Outcomes of assisted reproductive technology cycles following bushfire exposure: a retrospective cohort study.

Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Passive and Active Fire Protection Strategies

ABSTRACT Thermal-runaway (TR) propagation is a critical safety bottleneck for high-energy lithium-ion battery packs. In this study, a millimeter-scale intumescent nanocomposite aerogel liner that merges passive super-insulation with active flame suppression and load sharing was presented. The liner is fabricated in two steps: (i) gelation and ambient-pressure drying of a hexamethyl-disilazane (HMDS)-silylated SiO2–boehmite wet gel to yield a crack-free backbone; (ii) vacuum infiltration of a 10 wt % aqueous slurry containing chitosan/phytic-acid–ammonium-polyphosphate (APP) microcapsules (d5 0 ≈ 3.5 µm), followed by freeze-drying, achieving a 40 wt % capsule loading while retaining 93% open porosity. Characterization confirms structural integrity: FE-SEM shows homogeneous capsule dispersion; XRD displays an amorphous SiO2 halo plus 6 nm γ-AlOOH crystallites; FT-IR identifies Si–CH3 (1272 cm−1) and p=O (1246 cm−1) bands; N2 sorption and helium pycnometry verify the preserved pore network. The liner delivers an in-plane thermal conductivity of 0.026 ± 0.001 W m−1 K−1 at 25°C and 0.040 ± 0.002 W m−1 K−1 at 200°C. TGA-DSC reveals intumescence onset at 225°C, an exotherm at 308°C, and a residual char of 56 ± 2 wt %. Under cone calorimetry (35 kW m−2), the liner cuts the peak heat-release rate (PHRR) by 73% (95 ± 10 vs. 350 ± 20 kW m−2), more than doubles time-to-ignition (14 ± 2 s), and expands 3.9 ± 0.2×, achieving a UL-94 V-0 rating. Compressive modulus was found to be 1.45 ± 0.10 MPa at 23°C and 1.02 ± 0.07 MPa at 200°C, surpassing the 0.5 MPa threshold for shear-transfer panels. In a nail-penetration test of a four-cell 21,700 module, the liner limited neighboring-cell temperature to <130°C, whereas an unprotected module surpassed 650°C and ignited within 50 s. Adding <4 kg to a 70 kWh pack and containing no halogens, this capsule-loaded silica/boehmite aerogel offers a scalable, roll-to-roll route to lightweight, regulation-compliant TR barriers.

ABSTRACT Interactivity and narration are valuable strategies for enhancing cognitive load management in map animations. When integrated into a web mapping application, these elements provide a mixed approach, allowing for user and author control. However, users may need guidance when exploring large temporal datasets and animations. Current web mapping applications utilizing animations and interactivity often fail to provide users with a guided exploration experience, resulting in a lack of linearity. To fill this gap, in this paper we present an application that includes animations that depend on the user, which is guided to interact with a generalized time-aware layer representing active fires of 2023. The application is structured into successive animations, developed with the ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript to ensure a structure based on successive animations and a well-defined resolution. Guidance is presented through text blocks positioned outside a 3D globe, while the narrative is conveyed through text blocks integrated on the globe’s surface. Thus, we constructed an application combining fragmentation, guidance, and interactivity to reduce the disadvantages of map animations created for storytelling. The suggested approach offers an alternative solution to non-interactive animations that overstimulate users with excessive information or for applications that prioritize only user control and exploration.

Wildfire monitoring and prediction are essential for understanding wildfire behaviour. With extensive Earth observation data, these tasks can be integrated and enhanced through multi-task deep learning models. We present a comprehensive multi-temporal remote sensing dataset for active fire detection, daily wildfire monitoring, and next-day wildfire prediction. Covering wildfire events in the contiguous U.S. from January 2017 to October 2021, the dataset includes 3552 surface reflectance images and auxiliary data such as weather, topography, land cover, and fuel information, totalling 71 GB. Each wildfire's lifecycle is documented, with labels for active fires (AF) and burned areas (BA), supported by manual quality assurance of AF and BA test labels. The dataset supports three tasks: a) active fire detection, b) daily burned area mapping, and c) wildfire progression prediction. Detection tasks use pixel-wise classification of multi-spectral, multi-temporal images, while prediction tasks integrate satellite and auxiliary data to model fire dynamics. This dataset and its benchmarks provide a foundation for advancing wildfire research using deep learning.

