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There has been a concern in recent years about the treatment of losses related to cryptocurrencies, particularly in cases involving fraud and theft. It is important that financial professionals be aware of the proper treatment of these in order to advise clients. This column will review the general rules for individuals incurring theft losses and also provide information about how these may apply in cases of cryptocurrency losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The proposed work introduces two schemes for secure device authentication and key agreement (SDA & KA) mechanisms. Initially, an efficient implicit certificate approach based on the Elliptic curve Qu–Vanstone (EIC‐EcQuV) scheme is developed in the first stage to instantly concur on the session key. The proposed scheme implicitly performs quick authentication of the public key. Also, this scheme prevents the attacker from creating fake key combinations. Through EIC‐EcQuV, the implicit certificate (IC) is distributed which helps to implicitly authenticate the user. This work also proposes ithe developed Public Key Certificateless Cryptosystem (PKCIC) scheme in the second stage, whch was also for the SDA & KA mechanism. In the EIC‐EcQuV scheme, efficient authentication is enabled, but public key theft is possible. However, in the PKCIC scheme, authentication is performed through partial keys, and the public key is secured via the Schnorr signature. The efficiency of the proposed schemes is proved by comparing the attained results with previous schemes. The proposed method obtains the computational cost of 0.0583 s for end‐to‐end devices, 0.06111 for network servers, and 0.00071 s for the gateway, with an execution time of 78.624 for 1000 devices. The attained key agreement of the proposed EIC‐EcQuV is 0.953 s, and PKCIC is 0.9988 s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses a subject that has not been examined by scholars: the extent of corruption in early Scottish chief constables. Three men placed in charge of their forces in the county of Roxburgh between 1861 and 1902 succumbed to corruption. There are striking similarities in the backgrounds of the men: they were all married men, experienced police leaders, highly regarded by their previous forces and successful in their new roles. James McMaster abused his position of power to cajole a young constable into a homosexual relationship, Daniel Munro deserted the force with a married woman and John Macdonald experienced alcohol abuse issues. All three men stole from their force. The research presented here is grounded in primary sources ranging from police records, police commissioners' minute books, the reports of the Inspector of Constabulary, the private correspondence of the duke of Buccleuch and local newspapers. The article describes the circumstances whereby their crimes were revealed and the reaction of their police commissioners. It also poses an important question: if this examination of one small rural county uncovers such a high level of criminality, how widespread was corruption amongst Scotland's early police leaders? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Australians spend more per capita on gambling than any other country in the world. Electronic gaming machines (EGM) expenditure accounts for almost 90% of this expenditure. No study to date has conducted a rigorous longitudinal analysis of the relationship between gambling expenditure and crime. This study aimed to estimate the short‐ and long‐run relationship between gambling expenditure and crime. Design: Longitudinal analysis using panel autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) modelling. Setting and cases: Recorded property and violent crimes committed in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, between 28 December 2015 and 5 January 2020. Measurements Monthly gross EGM expenditure profit, broken down by Local Government Area (LGA). Monthly recorded rates of assault, break enter and steal (dwelling), break enter and steal (non‐dwelling), break enter and steal (total), motor vehicle theft, stealing from a motor vehicle, stealing from a retail store, stealing from the person, stealing (total) and fraud. Findings Each 10% increase in gambling expenditure in NSW is associated with annual: 7.4% increase in assaults, 10.5% increase in break and enter (dwelling) offences; 10.3% increase in break and enter (non‐dwelling) offences; 11% increase in motor vehicle theft offences; 8.2% increase in stealing from motor vehicle offences; and 7.4% increase in fraud offences. Conclusion: Electronic gaming expenditure appears to be positively associated with property and violent crime in New South Wales, Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During China's transition from pre-modern to modern society, book theft, as a form of social deviance, reflected the multifaceted cultural metaphors of books in modern Chinese social life. The shift from the notion that "common thieves do not steal books" to book theft as a representation of cultural power struggles exemplifies the media cultural transformation in modern Chinese society. Contemporary attitudes towards book theft reveal complex tensions between economic order, publishing supply and demand, social mentality, cultural capital, knowledge power, media discourse, and public opinion during this period of societal change. In this context, book theft can be seen as a dual phenomenon, embodying both a clever and sophisticated act that challenges dominant norms and values on one hand, and a form of rebellion that seeks to redistribute power and knowledge, akin to the legendary outlaw Robin Hood, on the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We study the effects of quantity thresholds (such as drug amount) used to divide offenses into subsections on sentencing decisions by professional sentencers Methods: In a vignette experiment, 200 Czech prosecutors recommended a length of prison sentence in drug possession and theft cases Results: We provide experimental evidence that quantity thresholds increase the recommended average prison sentence by 10 to 55%. We develop a conceptual framework that decomposes the effect of quantity thresholds into two opposing effects: the severity and the reference effects. We provide suggestive evidence for the existence