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We consider the bilevel knapsack problem with interdiction constraints, a fundamental bilevel integer programming problem which generalizes the 0–1 knapsack problem. In this problem, there are two knapsacks and n items. The objective is to select some items to pack into the first knapsack such that the maximum profit attainable from packing some of the remaining items into the second knapsack is minimized. We present a combinatorial branch-and-bound algorithm which outperforms the current state-of-the-art solution method in computational experiments for 99% of the instances reported in the literature. On many of the harder instances, our algorithm is orders of magnitude faster, which enabled it to solve 53 of the 72 previously unsolved instances. Our result relies fundamentally on a new dynamic programming algorithm which computes very strong lower bounds. This dynamic program solves a relaxation of the problem from bilevel to 2n-level where the items are processed in an online fashion. The relaxation is easier to solve but approximates the original problem surprisingly well in practice. We believe that this same technique may be useful for other interdiction problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a bilevel problem to address the interdiction and fortification of the healthcare network in Golestan province, Iran. We explore a bilevel hierarchical covering interdiction/fortification problem (BHCIFP) to analyze the dynamics between interdiction and fortification operations, referral systems for healthcare services, capacitated health facilities, and budgetary constraints for both defense and offense. The defender (leader) aims to minimize the establishment cost of protective equipment and subsequent healthcare costs post-interdiction while maximizing patient coverage. Conversely, the attacker (follower) aims to disrupt the healthcare network by interdicting facilities, thereby increasing the total travel distance for patients. To solve this NP-hard problem, we employ a hybrid approach that integrates the tabu search algorithm (TS) for the leader’s problem with an exact method for the follower’s problem. A case study of Golestan’s healthcare network is presented to validate the model and hybrid approach. The model effectively minimizes travel distances by strategically locating defense bases, considering both the leader’s and attacker’s decisions. Comparative evaluations of the proposed hybrid TS and two other metaheuristic approaches are conducted on different case study instances and random instances. Numerical results demonstrate that the novel bilevel TS approach provides superior quality solutions in a reasonable time, establishing it as a competitive method for the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a reinforcement learning‐based heuristic for a two‐player interdiction game called the dynamic shortest path interdiction problem (DSPI). The DSPI involves an evader and an interdictor who take turns in the problem, with the interdictor selecting a set of arcs to attack and the evader choosing an arc to traverse at each step of the game. Our model employs the Monte Carlo tree search framework to learn a policy for the players using randomized roll‐outs. This policy is stored as an asymmetric game tree and can be further refined as the game unfolds. We leverage alpha–beta pruning and existing bounding schemes in the literature to prune suboptimal branches. Our numerical experiments demonstrate that the prescribed approach yields near‐optimal solutions in many cases and allows for flexibility in balancing solution quality and computational effort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plot of Northern Sotho folktales is mostly made possible by introducing an interdiction, characterised by, o se ke wa (do not do). This interdiction assists listeners in identifying the problem and knowing the possible events that will come after the interdiction. In most cases, the protagonist will likely transgress the interdiction to suffer and endure the consequences. The study followed a qualitative research approach where a case study design, was adopted. Data were generated through focus group interviews and content analysis. The study found that: One, the interdiction serves as a mandatory cultural structure of all the Northern Sotho folktales. Two, that in most cases the main character transgresses the interdiction. These findings have at least two most important implications. Firstly, the listeners can predict future incidences, and secondly, the violation of interdictions leads to the plot development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Near East University Islamic Research Center / Yakın Doğu Üniversitesi İslam Tetkikleri Merkezi Dergisi is the property of Journal of Near East University Islamic Research Center and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The sale of dwellings in different stages of construction is, without a doubt, a current topic. A lot of investors (real estate promoters) operate on the real estate market from Romania, taking advantage, perhaps, of the existing legislative framework, which is too permissive, in our opinion, and which inevitably leads to unwanted effects both by clients and by the other participants in the instrumenting of sales documents (including sales promises), with the exception of investors, in the almost exclusive profit of whom the documents are concluded. For these reasons, through this study, we are trying to make more visible the activity of construction and of sale of dwellings not yet finished or in various stages of construction, with