Fire in China, driven by both natural and anthropogenic factors, significantly influences ecological stability. This study provides a comprehensive spatiotemporal analysis of active fires across China from 2003 to 2024 using MODIS Collection 6.1 active fire and land cover products. Our results reveal a significant national decline in fire counts since 2016, accompanied by with a marked geographical shift in hotspots from East China to Northeast China. It clarifies that croplands and savannas are the main fire-prone land covers, yet they have also experienced the most substantial decline in fire counts. East China (46.8%) and Central China (27.1%) were the largest contributors to the reduction in cropland fire counts. Temporal displacement toward nighttime straw burning was observed in East China. The decline in average fire radiative power (FRP) of daytime agricultural fires indicates that straw burning bans effectively reduced both the frequency and intensity of fires. Persistent savanna and forest fires are highly clustered in Southern China, while new emerging grassland fires are concentrated in Western China. Persistent cropland fires overlap with emerging zones in Northeast and Central China. Our study can assist in optimizing targeted fire policies and supporting better fire risk management.

Abstract In 2020, a record‐breaking 10.1 million acres burned in US wildfires. To investigate this prolific fire season's impacts on US air quality, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s 72‐hr Unified Forecast System Air Quality Model (UFS‐AQM) is run once‐daily from 15 August–30 September 2020. A meteorological and air quality‐based forecast verification is carried out for this period. The 72‐hr forecasts of near‐surface temperature, moisture, and winds perform quite well against observations in terms of correlation and bias. The UFS‐AQM surface ozone and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) often concur with US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) AirNow station data, though the model ozone displays a consistent positive bias ranging from 8.5 to 15.4 ppb. Anomalously poor PM 2.5 predictions are identified during extreme wildfire activity in the Pacific Northwest between 13 and 20 September. Here, in addition to periods of widespread cloudiness, smoke is quite thick. As a result, fire activity is obscured from satellite detection. The UFS‐AQM thus underestimates wildfire emissions in the Pacific Northwest. The lack of dynamic aerosol–radiation interactions in UFS‐AQM coupled with uncertainties in fire emissions leads to a large underestimation of surface PM 2.5 there, along with high temperature and low humidity biases. Finally, satellite‐based measurements are also employed to evaluate the UFS‐AQM's performance in the deeper troposphere. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite 550‐nm aerosol optical depth provides additional insights into the UFS‐AQM's handling of smoke transport, while the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument suggests UFS‐AQM suffers from overpredictions of NO 2 and CO in active fire regions.

Source and fate of ultra-short-chain PFAS in water and biota from an AFFF impacted site.

This study investigated a high school dormitory fire scenario using an integrated approach that combined PyroSim-based fire dynamics simulation with an agent-based evacuation model. The objective was to quantitatively examine temporal variations in fire development and evacuation safety. The results showed that after 280 seconds, corridor visibility deteriorated and temperature rose rapidly, hindering evacuation. At 300-360 seconds, escape routes became effectively blocked, and after 500 seconds, evacuation was no longer feasible. The available safe egress time (ASET) was estimated to be approximately 300 seconds, whereas the required safe egress time (RSET) was 280 seconds, leaving only a narrow 20 seconds margin. This indicates a high risk of casualties owing to realistic delays or congestion. These findings underscore the critical importance of early evacuation and active fire protection systems, such as sprinklers and smoke control, to ensure dormitory fire safety. Policy implications include reinforcement of fire protection facilities, installation of smoke barriers, and regular evacuation drills in educational facilities.

Abstract. Biomass burning (BB) aerosol significantly affects climate by altering the radiation budget and atmospheric chemistry. Accurate source estimation is vital for climate modeling, yet global observations remain scarce. This study introduces a novel framework for assessing the contribution of transported BB aerosol to smoke-associated aerosol optical depth (BB AOD) at selected locations. The approach integrates satellite fire data (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Active Fire Product) with air parcel trajectory models (HYSPLIT), aerosol transport models (NAAPS), BB emissions (FLAMBE), and plume rise (CAMS GFAS). Tested in Warsaw (Poland, Central Europe) over 2006–2022, the methodology reveals a prominent influence of long-range BB aerosol transport from North America. Analysis indicates that USA (without Alaska) (37.3 %±3.4 %), Canada (25.4 %±6.7 %) and the Alaska (2.6 %±2.1 %) together contribute approximately 65 % of BB AOD during the BB season in the Northern Hemisphere, surpassing nearer European sources. Among European regions, Eastern Europe accounts for 16.6 %±5.3 % of BB AOD, followed by the Iberian Peninsula (10.6 %±1.5 %) and Southern Europe (7.5 %±2.1 %). Incorporating vertical plume dynamics is crucial: a planetary boundary layer plume-top threshold underestimates Canadian contribution while overestimating European sources, whereas removing altitude constraints overestimates Canadian influence. These findings underscore the importance of transatlantic transport, plume-rise processes, and vertical aerosol distribution in regional climatology. The presented framework for assessing BB AOD contributions is universal and can be applied at any location. Future work should incorporate the specific aerosol types emitted during BB events and their aging processes.