of severity and reference effects. Using new parametric measures of ordinal (in)justice, we further quantify the effect of thresholds on the probability of an ordinally just sentence for a given level of tolerance. Conclusions: Quantity thresholds, designed to limit sentencing disparities, introduce a different source of disparity which might substantially limit the net benefits of such provisions Preregistration: AEARCTR-0006023 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crime risk can affect tourists' choices of holiday destination, accommodation, and activities. However, victimisation of tourists has received limited attention in existing studies. This paper integrates tourists' holiday preferences with lifestyles and routine activities explanations to examine the relationship between tourism and victimisation. Using a sample of Australian tourists who travelled to Bali or the British Isles (N = 1027), we demonstrate the usefulness of this integrated approach in understanding the risk of theft while on holiday. We found that tourists aspiring to be adventurous, but opting for pre-arranged package holidays and spending most of their time with other tourists, were most vulnerable to theft from their person. The findings can help ensure that security measures target those who will benefit it the most. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)'s security against Soviet espionage was devastating. Open sources reveal more than 60 spies unmasked, named, and accused of directly stealing NATO secrets on behalf of Soviet intelligence services, the State Committee for Security (KGB) and Main Intelligence Directorate, while NATO's own secret report estimated 300 spies. These unmaskings attested to the efficacy of Western counterintelligence, but nevertheless evidenced deep and sustained infiltration by Soviet agents. This study, unfortunately, may only be considered preliminary because it is the first one to examine the totality of espionage within NATO during the Soviet years, even though the complete historical record remains inaccessible. Second, most of the information has been gleaned from journalistic sources. Third, the real damage of stolen classified materials remains elusive owing to laws that prevent disclosure. Absent a practical way to verify compromises, NATO officials had little recourse but to assume that Moscow possessed all classified information exposed to spies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, a significant number of pre-trained models are published online to provide services to users owing to the rapid maturation and popularization of machine learning as a service (MLaaS). Some malicious users have pre-trained models illegally to redeploy them and earn money. However, most of the current methods focus on verifying the copyright of the model rather than tracing responsibility for the suspect model. In this study, TraceGuard is proposed, the first framework based on steganography for tracing a suspect self-supervised learning (SSL) pre-trained model, to ascertain which authorized user illegally released the suspect model or if the suspect model is independent. Concretely, the framework contains an encoder and decoder pair and the SSL pre-trained model. Initially, the base pre-trained model is frozen, and the encoder and decoder are jointly learned to ensure the two modules can embed the secret key into the cover image and extract the secret key from the embedding output by the base pre-trained model. Subsequently, the base pre-trained model is fine-tuned using stego images to implement a fingerprint while the encoder and decoder are frozen. To assure the effectiveness and robustness of the fingerprint and the utility of fingerprinted pre-trained models, three alternate steps of model stealing simulations, fine-tuning for uniqueness, and fine-tuning for utility are designed. Finally, the suspect pre-trained model is traced to its user by querying stego images. Experimental results demonstrate that TraceGuard can reliably trace suspect models and is robust against common fingerprint removal attacks such as fine-tuning, pruning, and model stealing. In the future, we will further improve the robustness against model stealing attack. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anomaly detection has significant importance for the development of autonomous monitoring systems. Real-world anomalous events are complicated due to diverse human behaviors and class variations. Anomalous activities depend upon speed, length of activity, and motion features to comprehend suspicious behaviors. Fast activities are captured quickly within a few video frames, whereas slow actions may take several hundred video frames to define an anomalous action. Furthermore, a video is more than just a stack of frames with spatiotemporal representations. Most of the existing approaches suffer from learning variable speed fast and slow activities simultaneously and primarily focus on learning spatiotemporal features only. Modeling the spatiotemporal and motion relationships between frames together can help understand the actions better. Motion features when combined with spatiotemporal representations perform higher. Our contribution is two-fold in this research work. Firstly, a novel dynamic frame-skipping approach is proposed to duly generate meaningful representations of spatiotemporal frames and optical-flow-based motion representations for variable speed anomalous actions. Secondly, AnomalyNet, as a new end-to-end deep architecture, is designed to simultaneously learn both spatiotemporal and motion features in image sequences. AnomalyNet is evaluated on the challenging real-world anomaly detection datasets. The results confirm that the proposed model has achieved a competitive AUC of 86.1% on the real-world UCF-Crime dataset and has achieved a superior AUC score of 99.87% compared to state-of-the-art methods on challenging ShanghaiTech dataset in the domain of unsupervised, weakly-supervised, and fully-supervised anomaly detection. Furthermore, the model achieved the highest F1 score for both fast and slow variable speed anomalous activities, such as explosions, road accidents, robbery, and stealing for real-world autonomous surveillance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effects that sensory modulation-related occupational therapy interventions