the hope that the legislative bodies of this country will notice the need for a special regulation in this field, as some European countries very close to Romania have already done, so that, in the end, the sale of dwellings that are in different stages of construction is recognized and regulated as such, as a distinct variety of sale, alongside the other varieties of sale currently regulated in the Civil Code through Title IX, Chapter I, Section 4, devoted to varieties of sale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers an extension of the shortest path network interdiction problem that incorporates robustness to account for parameter uncertainty. The shortest path interdiction problem is a game of two players with conflicting agendas and capabilities: an evader, who traverses the arcs of a network from a source node to a sink node using a path of shortest length, and an interdictor, who maximizes the length of the evader's shortest path by interdicting arcs on the network. It is usually assumed that the parameters defining the network are known exactly by both players. We consider the situation where the evader assumes the nominal parameter values while the interdictor uses robust optimization techniques to account for parameter uncertainty or sensor degradation. We formulate this problem as a nonlinear mixed‐integer semi‐infinite bilevel program and show that it can be converted into a mixed‐integer linear program with a second order cone constraint. We use random geometric networks and transportation networks to perform computational studies and demonstrate the unique decision strategies that our variant produces. Solving the shortest path interdiction problem with asymmetric uncertainty protects the interdictor from investing in a strategy that hinges on key interdictions performing as promised. It also provides an alternate strategy that mitigates the risk of these worst‐case possibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We address a problem of preventing an interdiction on water supply networks by building a Bayesian Stackelberg game model involving stakeholders of a defender and an interdictor. The defender initiates to allocate resource to network components to make a trade-off between network resilience measured by water satisfaction rate and the defender's cost, whereas the interdictor follows to interdict a component with the objectives of maximising the destruction level on the network structure and minimising the interdictor's cost. Specifically, the defender adopts mixed defence strategies, which implies that the interdictor is uncertain of the defender's resource allocation. Moreover, we propose sufficient conditions for the elimination of the dominated defence and interdiction strategies. A decomposed iterative learning algorithm (DILA) and a smallest-depth binary-partition based hierarchical algorithm (SBHA) are developed to reduce the sizes of the defence and interdiction strategy sets, respectively, thus analysing the optimal mixed defence strategies. Finally, a real case study with private information is conducted, thus providing valuable suggestions for the defender's resource allocation against interdictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce a novel framework of graph modifications specific to interval graphs. We study interdiction problems with respect to these graph modifications. Given a list of original intervals, each interval has a replacement interval such that either the replacement contains the original, or the original contains the replacement. The interdictor is allowed to replace up to k original intervals with their replacements. Using this framework we also study the contrary of interdiction problems which we call assistance problems. We study these problems for the independence number, the clique number, shortest paths, and the scattering number. We obtain polynomial time algorithms for most of the studied problems. Via easy reductions, it follows that on interval graphs, the most vital nodes problem with respect to shortest path, independence number and Hamiltonicity can be solved in polynomial time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Romanian Journal of Intellectual Property Law / Revista Română de Dreptul Proprietăţii Intelectuale is the property of Universul Juridic Publishing House and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

ABSTRACTWildlife trafficking is a global phenomenon posing many negative impacts on socio-environmental systems. Scientific exploration of wildlife trafficking trends and the impact of interventions is significantly encumbered by a suite of data reuse challenges. We describe a novel, open-access data directory on wildlife trafficking and a corresponding visualization tool that can be used to identify data for multiple purposes, such as exploring wildlife trafficking hotspots and convergence points with other crime, discovering key drivers or deterrents of wildlife trafficking, and uncovering structural patterns. Keyword searches, expert elicitation, and peer-reviewed publications were used to search for extant sources used by industry and non-profit organizations, as well as those leveraged to publish academic research articles. The open-access data directory is designed to be a living document and searchable according to multiple measures. The directory can be instrumental in the data-driven analysis of unsustainable illegal wildlife trade, supply chain structure via link prediction models, the value of demand and supply reduction initiatives via multi-item knapsack problems, or trafficking behavior and transportation choices via network interdiction problems.

