加变多,使得阈值电压的漂移方向发生改变,同时低剂量率实验周期是高剂量率的500倍,退火效应也较高剂量率的明显,导致器件参数辐射前后差异性减小。

Multiple chemical warfare agent simulant decontamination by self-driven microplasma

Low-temperature plasma is a green and high-efficiency technology for chemical warfare agent(CWA)decontamination.However,traditional plasma devices suffer from the problems of highpower composition and large power-supply size,which limit their practical applications.In this paper,a self-driven microplasma decontamination system,induced by a dielectric-dielectric rotary triboelectric nanogenerator(dd-r TENG),was innovatively proposed for the decontamination of CWA simulants.The microplasma was characterized via electrical measurements,optical emission spectra and ozone concentration detection.With an output voltage of-3460 V,the dd-r TENG can successfully excite microplasma in air.Reactive species,such as OH,O(1D),Hαand O3were detected.With input average power of 0.116 W,the decontamination rate of 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide reached 100%within 3 min of plasma treatment,while the decontamination rates of malathion and dimethyl methylphosphonate reached(65.92±1.65)%and(60.88±1.92)%after 7 min of plasma treatment,respectively.In addition,the decontamination rates gradually decreased with the increase in the simulant concentrations.Typical products were identified and analyzed.This study demonstrates the broad spectrum and feasibility of the dd-r TENG-microplasma for CWA elimination,which provides significant guidance for their practical applications in the future.

The Origins of the Arc-Shaped Langshan Uplift and Linhe Trench

In the northern part of the Ordos Basin, there is a 325 km long arc-shaped Langshan uplift and a 15 km-deep Linhe Trench in front of Langshan, which are rare geological phenomena for which origins no one has explained. This article comprehensively analyzes the research achievements over the past 40 years of geology, geomorphology, seismic exploration, paleogeography, and oil and gas exploration in the Ordos Basin and Langshan. It recognizes that the northern part of the Ordos Basin experienced a meteorite impact in the Late Cretaceous period. The impact pushed the block northwest ward, subducting after colliding with igneous rocks in the north. This sudden event formed a clear arc-shaped mountain zone in the north and a wedge-shaped trench in front of the mountain. The chaotic layers, prolonged and continuous faults, and numerous thrust layers in the Langshan, a negative anomaly area in the center of the northern Ordos, abnormal orientation of crystalline basement structures in the north of Ordos, Moho uplift, and distribution of meteorite fragments in the northwest of Langshan, all of these geological phenomena support the occurrence of the meteorite impact event, forming the arc-shaped Langshan and the Trench.

Blast injury risks to humans within a military trench

In land warfare,trenches serve as vital defensive fortifications,offering protection to soldiers while engaging in combat.However,despite their protective function,soldiers often sustain injuries within these trenches.The lack of corresponding blast data alongside empirical injury reports presents a significant knowledge gap,particularly concerning the blast pressures propagating within trench spaces following nearby explosions.This absence hinders the correlation between blast parameters,trench geometry,and reported injury cases,limiting our understanding of blast-related risks within trenches.This paper addresses the critical aspect of blast propagation within trench systems,essential for evaluating potential blast injury risks to individuals within these structures.Through advanced computational fluid dynamics(CFD)simulations,the study comprehensively investigates blast injury risks resulting from explosions near military trenches.Employing a sophisticated computational model,the research analyzes the dynamic blast effects within trenches,considering both geometrical parameters and blast characteristics influenced by explosive weight and scaled distance.The numerical simulations yield valuable insights into the impact of these parameters on blast injury risks,particularly focusing on eardrum rupture,lung injury,and traumatic brain injury levels within the trench.The findings elucidate distinct patterns of high-risk zones,highlighting unique characteristics of internal explosions due to confinement and venting dynamics along the trench.This study underscores the significance of detailed numerical modeling in assessing blast injury risks and provides a novel knowledge base for understanding risks associated with explosives detonating near military trenches.The insights gained contribute to enhancing safety measures in both military and civilian contexts exposed to blast events near trench structures.

Physical insights into trapping effects on vertical GaN-on-Si trench MOSFETs from TCAD

Vertical GaN power MOSFET is a novel technology that offers great potential for power switching applications.Being still in an early development phase,vertical GaN devices are yet to be fully optimized and require careful studies to foster their development.In this work,we report on the physical insights into device performance improvements obtained during the development of vertical GaN-on-Si trench MOSFETs(TMOS’s)provided by TCAD simulations,enhancing the dependability of the adopted process optimization approaches.Specifically,two different TMOS devices are compared in terms of transfer-curve hysteresis(H)and subthreshold slope(SS),showing a≈75%H reduction along with a≈30%SS decrease.Simulations allow attributing the achieved improvements to a decrease in the border and interface traps,respectively.A sensitivity analysis is also carried out,allowing to quantify the additional trap density reduction required to minimize both figures of merit.