can have on emotional regulation in preparation for readiness to change among individuals who are incarcerated. Assessments used included the PTSD Checklist (PCL-5), University of Rhode Island Change Assessment Scale 32-item (URICA), and a semi-structured interview. Results quantitatively demonstrated emotional regulation in relation to traumatic experiences was impacted through statistically significant changes in PCL-5 scores. The change in URICA scores was minimal, yet positive. Qualitative data supported positive effects on emotional regulation and readiness to change. This project provided evidence regarding sensory modulation-related occupational therapy interventions within justice-based settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the knowledge‐based economy, creative ideas are becoming increasingly valuable. However, creators often encounter the threat of idea theft, which can discourage them from sharing their ideas and receiving vital feedback. This article explores the psychology behind creators' attempts to strategically manage idea sharing. Across three studies, we find that creators mispredict the preferences of idea thieves, such that idea thieves prefer to steal ideas in earlier stages of development than creators expect. We find this difference is driven by creators' tendency to underestimate how much idea thieves attend to moral concerns while deciding when to steal an idea. Further, we show that these mispredictions are consequential because they influence the stage at which creators choose to share their ideas for feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that the Zionist theft and expropriation of Palestinian land resulted in it being made into white property and that Zionism can be understood as a textbook case of Cedric Robinson's concept of racial regimes that explains how race is reproduced even though race is denied by the Zionist colonisers as justifying the relations of power. The article follows Cheryl Harris's and Noura Erakat's work on whiteness as property that, according to Erakat, leaves the Palestinian natives outside the category of Jewish nationals to be removed, dispossessed, and contained. The article illustrates how the ongoing colonisation of Palestine as expressing white European supremacy involves several aspects of racial capitalism—the Judaisation of Palestinian lands, the segmentation of labour from the Zionist policy of the Conquest of (Hebrew) Labour to the reliance on cheap and dispensable Palestinian labour, and the lebensraum plans to relocate the Gaza Strip population and re-settle it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Politicians tend to try deflecting scandals. Based on an attribution theory-driven perspective on persuasion, however, politicians should proactively confess. In a preregistered, multiple-message design, we conduct controlled, random assignment experiments. A mediation model is tested. Inspired by crisis communication's change-of-meaning concept, the first variable appraises the extent to which voters perceive that the messaging indicates the politician is engaging in a cover-up. The second linkage is the politician's credibility. The outcome variable is voters' behavioral intentions. In Experiment 1 (N  =   905 U.S. voters), stealing thunder and apologizing outperform stonewalling, changing the subject, sequentially apologizing plus deflecting, or silence. Experiment 2 (N  =   277) finds that, in a sex scandal, stealing thunder and apologizing continue to perform equally well. Our theoretical contribution resides in enhancing the explanatory power of theories designed to explain image repair, as well as empirically testing the independent and combined role of apology and stealing thunder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Federal data indicate that assaults on transit workers resulting in fatalities or hospitalizations tripled between 2008 and 2022. The data indicated a peri-pandemic surge of assault-related fatalities and hospitalizations, but assaults with less dire outcomes were not recorded. In collaboration with the Transport Workers Union, Local 100, we conducted an online survey in late 2023 through early 2024 of New York City public-facing bus and subway workers that focused on their work experiences during the 2020–2023 period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Items for this analysis on victimization included measures of physical and sexual assault/harassment, verbal harassment/intimidation, theft, and demographic characteristics (e.g., sex, race, work division). We estimated separate modified Poisson models for each of the four outcomes, yielding prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Potential interactions between variables with strong main effects in the adjusted model were further examined using product terms. Among 1297 respondents, 89.0% reported any victimization; respondents also reported physical assault (48.6%), sexual assault/harassment (6.3%), verbal harassment/intimidation (48.7%), and theft on the transit system (20.6%). Physical assault was significantly more common among women in the bus division compared to female subway workers, male bus workers, and male subway workers (adjusted PR (aPR) = 3.54; reference = male subway workers; Wald test p <.001). With the same reference group, sexual assault/harassment was more frequently reported among female subway workers (aPR = 5.15; Wald test, p <.001), but verbal assault/intimidation and experiencing theft were least common among women in the bus division (aPR = 0.22 and 0.13, respectively; Wald tests, p <.001). These data point to the need for greater attention to record and report on victimization against workers in both buses and subway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women engaged in sex work (WESW) are at increased risk for exposure to work setting violence. This phenomenological study examines the experience of work setting violence and strategies utilized to maintain safety for WESW in Republic of Barbados in the Caribbean. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 cis-gender WESW in Barbados. This study found participants experienced work-related violence that includes physical assault, rape, robbery, kidnapping, and attempted murder. Participants were actively engaged in strategies for maintaining safety that were central to their business practices. Moreover, local HIV prevention intervention efforts including condom assertiveness training, free condom distribution, and rapid, accessible STI testing further enabled participants to assert and enforce safe business practices. Unfortunately, poor economic conditions at the time of the study, which reduced the market of available customers who were willing to pay full price while increasing the number of WESW, diminished the participants' power to insist on safe business practices. This has implications for interventions to prevent and counteract gender-based violence, as well as gender-based social and economic development efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between urban tourism and crime has been well documented, although a focus on the specifics of tourist victimization is lacking. This study explores police-recorded thefts against urban tourists in the city of Barcelona (Spain). We apply Conjunctive Analysis of Case Configurations to a large data sample to uncover victimization case profiles and the context in which crimes are committed. Comparisons to resident victimization reveal that the case profiles most likely to result in a tourist being the victim of theft have predominantly female, young targets, and occur mostly at restaurants/bars and during the Summer. Future research should examine victimization trends while accounting for time spent in different settings, and compare self-protective behaviors taken by tourists and residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article explores how entrepreneurial small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) manage coopetition strategies to innovate with large firms. While coopetition offers opportunities for innovation and growth, asymmetries between SMEs and large firms can provoke unilateral actions, opportunistic tactics, and knowledge theft which can undermine SME innovation power and jeopardise coopetition success. Based on a qualitative multiple-case study of 25 coopetitive innovation projects, each involving an SME and a large firm, we find that SMEs manage these risks by pursuing a synergistic mix of three distinct coopetition strategies: (1) Co-distribution, (2) Technology licensing, and (3) R&D co-development. In each strategy, SMEs navigate different coopetition intensities by dynamically combining the principles of separation, integration, co-management and co-ownership to achieve specific innovation outcomes. Our findings suggest that SMEs shift between cooperation- and competition-dominant strategies and employ a mix of management principles to offset asymmetrical risks and maximise their innovation benefits from coopetition with large firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study sought to investigate the correlation between community methamphetamine use, gauged by overdose mortality rates, and incidence of violent crime. Method: We carried out a descriptive, cross-sectional analysis of county-level data from multiple public sources, involving all 3147 US counties. Methamphetamine overdose rates for the year 2019 were derived from CDC WONDER, while violent crime rates were collected from NIBRS. Results: Our data set contained 522 counties with complete information, largely metro (92.72%). Overdose data was suppressed for 2625 counties—697 (26.55%) metro, and 1928 (73.45%) non-metro, hence multiple imputation was utilized for comprehensive results. The analysis showed significant correlations between methamphetamine overdose and all violent crime, and specifically robbery (F = 5.55, P =.005 and F = 47.60, P <.001, respectively). Conclusion: Our study suggests that communities with higher methamphetamine overdoses likely face increased rates of crime, specifically robbery, which could impact costs associated with law enforcement, prosecution, and healthcare. The study offers valuable insights for law enforcement and policymakers, and underlines the need for further research to fully understand the dynamics of methamphetamine use and violence at the community level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Victimization of teachers is an area of growing concern for administrators and policymakers. Recent research has increased the understanding of the prevalence and negative consequences of teacher victimization; however, one gap in the literature involves understanding the quality of treatment when victimizations are reported to school administrators. The present research attempts to fill the gap by applying procedural justice theory to understand how elements of school responses to victimization events affect teachers' satisfaction with the process. Data from teachers among 50 largest school districts across the nation were used to identify 636 theft, sexual harassment, and physical assault incidents reported to school administration. Teachers' satisfaction with the school response was modeled using measures derived from distributive and procedural justice theoretical frameworks applied to administrator actions. Results indicate that procedural justice is an important dimension of school response and influential on teachers' reported satisfaction with how victimization events were handled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted crime rates in Kerman province, Iran, revealing divergent patterns compared to global trends. This ecological study utilized the Poisson regression model and interrupted time-series Poisson regression model to analyze data collected from the Iranian Legal Medicine Organization (ILMO) database and the Kerman Criminal Investigation Department of Police database, focusing on theft, conflicts, and homicide rates in this region. Our findings indicate that in 2020, the incidence rate ratio of conflicts increased compared to previous years. Before the pandemic, thefts were on the rise, while homicides were decreasing. However, with the onset of the pandemic, thefts initially decreased, and homicides experienced a notable increase. Subsequently, both thefts and homicides showed a declining trend. By the end of 2020, thefts were significantly lower than expected based on pre-pandemic data, while homicides were slightly higher. Initial fluctuations in crime rates may be related to quarantine measures and the challenges faced during the pandemic, while subsequent changes might be influenced by governmental interventions. Understanding the complex relationship between public health emergencies and criminal activities is crucial for informing policymaking and crime prevention efforts.