This article aims to investigate the relationship between interdiction and transgression in Umberto Eco’s novel The Name of the Rose, aiming to demonstrate that this link is formed through dependence. The paper also seeks to analyze curiosity as one of the channels through which transgression manifests itself in the face of the bans imposed on Eco’s fiction, not as a way of denying them, but of overcoming them by enhancing them. It is understood that curiosity as a transgression is the result of a first interdiction, that of laughter, and it is evaluated as both curiositas and studiositas. This expression is considered, also, as excess, an excess that leads to death and destruction, highlighting the danger to the homogeneous world. The theoretical basis of this article is mainly composed of the works of Georges Bataille, with the support of Alberto Manguel and Georges Minois. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nocturnal brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis; BTS) was accidentally introduced to the island of Guam, USA, in the Western Pacific in 1945. The BTS has spread throughout all terrestrial habitats, causing wildlife loss and economic damage. Several tools and techniques have been developed to locally reduce BTS numbers and prevent their spread to other islands. The common analgesic acetaminophen has been registered as a low-risk pesticide to manage BTS in non-residential areas. Prior to a more intensive toxic baiting campaign on Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, as part of a larger study to evaluate the effects of BTS control on native bird survival, we conducted a pilot study from May 18 to October 6, 2020, to assess the efficacy and safety of BTS baiting within a residential area. We administered large and small domesticated mouse (Mus musculus) and bird chick (Coturnix japonica and Gallus domesticus) nontoxic carrion baits (without acetaminophen) in bait stations to evaluate BTS and nontarget bait take rates, bait preferences, movements following nighttime bait uptakes, and interactions of humans and domestic animals with baits. We monitored baits with cameras and implanted them with radio-transmitters to verify the species taking the bait and to track BTS to their daytime sheltering locations. Successful BTS bait take rates were low at 20 of 482 baits (4.1%), as were nontarget bait take rates (4 baits; 0.8%). No preference among bait types was discernible, though power to detect differences was limited due to low overall uptake. All first daytime refugia were within vegetation except for 1 location on the roof of a house. No evidence of bait removal or human tampering was found at any of the bait stations. Based on our pilot study, there appeared to be little human or nontarget risk from acetaminophen baiting in this relatively uniform and sparsely vegetated residential area. Because most of the residential areas on Guam are much more variable, similar assessments within a broader diversity of residential areas may be advisable before promoting large-scale use of acetaminophen for managing BTS in close contact with human habitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This article is devoted to the incapacitation procedure for insane and profligate persons in Roman law. On the basis of literary and legal sources, an attempt is made to explain the incapacitation procedure in more detail. Special attention is given to the concept of interdiction and the question of involvement of physicians in such proceedings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 31 May 2003, President Bush announced the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) in Krakow, Poland, which aims to counter the threat from the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). At present, there are 106 States endorsing the Statement of Interdiction Principles and are participants of the U.S.-led initiative. The PSI participating States are asked to inspect ships suspected of carrying WMD-related cargoes that sail to or from the States or non-State actors of proliferation concern. While all ASEAN members have participated in the PSI activities and most of them are PSI partners, they have doubts about the legality for PSI interdiction under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. This article examines the development of the PSI, legality for PSI interdiction, and explore possible ways to reduce ASEAN Members' concerns about legal authorities for interdiction actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Colombia, efforts to reduce coca cultivation include forced eradication (FE), interdiction, alternative development (AD), and a series of territorial transformations (TT). Whereas some of these policies have been assessed separately by the empirical literature, no attention has been paid to their possible complementarities. Following an economics of crime approach, we argue that people’s choice to grow coca depends on both the costs imposed by FE and interdiction, on the one hand, and the benefits arising from AD and TT, on the other. To test this, we collect data on the country’s 291 municipalities with net positive levels of coca cultivation from 2005 to 2015 and estimate a panel data regression model with fixed effects. The results suggest that, besides being complementary, these groups of policies also depend on each other to be effective.

