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In symmetric cryptography, vectorial Boolean functions over the finite field F 2 n are used to construct strong S-boxes. A strong S-box must meet various criteria to resist known attacks, including differential, linear, boomerang, and their variants. To evaluate an S-box’s resistance, several tables are utilized, such as the Difference Distribution Table (DDT) and the Boomerang Connectivity Table (BCT). Recent developments in boomerang attacks have revisited the concept of the boomerang switch effect, illustrating the effectiveness of this technique. As a result, a new tool called the Boomerang Difference Table (BDT) was introduced as an alternative to the traditional BCT. Additionally, two novel tables have been proposed: the Upper Boomerang Connectivity Table (UBCT) and the Lower Boomerang Connectivity Table (LBCT). These tables are enhancements over the BCT and facilitate a systematic evaluation of boomerangs that can return over multiple rounds. This paper focuses on the new tools for measuring the revisited version of boomerang attacks and the related tables UBCT , LBCT , as well as the so-called Extended Boomerang Connectivity Table ( EBCT ). Specifically, we examine the properties of these novel tools and investigate the corresponding tables. We also study their interconnections, their links to the DDT, and their values for affine equivalent vectorial functions and compositional inverses of permutations of F 2 n . Moreover, we introduce the concept of the nontrivial boomerang connectivity uniformity and determine the explicit values of all the entries of the UBCT , LBCT , and EBCT for the important cryptographic case of the inverse function.

Do the \"shaming\" activities of HROs (human rights international non-governmental organizations) have a direct influence on state behavior? We argue, consistent with existing scholarship, that states targeted or \"shamed\" by these organizations do improve their human rights practices. However, mere shaming is not enough. Improvements in human rights practices result from the interaction of shaming by HROs with (i) a domestic presence of HROs within the targeted state and/or (ii) pressure by third-party states, individuals, and organizations. Using a new data set of the shaming events of more than 400 HROs toward governments, we test these propositions quantitatively and find widespread support for the arguments. This research provides the first global quantitative evidence of the conditional importance of HRO shaming in transnational advocacy efforts.

Despite a long tradition of effectiveness in laboratory tests, normative messages have had mixed success in changing behavior infield contexts, with some studies showing boomerang effects. To test a theoretical account of this inconsistency, we conducted a field experiment in which normative messages were used to promote household energy conservation. As predicted, a descriptive normative message detailing average neighborhood usage produced either desirable energy savings or the undesirable boomerang effect, depending on whether households were already consuming at a low or high rate. Also as predicted, adding an injunctive message (conveying social approval or disapproval) eliminated the boomerang effect. The results offer an explanation for the mixed success of persuasive appeals based on social norms and suggest how such appeals should be properly crafted.

There is a long history within the Australian rock art literature of attempts to identify material culture items, including weapons and specific weapon types. This paper examines two groups of weapons not commonly noted in the literature on Australian rock art. We undertake a broad review of published rock art, focusing on the Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre basin, where long fighting poles/boomerangs were produced and used, and northeastern Queensland, where wooden swords were an iconic part of the material culture, to assess if there might be representations of these weapons and to answer the question: are images of weapons always depicted in the rock art of their areas of manufacture? It was found that depictions of long fighting poles/boomerangs and large wooden swords are rare, and generally, images were not found in their area of production. Potential depictions of these weapons were documented at locations outside of the production areas, suggesting that these weapons were exchanged/traded across large distances.