Firearm-related interpersonal violence is a leading cause of death and injury in cities across the United States, and understanding the movement of firearms from on-the-books sales to criminal end-user is critical to the formulation of gun violence prevention policy. In this study, we assemble a unique dataset that combines records for over 380,000 crime guns recovered by law enforcement in California (2010-2021), and more than 126,000 guns reported stolen, linked to in-state legal handgun transactions (1996-2021), to describe local and statewide crime gun trends and investigate several potentially important sources of guns to criminals, including privately manufactured firearms (PMFs), theft, and dirty dealers. We document a dramatic increase over the decade in firearms recovered shortly after purchase (7% were recovered within a year in 2010, up to 33% in 2021). This corresponds with a substantial rise in handgun purchasing over the decade, suggesting some fraction of newly and legally acquired firearms are likely diverted from the legal market for criminal use. We document the rapid growth of PMFs over the past 2-3 years and find theft plays some, though possibly diminishing, role as a crime gun source. Finally, we find evidence that some retailers contribute disproportionately to the supply of crime guns, though there appear to be fewer problematic dealers now than there were a decade ago. Overall, our study points to temporal shifts in the dynamics of criminal firearms commerce as well as significant city variation in the channels by which criminals acquire crime guns.

Based on the analysis of the preserved materials of the judicial and investigative cases of Munster in the first half of the XVII century, the article identifies the features of the women’s crime in the city. It is shown that the main types of women’s crimes were witchcraft, infanticide, thefts. The state of the women’s crime was influenced by socio-demographic factors, as well as the lack of financial assistance and the social support from Munster’s authorities. The conclusion is made about the insignificant number of crimes committed by women in the first half of the XVII century compared to men.

Background: Social vulnerability may play a role in social media-involved crime, but few studies have investigated this issue. We investigated associations between social vulnerability and social media-involved violent crimes. Methods: We analyzed 22,801 violent crimes occurring between 2018 and 2023 in Prince George's County, Maryland. Social media involvement was obtained from crime reports at the Prince George's County Police Department. Social media application types included social networking, advertising/selling, ridesharing, dating, image/video hosting, mobile payment, instant messaging/Voice over Internet Protocol, and other. We used the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Social Vulnerability Index to assess socioeconomic status (SES), household characteristics, racial and ethnic minority status, housing type and transportation, and overall vulnerability. Modified Poisson models estimated adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) among the overall sample and stratified by crime type (assault and homicide, robbery, and sexual offense). Covariates included year and crime type. Results: Relative to high tertile areas, we observed a higher prevalence of social media-involved violent crimes in areas with low SES vulnerability (aPR: 1.82, 95% CI: 1.37-2.43), low housing type and transportation vulnerability (aPR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.17-2.02), and low overall vulnerability (aPR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.23-2.17). Low SES vulnerability areas were significantly associated with higher prevalences of social media-involved assaults and homicides (aPR: 1.64, 95% CI: 1.02-2.62), robberies (aPR: 2.00, 95% CI: 1.28-3.12), and sexual offenses (aPR: 2.07, 95% CI: 1.02-4.19) compared to high SES vulnerability areas. Low housing type and transportation vulnerability (vs. high) was significantly associated with a higher prevalence of social media-involved robberies (aPR: 1.54, 95% CI:1.01-2.37). Modified Poisson models also indicated that low overall vulnerability areas had higher prevalences of social media-involved robberies (aPR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.10-2.67) and sexual offenses (aPR: 2.14, 95% CI: 1.05-4.39) than high overall vulnerability areas. Conclusions: We quantified the prevalence of social media-involved violent crimes across social vulnerability levels. These insights underscore the need for collecting incident-based social media involvement in crime reports among law enforcement agencies across the United States and internationally. Comprehensive data collection at the national and international levels provides the capacity to elucidate the relationships between neighborhoods, social media, and population health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild birds have experienced unprecedented, near‐global mass mortalities since 2021, driven by outbreaks of high‐pathogenicity avian influenza virus (HPAIV) H5N1 lineage 2.3.4.4b. Managing this panzootic requires identification of transmission pathways. We investigated potential HPAIV transmission via kleptoparasitism (food theft) by examining the distribution, behaviors, and movements of two globally widespread and commonly kleptoparasitic seabird families: Fregatidae (frigatebirds) and Stercorariidae (skuas). These kleptoparasites force other seabirds (targets) to regurgitate food, which the kleptoparasite then ingests, potentially facilitating direct transfer of viral particles from target to kleptoparasite. Scavenging and predation probably contribute further to viral spread. Although frigatebirds use kleptoparasitism on a year‐round basis, skuas more commonly do so outside of the breeding season. Both frequently forage, disperse, or migrate across oceans and hemispheres. Dense aggregations of kleptoparasitic and target seabirds at breeding and/or roosting sites may facilitate the spread of HPAIV. In addition, the migration of these species could also facilitate