Law 49/2018, of August 14, created the Portuguese legal regime of the assisted decision-making (capacity), thus eliminating the legal institutes of interdiction and disqualification, provided for in the Civil Code (CC). The aim of this legal regime was to embed a new vision of disability based on a model of rights, that grants people with disabilities an independent and autonomous life and reflects the acceptance of the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) guidelines. This paper intends to discuss the 'new' Portuguese legal system regarding the legal capacity of persons with disabilities and its role in valuing the expression of the real will of people with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

En droit Congolais comme en droit de l’OHADA, certaines personnes ne peuvent pas se livrer au commerce parce que leurs fonctions ou professions en sont incompatibles. Il y a donc deux régimes concurrents, l’un prévu en droit interne et l’autre en droit de l’OHADA. Conformément à l’article 10 du Traité créant l’Organisation pour l’Harmonisation en Afrique du Droit des Affaires, OHADA en sigle et à l’article 1er de l’acte uniforme sur le droit commercial général qui, respectivement, consacrent l’effet abrogatoire des actes uniformes et le champ d’application de l’acte uniforme précité, les incompatibilités commerciales prévues en droit interne ne devraient plus être d’application. Mais en réalité, les incompatibilités prévues en droit interne survivent par la volonté du législateur communautaire. En effet, dans l’énumération des fonctions et professions concernées par le régime d’incompatibilité, il est prévu, à l’article 9 de l’acte uniforme précité, la prise en compte des incompatibilités consacrées par le droit national de chaque Etat Partie. Dans tous les cas, compte tenu de réalité du terrain, certaines dispositions du droit interne en la matière, n’ont plus leurs raisons d’être étant donné leur caractère anachronique, c’est-à-dire emphase avec les réalités vécues sur le terrain. D’où la nécessité de les élaguer du régime juridique en vigueur en matière des incompatibilités commerciales.

The attack on the written word is not new. It has happened many times through history, especially in modern times as the availability of books has grown so rapidly. It is most often in authoritarian regimes that books are deemed a potential threat, and the elimination of this threat a means to maintain control of a potentially rebellious population. Probably the most heinous of book banning and burnings occurred during Nazi rule, prior to and during the Second World War. To witness, recently, in the United States the ugly head book banning and their removal from libraries is a sad commentary on the state of some senior politicians, including Governors and Judicial leaders. Fortunately, there is vigorous opposition to these efforts and notable successes in the quest for universal access to the world of books. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates a combinatorial optimization interdiction problem, called bottleneck spanning tree interdiction. This problem is a game containing two players with conflicting goals. The first player, called the user, wants to find a bottleneck (min-max or max-min) spanning tree in a weighted network. The other player, called the attacker, increases edge weights under a budget constraint as well as bound constraints so that the user does not achieve his/her goal. This game has a hierarchy structure. It means that the attacker first perturbates the network and then, the user chooses his/her strategy after observing the attacker's action. This paper considers the problem in two cases that there are fixed and linear costs for the attacker. Two divide-and-conquer algorithms are developed to solve the problem under both the costs in polynomial time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homeland security research has gone through a significant transformation since the events of September 11, 2001, and continues to evolve. This article identifies opportunities that the industrial engineering and operations research communities can seize. By drawing together insights from thought leaders in these communities, a path outlining research problems and discovery is provided that will serve to guide industrial engineering and operations research innovations and help move homeland security research forward over the next decade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to reflect on the diversity of the interdictions which are valid in the world of a magic fairy tale, and the consequences caused by violating them. As it turns out, except for taboos expressed in an explicit way, the character of the studied narratives does not follow the rules of folk ethics of the word, and unconsciously contributes to his own or someone else's physical metamorphosis, or disregards generally accepted moral norms. As a result, he destroys the cosmic order. However, a violation of an interdiction is a necessary condition for the attainment of sociocultural maturity by the protagonist, which is formed through the process of positive initiation. The interpretative context of these considerations takes into account the value system specific to magic stories, reflecting the worldview of a traditional society. The source material used is representative of fairy tale narratives taken from several collections of Russian folk prose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider a class of bilevel programming problems (BPPs) where the leader's