一种抗辐射Trench型N 30 V MOSFET器件设计

由于Trench结构在降低元胞单元尺寸、提升沟道密度和消除JFET区电阻等方面的优势,Trench型MOSFET已广泛应用于低压产品领域。在研究抗辐射机理和抗辐射加固技术的基础上,设计了一款新型抗辐射Trench型N30VMOSFET器件。实验结果显示,产品击穿电压典型值达42V,特征导通电阻为51mΩ·mm^(2)。在^(60)Co γ射线100krad(Si)条件下,器件阈值电压漂移仅为-0.3V,漏源漏电流从34nA仅上升到60nA。采用能量为2006MeV、硅中射程为116μm、线性能量传输(LET)值为75.4MeV·cm^(2)/mg的^(118)Ta离子垂直入射该器件,未发生单粒子事件。

“Cyberspace” or “Cyber warfare”研究热点与趋势分析

运用CitespaceⅡ信息可视化图谱软件对"cyberspace" or "cyber warfare"研究文献数据进行分析,绘制了共引网络图谱,并依据图谱中关键节点文献的知识基础,对研究热点及趋势进行了初步探讨,得出国外研究的热点与前沿的相关结论,对"cyberspace" or "cyber warfare"的研究具有一定的参考价值。

Anthrax: A disease of biowarfare and public health importance

Bioterrorism has received a lot of attention in the first decade of this century. Biological agents are considered attractive weapons for bioterrorism as these are easy to obtain, comparatively inexpensive to produce and exhibit widespread fear and panic than the actual potential of physical damage. Bacillus anthracis(B. anthracis), the etiologic agent of anthrax is a Gram positive, spore forming, non-motile bacterium. This is supposed to be one of the most potent BW agents because its spores are extremely resistant to natural conditions and can survive for several decades in the environment. B.anthracis spores enter the body through skin lesion(cutaneous anthrax), lungs(pulmonary anthrax), or gastrointestinal route(gastrointestinal anthrax) and germinate, giving rise to the vegetative form. Anthrax is a concern of public health also in many countries where agriculture is the main source of income including India. Anthrax has been associated with human history for a very long time and regained its popularity after Sept 2001 incidence in United States. The present review article describes the history, biology, life cycle, pathogenicity, virulence, epidemiology and potential of B. anthracis as biological weapon.

Waveform design for radar and extended target in the environment of electronic warfare

Transmit waveform optimization is critical to radar system performance. There have been a fruit of achievements about waveform design in recent years. However, most of the existing methods are based on the assumption that radar is smart and the target is dumb, which is not always reasonable in the modern electronic warfare. This paper focuses on the waveform design for radar and the extended target in the environment of electronic warfare. Three different countermeasure models between smart radar and dumb target, smart target and dumb radar, smart radar and smart target are proposed. Taking the signal-to-interferenceplus-noise ratio(SINR) as the metric, optimized waveforms for the first two scenarios are achieved by the general water-filling method in the presence of clutter. For the last case, the equilibrium between smart radar and smart target in the presence of clutter is given mathematically and the optimized solution is achieved through a novel two-step water-filling method on the basis of minmax theory. Simulation results under different power constraints show the power allocation strategies of radar and target and the output SINRs are analyzed.

An approach for predicting digital material consumption in electronic warfare

Electronic warfare is a modern combat mode,in which predicting digital material consumption is a key for material requirements planning(MRP).In this paper,we introduce an insensitive loss function(ε) and propose a ε-SVR-based prediction approach.First,we quantify values of influencing factors of digital equipments in electronic warfare and a small-sample data on real consumption to form a real combat data set,and preprocess it to construct the sample space.Subsequently,we establish the ε-SVR-based prediction model based on "wartime influencing factors-material consumption" and perform model training.In case study,we give 8 historical battle events with battle damage data and predict 3 representative kinds of digital materials by using the proposed approach.The results illustrate its higher accuracy and more convenience compared with other current approaches.Taking data acquisition controller prediction as an example,our model has better prediction performance(RMSE=0.575 7,MAPE(%)=12.037 6 and R^2=0.996 0) compared with BP neural network model(RMSE=1.272 9,MAPE(%)=23.577 5 and R^2=0.980 3) and GM(1,1) model(RMSE=2.095 0,MAPE(%)=24.188 0 and R^2=0.946 6).The fact shows that the approach can be used to support decision-making for MRP in electronic warfare.