broadscale geographic spread of HPAIV. Surveillance of kleptoparasites for HPAIVs could aid in early detection and may be important for seabird conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secure instant communication is an important topic of information security. A group chat is a highly convenient mode of instant communication. Increasingly, companies are adopting group chats as a daily office communication tool. However, a large volume of messages in group chat communication can lead to message overload, causing group members to miss important information. Additionally, the communication operator's server may engage in the unreliable behavior of stealing information from the group chat. To address these issues, this paper proposes an attribute-based end-to-end policy-controlled signcryption scheme, aimed at establishing a secure and user-friendly group chat communication mode. By using the linear secret sharing scheme (LSSS) with strong expressive power to construct the access structure in the signcryption technology, the sender can precisely control the recipients of the group chat information to avoid message overload. To minimize computational cost, a signcryption step with constant computational overhead is designed. Additionally, a message-sending mechanism combining "signcryption + encryption" is employed to prevent the operator server from maliciously stealing group chat information. Rigorous analysis shows that PCE-EtoE can resist adaptive chosen-ciphertext attacks under the standard model. Simulation results demonstrate that our theoretical derivation is correct, and that the PCE-EtoE scheme outperforms existing schemes in terms of computational cost, making it suitable for group chat communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advent of smart grids has facilitated data-driven methods for detecting electricity theft, with a preponderance of research efforts focused on user electricity consumption data. The multi-dimensional power state data captured by Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) encompasses rich information, the exploration of which, in relation to electricity usage behaviors, holds immense potential for enhancing the efficiency of theft detection. In light of this, we propose the Catch22-Conv-Transformer method, a multi-dimensional feature extraction-based approach tailored for the detection of anomalous electricity usage patterns. This methodology leverages both the Catch22 feature set and complementary features to extract sequential features, subsequently employing convolutional networks and the Transformer architecture to discern various types of theft behaviors. Our evaluation, utilizing a three-phase power state and daily electricity usage data provided by the State Grid Corporation of China, demonstrates the efficacy of our approach in accurately identifying theft modalities, including evasion, tampering, and data manipulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In recent years, there has been a growing number of thefts of firearms stored in vehicles. Despite this trend, there is limited research on firearm storage patterns in vehicles in the United States. This study investigates these storage patterns and evaluates the relationship between the surge in firearm purchases after March 2020 and the practice of storing firearms in vehicles. Methods: Firearm storage practices were classified into four categories: (a) no vehicle storage, (b) locked vehicle storage only, (c) unlocked vehicle storage only, and (d) both locked and unlocked vehicle storage. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the association between vehicle firearm storage practices and the main independent variable (firearm purchases since March 2020), adjusting for covariates. Results: Those who purchased a firearm since March 2020 were significantly more likely to store at least one firearm in a vehicle unlocked only (RRR = 2.41, 95% CI 1.45–3.99) or both locked and unlocked (RRR = 2.57, 95% CI.180–3.67) compared to the reference category of no vehicle storage. Conclusion: Individuals who purchased a firearm after March 2020 were more likely to report storing a firearm in a vehicle. Given the limited research on patterns of firearm storage in vehicles, these findings provide novel evidence suggesting that firearm purchases following the March 2020 firearm purchasing surge may have fomented behaviors that increased the likelihood of firearm storage in automobiles. Moving forward, there is a need for additional quantitative and qualitative research that can better understand patterns and motivations of firearm storage in vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assesses the theft and mutilation of library resources at Walton Whaley Library (WWL) at Valley View University, in Ghana. The study adopted a mixed-method approach; thus, copies of questionnaire and interviews were used to gather data for the study. The quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed with the help of Nvivo version 11 and IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (IBM-SPSS version 21.0). The study found that most of the users were aware of the security policies in the library. The prominent factors influencing theft and mutilation are a weak security system, the absence of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, inadequate staff, the selfish interests of the perpetrators, and a lack of security personnel at the main entrance. To curb this phenomenon, certain security measures, such as the installation of electronic security devices, security personnel at the main entrance, physical body checks on users entering and exiting the Library, as well as staff surveillance are needed. The study recommended an effective and efficient security system, the vigilance of library staff, the acquisition of multiple books in high demand, availability and accessibility of photocopying services. The study suggested harsh punishment for perpetrators who breach library rules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce costs associated with nest building, some birds steal (kleptoparasitize) nest material. While this behavior is rarely reported in solitary nesting birds, it has been previously documented in 2 species of white-eyes, the Japanese White-eye (Zosterops japonicus) and the Indian White-eye (Z. palpebrosus). During