decision variables are all binary, the follower's decision variables are all continuous, and a fractional objective function appears in the follower's problem. This class of problems generalizes standard bilevel linear mixed-integer programs with a linear program (LP) in the lower level. One motivating application example for this generalization arises in a network interdiction context, where the follower (i.e., the evader) instead of minimizing his/her shortest path, optimizes some fractional objective function, e.g., a cost-to-time ratio. By applying Charnes-Cooper transformation, we first reformulate the original BPP as an equivalent BPP with a fractional objective in the upper level, but an LP in the lower level. Using a combination of the LP strong-duality property and linearization techniques, we show how to address the resulting reformulation via a parametric approach that solves a sequence of linear mixed-integer programs. The latter can be handled by off-the-shelf solvers, which implies that our overall solution scheme is easy to implement. Finally, we perform a brief computational study to illustrate the performance of the proposed approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Desarrollo y Sociedad is the property of Universidad de los Andes and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Aequitas: Journal of Human Development, Disability & Social Change / Revue de Développement Humain, Handicap et Changement Social is the property of Reseau international sur le Processus de production du handicap, RIPPH and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this article, we investigate two issues: (a) the initial contact formation events along the folding pathway of the DNA-binding domain of the tumor suppressor protein p53 (core p53); and (b) the intermolecular events leading to its conversion into a prion-like form upon incubation with peptide P8(250-257). In the case of (a), the calculations employ the sequential collapse model (SCM) to identify the segments involved in the initial contact formation events that nucleate the folding pathway. The model predicts that there are several possible initial non-local contacts of comparative stability. The most stable of these possible initial contacts involve the protein segments 159AMAIY163 and 251ILTII255, and it is the only native-like contact. Thus, it is predicted to constitute "Nature's shortcut" to the native structure of the core domain of p53. In the case of issue (b), these findings are then combined with experimental evidence showing that the incubation of the core domain of p53 with peptide P8(250-257), which is equivalent to the native protein segment 250PILTIITL257, leads to an amyloid conformational transition. It is explained how the SCM predicts that P8(250-257) effectively interdicts in the formation of the most stable possible initial contact and, thereby, disrupts the subsequent normal folding. Interdiction by polymeric P8(250-257) seeds is also studied. It is then hypothesized that enhanced folding through one or several of the less stable contacts could play a role in P8(250-257)-promoted core p53 amyloid misfolding. These findings are compared to previous results obtained for the prion protein. Experiments are proposed to test the hypothesis presented regarding core p53 amyloid misfolding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to analyze the structural indicators based on the human rights model of people with disabilities in Ecuador. For this, documentary sources and bibliographic information were collected and interpreted. Initially, the situation of people with disabilities and the process of protecting rights at the normative level were identified. It is concluded from the analysis that the rights of people with disabilities have been included within the socioeconomic context through labor regulations of social insertion. Within the structural indicators through a comparative analysis with Colombia and Argentina, it is deduced that there is legislation that limits people with disabilities in their rights, that is, in the institution of interdiction. Therefore, the implementation of the figure of support systems and safeguards is urgent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider a bilevel attacker–defender problem to find the worst-case attack on the relays that control transmission grid components. The attacker infiltrates some number of relays and renders all of the components connected to them inoperable with the goal of maximizing load shed. The defender responds by minimizing the resulting load shed, redispatching using a DC optimal power flow (DCOPF) problem on the remaining network. Though worst-case interdiction problems on the transmission grid have been studied for years, there remains a need for exact and scalable methods. Methods based on using duality on the inner problem rely on the bounds of the dual variables of the defender problem in order to reformulate the bilevel problem as a mixed integer linear problem. Valid dual bounds tend to be large, resulting in weak linear programming relaxations and, hence, making the problem more difficult to solve at scale. Often smaller heuristic bounds are used, resulting in a lower bound. In this work, we also consider a lower bound, but instead of bounding the dual variables, we drop the constraints corresponding to Ohm's law, relaxing DCOPF to capacitated network flow. We present theoretical results showing that, for uncongested networks, approximating DCOPF with network flow yields the same set of injections