Electronic warfare in the optical band:Main features,examples and selected measurement data

The paper presents the possibilities of,and methods for,acquiring,analysing and processing optical signals in order to recognise,identify and counteract threats on the contemporary battleground.The main ways electronic warfare is waged in the optical band of the electromagnetic wave spectrum have been formulated,including the acquisition of optical emitter signatures,as well as ultraviolet(UV)and thermal(IR)signatures.The physical parameters and values describing the emission of laser radiation are discussed,including their importance in terms of creating optical signatures.Moreover,it has been shown that in the transformation of optical signals into signatures,only their spectral and temporal parameters can be applied.This was confirmed in experimental part of the paper,which includes our own measurements of spectral and temporal emission characteristics for three types of binocular laser rangefinders.It has been further shown that through simple registration and quick analysis involving comparison of emission time parameters in the case of UV signatures in“solar-blind”band,various events can be identified quickly and faultlessly.The same is true for IR signatures,where the amplitudes of the recorded signal for several wavelengths are compared.This was confirmed experimentally for UV signatures by registering and then analyzing signals from several events during military exercises at a training ground,namely Rocket Propelled Grenade(RPG)launches and explosions after hitting targets,trinitrotoluene(TNT)explosions,firing armour-piercing,fin-stabilised,discarding sabots(APFSDS)or high explosive(HE)projectiles.The final section describes a proposed model database of emitters,created as a result of analysing and transforming the recorded signals into optical signatures.

A joint optimization algorithm for focused energy delivery in precision electronic warfare

Focused energy delivery(FED) is a technique that can precisely bring energy to the specific region,which arouses wide attention in precision electronic warfare(PREW).This paper first proposes a joint optimization model with respect to the locations of the array and the transmitted signals to improve the performance of FED.As the problem is nonconvex and NP-hard,particle swarm optimization(PSO) is adopted to solve the locations of the array,while designing the transmitted signals under a feasible array is considered as a unimodular quadratic program(UQP) subproblem to calculate the fitness criterion of PSO.In the PSO-UQP framework established,two methods are presented for the UQP subproblem,which are more efficient and more accurate respectively than previous works.Furthermore,a threshold value is set in the framework to determine which method to adopt to take full advantages of the methods above.Meanwhile,we obtain the maximum localization error that FED can tolerate,which is significant for implementing FED in practice.Simulation results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the joint optimization algorithm,and the correctness of the maximum localization error derived.

A prototype portable instrument employing micro-preconcentrator and FBAR sensor for the detection of chemical warfare agents

The presence of chemical warfare agents(CWAs)in the environment is a serious threat to human safety,but there are many problems with the currently available detection methods for CWAs.For example,gas chromatography–mass spectrometry cannot be used for in-field detection owing to the rather large size of the equipment required,while commercial sensors have the disadvantages of low sensitivity and poor selectivity.Here,we develop a portable gas sensing instrument for CWA detection that consists of a MEMSfabricated micro-preconcentrator(μPC)and a film bulk acoustic resonator(FBAR)gas sensor.The μPC is coated with a nanoporous metal–organic framework material to enrich the target,while the FBAR provides rapid detection without the need for extra carrier gas.Dimethyl methylphosphonate(DMMP),a simulant of the chemical warfare agent sarin,is used to test the performance of the instrument.Experimental results show that the μPC provides effective sample pretreatment,while the FBAR gas sensor has good sensitivity to DMMP vapor.The combination of μPC and FBAR in one instrument gives full play to their respective advantages,reducing the limit of detection of the analyte.Moreover,both the μPC and the FBAR are fabricated using a CMOS-compatible approach,and the prototype instrument is compact in size with high portability and thus has potential for application to in-field detection of CWAs.

Grid architecture model of network centric warfare

NCW(network centric warfare) is an information warfare concentrating on network. A global network-centric warfare architecture with OGSA grid technology is put forward,which is a four levels system including the user level, the application level, the grid middleware layer and the resource level. In grid middleware layer,based on virtual hosting environment, a BEPL4WS grid service composition method is introduced. In addition, the NCW grid service model is built with the help of Eclipse-SDK-3.0.1 and Bpws4j.