surveys for Tinian Monarchs (Monarcha takatsukasae) on Tinian Island in the Northern Mariana Islands, we documented nest material kleptoparasitism by the Bridled White-eye (Z. conspicillatus). Through camera-trap footage and real-time observation, we observed Bridled White-eyes stealing material from 2 other forest bird species: the Micronesian Rufous Fantail (Rhipidura versicolor; n = 1 observation) and Tinian Monarch (n = 7). We documented nest material piracy during multiple nesting phases including building, incubation, and post-fledge, and from abandoned and depredated nests. This behavior was previously undocumented in the Bridled White-eye, and nest material kleptoparasitism is not documented in any other forest birds in the Mariana Islands. Kleptoparasitism of nest material has been known to cause destruction or abandonment of the host's nest. Given the potential implications of nest material kleptoparasitism on host nesting behavior and success, and that the Bridled White-eye is estimated to be the most abundant forest bird on Tinian, our observations warrant inquiry into how this behavior could be affecting the broader ecology of forest birds in the Mariana Islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies consistently showed that making cash visible with a windowed envelope during mail contact increases response rates in surveys. The visible cash aims to pique interest and encourage sampled households to open the envelope. This article extends prior research by examining the effect of additional interventions implemented during mail recruitment to a survey panel on recruitment rates and costs. Specifically, we implemented randomized experiments to examine size (small, large) and location (none, front, back) of the window displaying cash, combined with what part of the cash is shown through the window envelope (numeric amount, face/image), and various prepaid incentive amounts (two $1, one $2, one $5). We used the recruitment effort for NORC's AmeriSpeak Panel as the data source for this study. The probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel uses an address-based sample and multiple modes of respondent contact, including mail, phone, and in-person outreach during recruitment. Our results were consistent with prior research and showed significant improvement in recruitment rates when cash was displayed through a window during mail contact. We also found that placing the window on the front of the envelope, showing $5 through the envelope compared to $2 and $1, and showing the tender amount compared to the image on the cash through the window were more likely to improve the recruitment rates. Our cost analyses illustrated that the cost difference in printing window versus no window envelope is small. There is no difference in printing cost between front window and back window as they both require custom manufacturing. There is also no cost difference in printing envelopes with small windows versus large windows. Lastly, we found no evidence of mail theft based on our review of the United States Postal Service's "track and trace" reports, seed mailings sent to staff, and undeliverable mailing rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employee time theft is a silent and costly behavior that is difficult to manage in organizations. Time theft is less understood than other forms of deviance as it is engaged in more frequently and considered to be less harmful by those who engage in it. This study tests a within‐person model of time theft in which negative emotion mediates the positive relationship between job stressors (task ambiguity, task conflict) and time theft. Results show support for the mediating role of emotions in the positive stressor−time theft relationship at the within‐person level. Results also show that high levels of between‐person emotional stability weakened the impact of negative emotions on time theft. These results indicate that job related stressors create an environment in which time theft may become a frequent behavior. In discussing these results, we provide recommendations for employers to combat this phenomenon. Practitioner points: Time theft is a societally relevant phenomenon. Uncovering the drivers is important for scholars and practitioners alike.Time theft is a dynamic behavior that is influenced by stress inducing factors of one's task environment. Reducing task related stressors may reduce time theft.Results indicate stressors create an environment in which time theft may become a frequent behavior if emotions are not regulated.An employee's level of emotional stability is a key factor in regulating the emotions that drive engagement in time theft. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on Bourdieu's theory of social fields, this article sought to answer two research questions: (a) what challenges do street children encounter on the streets? and (b) what survival strategies do these street children adopt to cope with street life? Thirty street children constituted the study's sample size. Data were gathered through in‐depth interviews and focus group discussions and were thematically analysed. It was found that street children encountered challenges including abuse, inadequate access to basic needs, stigmatization, and theft. This study also found that some street children resorted to their peer networks and intimate partners for protection, as well as for financial and material support. Additionally, some street children engaged in menial working jobs and in some cases, stealing and prostitution to fend for themselves. While these survival tactics were noted to be crucial in the lives of street children, this article recommends for the intensified implementation of state and non‐state interventions to help alter the unwholesome living conditions of these vulnerable children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is a scientific analysis of the methodological foundations of the criminalistics characterization of thefts of cultural values from religious buildings. It is shown that the criminalistics characteristics of theft of cultural values from religious buildings is a group (special) characteristic. It, in addition to the forensic signs of theft, must contain special signs relating to the object of the direct attempt - cultural values, as well as their location at the time of the theft - a