and, thus, the same load shed, which suggests that this restriction likely gives a high-quality lower bound in the uncongested case. Furthermore, we show that, in the network flow relaxation of the defender problem, the duals are bounded by one, so we can solve our restriction exactly. Finally, because the big-M values in the linearization are equal to one and network flow has a well-known structure, we see empirically that this formulation scales well computationally with increased network size. Through empirical experiments on 16 networks with up to 6,468 buses, we find that this bound is almost always as tight as we can get from guessing the dual bounds even for congested networks in which the theoretical results do not hold. In addition, calculating the bound is approximately 150 times faster than achieving the same bound with the reformulation guessing the dual bounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a recent paper, we proposed the folding interdiction target region (FITR) strategy for therapeutic drug design in SARS-CoV-2. This paper expands the application of the FITR strategy by proposing therapeutic drug design approaches against Ebola virus disease and influenza A. We predict target regions for folding interdicting drugs on correspondingly relevant structural proteins of both pathogenic viruses: VP40 of Ebola, and matrix protein M1 of influenza A. Identification of the protein targets employs the sequential collapse model (SCM) for protein folding. It is explained that the model predicts natural peptide candidates in each case from which to start the search for therapeutic drugs. The paper also discusses how these predictions could be tested, as well as some challenges likely to be found when designing effective therapeutic drugs from the proposed peptide candidates. The FITR strategy opens a potential new avenue for the design of therapeutic drugs that promises to be effective against infectious diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a progressive approximation algorithm for the exact solution of several classes of interdiction games in which two noncooperative players (namely an attacker and a follower) interact sequentially. The follower must solve an optimization problem that has been previously perturbed by means of a series of attacking actions led by the attacker. These attacking actions aim at augmenting the cost of the decision variables of the follower's optimization problem. The objective, from the attacker's viewpoint, is that of choosing an attacking strategy that reduces as much as possible the quality of the optimal solution attainable by the follower. The progressive approximation mechanism consists of the iterative solution of an interdiction problem in which the attacker actions are restricted to a subset of the whole solution space and a pricing subproblem invoked with the objective of proving the optimality of the attacking strategy. This scheme is especially useful when the optimal solutions to the follower's subproblem intersect with the decision space of the attacker only in a small number of decision variables. In such cases, the progressive approximation method can solve interdiction games otherwise intractable for classical methods. We illustrate the efficiency of our approach on the shortest path, 0-1 knapsack and facility location interdiction games. Summary of Contribution: In this article, we present a progressive approximation algorithm for the exact solution of several classes of interdiction games in which two noncooperative players (namely an attacker and a follower) interact sequentially. We exploit the discrete nature of this interdiction game to design an effective algorithmic framework that improves the performance of general-purpose solvers. Our algorithm combines elements from mathematical programming and computer science, including a metaheuristic algorithm, a binary search procedure, a cutting-planes algorithm, and supervalid inequalities. Although we illustrate our results on three specific problems (shortest path, 0-1 knapsack, and facility location), our algorithmic framework can be extended to a broader class of interdiction problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pursuit and use of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons has been examined by scholars for more than two decades. What has not been examined are the cases in which non-state actors were prevented from obtaining or using these weapons and agents and the corresponding reasons for successful interdiction. This article uses the Profiles of Incidents Involving CBRN and Non-State Actors (POICN) database to carry out an exploratory analysis of CBRN interdictions around the world from 1990-2016. Using basic descriptives and cross-tabulations, this study finds that successful interdictions often resulted from probable cause searches, surveillance operations, but also from other, unknown reasons. However, there is a tremendous amount of variation when it comes to modes of interdiction and actor motivation. The same goes for jurisdiction, whether international collaboration aided the interdiction, and weapon acquisition and delivery. This text is intended to serve as a foundation for the study of CBRN terrorism interdiction as it seeks to undercover why some law enforcement efforts fail while others succeed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capacity is a subject of transversal interest in Law, it is present in all its fields. It is an attribute that every subject has through which he/she can perform