Review and Analysis: Successful Use of Soil Tunnels in Medieval and Modern Warfare and Smuggling

For more than 2500 years, soil tunnels have been used in warfare and smuggling. Initially tunnels were utilized to attack fortresses that were underlain by unconsolidated (non-bedrock) soil materials. Later tunnels provided housing and served as smuggling corridors. The medieval warfare undermining technique involved digging soil tunnels with wooden or beam props to hold up the soil ceilings. Then flammable material, such as hay or straw, was put in the tunnel and set on fire. The fire burnt the support beams which collapsed the soil tunnel ceilings and undermined the overlying perimeter wall. Later gunpowder and dynamite replaced fire when attempting to collapse a tunnel, fortress or perimeter defense. Modern warfare soil tunnels were the pathways used to move troops, weapons and supplies to the other side of a border or wall for surprise attacks. Most of the soil tunnels were placed in easy-to-dig unconsolidated soil materials that had a low water table and were not subject to flooding. Eventually, machinery was used to drill through bedrock permitting deeper and longer tunnels for troop movement or smuggling. However, when drilling through bedrock under international borders, the process creates both noise and vibrations which were often detected by the enemy. Once discovered the tunnels were often collapsed by blowing up the tunnel, injection of gas, filling with water or wastewater, or inserting barriers. A series of case studies will be examined with the goal of determining soil and site criteria required to permit successful tunneling. The most restrictive soil and geologic conditions will be identified as well as potential mitigation methods used to overcome the site restrictions will be documented. Countries with warfare or smuggling issues along their borders, such as Israel and United States, need to identify the sections of the border most likely to be undermined by soil tunnels. In the case of Israel their entire border is susceptible as a result of the favorable arid climate, soils and geology. The US border with Mexico can become vulnerable wherever a new wall is created. Without a wall there is usually no need for soil tunnels. The US Department of Homeland Security and border patrol will need to monitor the noise and vibrations, just like the Israel does, to identify future soil tunnel locations. Eventually most of 3200 km border will have a wall that will become the target of more soil tunnels for smuggling goods and people from Mexico into the United States.

New concepts and their applications in underwater acoustic warfare simulation system

An underwater acoustic warfare simulation system (UAWSS) with a structure of high level architecture (HLA) is studied based upon a previous research project. With the experience and lessons learned, some new concepts are adopted in the implementation of UAWSS according to the essence of simulation and the objective of the system, among which are simulation synthetic environment, signal processing at other simulation nodes, decomposition of underwater sound channel, channel varying law and rules on system and parts evaluation, etc. Applications of these new ideas show that they are effective.

Study on QOS Routing in Network Centric Warfare

The concept of network centric warfare （NCW） and the distributed equal-node network architecture in NCW are introduced in this paper. The data flow requirement model in NCW is presented. Based on synthetic analysis of network resource, the QOS （Quality of Service） parameters and their characters, the high requirement of real-time synchronization in NCW, the single QOS routing constraint, and the network latency between the detector and weapon control station, are presented. To take an example for 3-node brigade （regiment） level NCW demonstration platform, the algorithm of end-to-end network latency and path information in NCW are presented. The algorithm program based on Server/Client architecture is developed. The optimal path is the link whose latency between the detector and weapon control station is the smallest. This paper solves the key issue and satisfies the needs on network latency in NCW. The study results can be widely applied in the decision of the optimal path which is based on multiple service provision points.

Tensor-Centric Warfare VI: A Global Warfare Model

We propose a global warfare model that integrates the models of the whole tensor-centric warfare series, represented as a high-dimensional entangled warfare category. Its underpinning metaphysics is “entangled fusion”: this is the macroscopic entanglement concept inspired by high-dimensional (HD) quantum computation (the “quantum brain”), in which any number of entangled wave-functions can be highly correlated, with neuron-like signaling among them. From this entangled perspective, war and battle is seen essentially as a holistic phenomenon: if any one of a set of mutually entangled warring parties is removed from the equation, then the war as it is instantly stops, possibly to be replaced by a new conflict between the remaining parties but distinct from that which it supplants. The formal global warfare framework developed in this paper expresses this fundamental idea of arbitrary many interrelated/entangled conflicts, each of them defined by its own battle-manifold (with warfighting tensor fields acting on it) and occurring (more-or-less) simultaneously on the planet;we call this entangled

Tensor-Centric Warfare II: Entropic Uncertainty Modeling

In the first paper of the tensor-centric warfare (TCW) series [1], we proposed a tensor model of combat generalizing earlier Lanchester-type systems with a particular emphasis on contemporary military thinking, including the distributed C4ISR system (Command, Control, Communications, Computing, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance). In the present paper, we extend this initial tensor combat model with entropic Lie-derivative machinery in order to capture some aspects of this deep uncertainty, while, in the process, formalizing into our model military notion of symmetry and asymmetry in warfare as a commutator, also known as a Lie bracket. In doing so, we have sought to shift the question from the prediction of outcomes of combat, upon which previous combat models such as the Lanchester-type equations have been typically constructed, towards determining the uncertainty outcomes, using a rigorous analytical basis.