religious building. It was concluded that the criminalistics characteristics of theft of cultural values from religious buildings can be presented in the form of descriptions, tables, diagrams, graphs, computer programs, typologies, etc. Such a characteristic should be based on probabilistic-statistical and correlational relationships between its elements. In the author's opinion, for the investigation of thefts of cultural values from places of worship, the most productive presentation will be the presentation of criminalistics characteristics in the form of a description, typology and analysis of the phases of criminal activity, which will make it possible to most fully describe and present the most essential features of the elements of the criminalistic characteristics of thefts of cultural values from places of worship. It is shown that the functions of criminalistics characterization of criminal offenses are more multifaceted than the simple focus on putting forward versions of a criminal offense committed in conditions of non-obviousness. According to the author, critics of the «impracticality» of forensic characterization of criminal offenses need to look at the functions that such characterization performs in criminalistics in general and forensic methodology, in particular. Such functions have already been highlighted, they are: applied (typical signs of elements and connections between them can be used during the disclosure and investigation of criminal offenses); cognitive (information about the signs of a criminal offense helps the subject of its knowledge - employees of the operational unit, the investigator to learn about the object, that is, the criminal offense); substitution (forensic characteristics can be considered as an information model that replaces the «original», helping to know it); informative (criminalistics characteristics not only reflect the original information about the object of knowledge, but also help to obtain new information about it); prognostic (information contained in criminalistics characteristics helps to make predictions about a possible series of crimes, about the circumstances that may accompany them, etc.); organizational and methodical (criminalistics characteristics guide the investigator to choose the most appropriate means of investigating a crime, to the optimal organization of such an investigation). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decade, cases of radioactive isotope theft have been observed more frequently in Mexico, endangering human health, biodiversity, and the environment due to the risks of mishandling radioactive isotopes. The aim of this study was to analyze the theft of radioactive isotopes in Mexico in the period 2011–2023 from the perspective of green criminology through official data and radiological emergency bulletins. The results show that the most frequently stolen isotopes were 192Ir, 137Cs, and 131I in this study period, and it was also identified that the isotopes are stolen unintentionally, since it is the vehicles that transport them that are stolen, most of the time without knowing what they contain. It is concluded that the theft of radioactive isotopes in Mexico is a crime linked to vehicle theft, which in turn stems from the conditions of public insecurity but puts the health, safety and well-being of people, biodiversity, and the country's ecosystems at risk, so that institutional actions must be oriented considering the conditions of public insecurity to improve nuclear safety in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Membership inference attack opens up a newly emerging and rapidly growing research to steal user privacy from text classification models, a core problem of which is shadow model construction and members distribution optimization in inadequate members. The textual semantic is likely disrupted by simple text augmentation techniques, which weakens the correlation between labels and texts and reduces the precision of member classification. Shadow models trained exclusively with cross-entropy loss have little differentiation in embeddings among various classes, which deviates from the distribution of target models, then impacts the embeddings of members and reduces the F1 score. A competitive and High-Availability Membership Inference Attack against Text Classification Model (HAMIATCM) is proposed. At the data level, by selecting highly significant words and applying text augmentation techniques such as replacement or deletion, we expand knowledge of attackers, preserving vulnerable members to enhance the sensitive member distribution. At the model level, constructing contrastive loss and adaptive boundary loss to amplify the distribution differences among various classes, dynamically optimize the boundaries of members, enhancing the text representation capability of the shadow model and the classification performance of the attack classifier. Experimental results demonstrate that HAMIATCM achieves new state-of-the-art, significantly reduces the false positive rate, and strengthens the capability of fitting the output distribution of the target model with less knowledge of members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presently, the prevalent environment is the Internet of things (IoT) since it can connect a large number of different gadgets in an increasingly wide range, and lead to the risk of information leakage. In addition, the field of cryptocurrency is a hot topic with many sophisticated thefts, so the progressive utilization of crypto-wallets should protect transactions from eavesdropping. Clearly, IoT could be a promising and challenging environment for quick and secure cryptocurrency exchanges. Recently, there have been several works on user authentication schemes in this environment, and they were built from highly reliable formal analysis. However, we discovered that they have several limitations, such as replays and privileged insider attacks. In this paper, we propose an enhanced version an execution time of approximately 10 milliseconds and a communication cost of 448 bytes in the authentication phase. Furthermore, only 128 bytes of user storage is suitable for IoT crypto-wallet applications. Additionally, the security of our solution is guaranteed with formal models and popular simulation tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]