acts that are not prohibited. Since 2018, by Legislative Decree 1384, we have a new treatment of capacity in the Civil Code that is in line with the guidelines in favor of the autonomy and full legal capacity of persons with disabilities, aligning national legislation to the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The regime of substitution of the will of incapable persons is replaced by a social model through supports and safeguards. We are facing an inclusive, democratic model, according to the respect for the human rights of all citizens (dignity and equality), based on the principle that people with disabilities have full exercise capacity in equal conditions in each and every aspect of their lives, recognizing their right to make their own decisions as well as the right to make mistakes. The function of the support in favor of the disabled person is developed, analyzing their powers of representation. We start from the principle that the support does not replace the manifestation of will, it only interprets it and collaborates in an adequate manifestation of will so that the person with disability can exercise his legal capacity, enjoying his rights and freedoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

L’arrestation des militants impliqués dans un réseau de distribution de tracts dans une usine métallurgique de la banlieue parisienne est exemplaire de la répression exercée au printemps 1940 contre un Parti communiste français réduit à la clandestinité depuis septembre 1939. L’affaire, une des premières traitées par la nouvelle brigade spéciale des Renseignements généraux, fait la preuve de l’efficacité des méthodes policières. Elle montre aussi les limites de leur technicité, les pistes susceptibles de remonter la filière jusqu’aux niveaux supérieurs de la direction du PCF n’ayant guère été exploitées. Le parcours des inculpés, incarcérés dans les prisons parisiennes puis évacués vers le midi de la France en juin 1940 lors de l’exode pénitentiaire, illustre la continuité de la répression anticommuniste, de la fin de la Troisième République au régime de l’État français. Nonobstant la désorganisation du pays en conséquence de l’occupation allemande, les autorités françaises trouvent les ressources nécessaires pour diligenter les poursuites et les faire appliquer, avec des conséquences tragiques pour plusieurs des condamnés livrés par la suite aux Allemands1.

Interdiction problems deal with the identification of the links and/or nodes of a network that, if disturbed (i.e., destroyed, failed, removed), can lead to a reduction in network performance. Generally, interdiction is assumed to be immediate and the damage is evaluated without considering any dynamical effect. In particular for electric power system interdiction, previous studies assumed that the performance of the network was related to the load to be served and evaluated assuming a steady state condition of the system. Thus, the effects of sudden actions, like the one from a malevolent attack, are not properly modeled. The modeling of an electric power system from a network science perspective allows the assessment of interesting properties, such as the synchronizability of the network or the ability or ease of a network in synchronizing its individual dynamical units, especially when disturbance occurs. To this aim, the main goal of this paper is to propose an interdiction model as the solution of a novel tri-objective model that (i) minimizes network synchronizability, (ii) minimizes the cost of interdiction, and (iii) minimizes a network performance function. A NSGA-II procedure is used as a convenient tool for approximating the Pareto-optimal frontier of solutions for these competing objectives. Finally, a Kuramoto-based model is used to verify the synchronizability of selected Pareto-optimal solutions. The proposed tri-objective model along with the dynamic simulation is illustrated using the topology of three power systems (the Venezuela high-voltage power system and two IEEE networks). The results suggest that our proposed model offers a substantial contribution: a simple model produces dramatic results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wall is the basic structural element of architecture and is part of its necessary visual language. It is used to separate, divide or enclose a space, and at the level of a construction, as a whole, it forms the boundary of a room or a building. This continuous vertical structure has, above all, a clear functional dimension, that of providing shelter (exterior walls) and compartmentalizing a space (interior walls). The concrete delimitation and the separation between interior and exterior, together with the relationship between them, are the basis for understanding our way of relating to personal spaces, intimate versus public, at sight. If the walls prevent the free entry or exit in and out of a space, it means that their impenetrability can be related to their defensive function, and the separate place becomes, on this occasion, a protective space. The two functions are valid both for real walls (massive, on frames or glass), but also for imaginary ones, so that this concrete, physical construction can acquire many meanings that can be transferred to the symbolic level of understanding it. The wall always has two faces, one inside and one outside, and forms a kind of barrier for people on either side of it, but allows the passage (both physical, but also metaphorical) through windows and doors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]