Beginning with the Early Aurignacian, Homo sapiens demonstrated an enhanced symbolic capacity, expanding artistic expressions from body decoration to portable art and aesthetically refined tools. These artistic endeavors, often intertwined with utilitarian purposes, have sparked debates regarding their symbolic versus functional roles. Among these remarkable artifacts is a complete mammoth tusk boomerang from Layer VIII of Obłazowa Cave, Poland, found in association with a human phalanx. Determining its precise chronology and cultural context is critical for understanding the emergence and variability of symbolic behaviors among early Homo sapiens groups in Europe. This study refines the chronology of the Early Upper Paleolithic occupation of Layer VIII at Obłazowa Cave through radiocarbon dating of several bones and the human fossil found near the ivory boomerang. Bayesian modeling places the site’s main occupation phase between 42,810−38,550 cal BP (95,4% probability). The mammoth-ivory boomerang, calibrated to 42,290−39,280 cal BP with a 95.4% probability, emerges as one of Europe’s oldest known examples of this complex tool, exemplifying technological and symbolic innovation at Obłazowa Cave. This multi-disciplinary research underscores the importance of integrating advanced methodologies to explore cultural practices during the Upper Paleolithic. The findings not only deepen our understanding of Homo sapiens ’ adaptive strategies but also highlight the nuanced interplay of technology, symbolism, and environmental interaction during the earliest phases of human dispersals in Central Europe.

Retouched lithic tools result from the functional modification of their edges following knapping operations. The study of the later stages of the reduction sequence is fundamental to understanding the techno-functional features of any toolkit. In Australia, a gap exists in the study of the chaîne opératoire of lithic tools shaped or re-shaped through percussion retouching. In our previous works (Martellotta EF., 2021, Martellotta EF., 2022), we have presented evidence for the use of hardwood boomerangs for retouching purposes in Australian Aboriginal communities. Through a detailed experimental protocol, the present study demonstrates how boomerangs can function as retouchers. We found that the use-wear generated on the boomerang’s surface during retouch activity is comparable to retouch-induced impact traces observed on Palaeolithic bone retouchers, as well as to experimental bone retouchers generated in our replication experiments. Finally, we explore the role that microscopic lithic chips embedded in the retouchers’ surface play in the formation process of retouching marks. Our results address the need for a deeper investigation of percussion retouching techniques in Australian contexts, opening the possibility that uncommon objects—such as boomerangs—could be used for this task. This concept also highlights the broader topic of the highly diverse multipurpose application of many Indigenous tools throughout Australia. At the same time, the study reveals a deep functional connection between osseous and wooden objects—a topic rarely investigated in archaeological contexts.

Boukerrou et al. (IACR Trans. Symm. Cryptol. 2020 (1), 331–362, 2020 ) introduced the notion of the Feistel Boomerang Connectivity Table (FBCT), the Feistel counterpart of the Boomerang Connectivity Table (BCT), and the Feistel boomerang uniformity (which is the same as the second-order zero differential uniformity in even characteristic fields). The FBCT is a crucial table for the analysis of the resistance of block ciphers to power attacks such as differential and boomerang attacks. It is worth noting that the coefficients of the FBCT are related to the second-order zero differential spectra of functions and the FBCT of functions can be extended as their second-order zero differential spectra. In this paper, by carrying out certain finer manipulations consisting of solving some specific equations over finite fields, we explicitly determine the second-order zero differential spectra of some power functions with low differential uniformity, and show that these functions also have low second-order zero differential uniformity. Our study further pushes previous investigations on second-order zero differential uniformity and Feistel boomerang uniformity for a power function F .

Three experiments identify conditions under which a brand scandal spills over and negatively affects attitudes and beliefs about the product category and about competing brands. The research also examines factors that may enhance or reduce the likelihood of spillover effects and strategies for responding to scandal spillover.

Permutation polynomials over finite fields have been extensively studied not only for their applications in cryptography, but have also been applied to coding theory and combinatorial design theory. Recently, a new theoretical tool, the Boomerang Connectivity Table (BCT) and the corresponding boomerang uniformity were introduced to evaluate the resistance of a block cipher against boomerang attacks. Inspired by a multiplier differential, Stănică [Investigations on c -boomerang uniformity and perfect nonlinearity, Discret. Appl. Math., 2021] extended the concept of boomerang uniformity to c -boomerang uniformity. In this paper, we investigate two classes of permutation polynomials over F p n with respect to this new concept. We show that these permutations are 1-uniform c -BCT functions.