Active Fire Dynamics in Venezuela

Remote sensing of wildland fires has become an integral part of fire science. Airborne sensors provide high spatial resolution and can provide high temporal resolution, enabling fire behavior monitoring at fine scales. Fire agencies frequently use airborne long-wave infrared (LWIR) imagery for fire monitoring and to aid in operational decision-making. While tactical remote sensing systems may differ from scientific instruments, our objective is to illustrate that operational support data has the capacity to aid scientific fire behavior studies and to facilitate the data analysis. We present an image processing algorithm that automatically delineates active fire edges in tactical LWIR orthomosaics. Several thresholding and edge detection methodologies were investigated and combined into a new algorithm. Our proposed method was tested on tactical LWIR imagery acquired during several fires in California in 2020 and compared to manually annotated mosaics. Jaccard index values ranged from 0.725 to 0.928. The semi-automated algorithm successfully extracted active fire edges over a wide range of image complexity. These results contribute to the integration of infrared fire observations captured during firefighting operations into scientific studies of fire spread and support landscape-scale fire behavior modeling efforts.

ABSTRACT Forest fires play a critical role in determining the ecological and vegetation dynamics of Central India’s deciduous forests. This study evaluates the impact of forest fire on plant diversity in a forest of Central India. Forest fire frequency was assessed using multi-temporal Landsat imagery (Landsat 5, 7, and 8) and validated with MODIS active fire products (MOD14/MYD14). The Phytosociological data were collected through field surveys in the Hoshangabad Forest Division, Madhya Pradesh, India. The results indicate that low fire frequency zones (LFZ) exhibit the highest species diversity and evenness, whereas high fire frequency zones (HFZ) show the lowest, suggesting fire plays a significant role in influencing forest composition. The moderate fire frequency zone (MFZ) shows an intermediate diversity pattern, supporting the intermediate disturbance hypothesis. Frequent fires in HFZ reduce species richness by favoring fire-resistant species such as Diospyros melanoxylon, which dominates across all fire zones, with the highest Importance Value Index (IVI) in HFZ (62.18). Tree density trends reveal that while HFZ has a slightly higher average density than non-fire zones, the reduced diversity suggests a shift toward homogeneous structure. The findings highlight the need for adaptive fire management strategies to balance biodiversity conservation in fire-prone landscapes. Focusing on the tropical dry deciduous forests of Central India, this study underscores the importance of region-specific and forest type-specific assessments, which are essential for developing fire management and biodiversity conservation strategies. This regional perspective not only adds significant value to India’s forest management discourse but also provides critical insights for forest policy and ecological restoration in dry deciduous landscapes, where recurrent fires strongly influence species diversity, forest structure, and regeneration patterns.

Abstract Incipient pool fires in external floating roof storage tanks, typically originating in the annular gap between the tank wall and the floating disk, are notoriously difficult to extinguish accurately and effectively. Utilizing the diffusion capability and inerting properties of inert gases offers a promising solution for suppressing such fires. This article focuses on developing an active inert gas fire suppression technology for incipient tank pool fires. An experimental apparatus for active inert gas fire suppression on tank floating disks was independently developed. The fire extinguishing efficiency for ethanol tank incipient pool fires was investigated by varying the diameter of the carbon dioxide injection nozzles and the injection pressure. The results show that the active extinguishing device for ethanol storage tank incipient pool fire shows an excellent fire extinguishing effect. Under a constant nozzle diameter, as the injection pressure increases, the fire extinguishing time decreases, while the decay rates of both temperature and oxygen concentration accelerate. Furthermore, increasing the diameter of the injection nozzles also significantly enhances the fire extinguishing effect. The results of numerical simulation verified the validity of the experiment. Carbon dioxide cooling and oxygen dilution were identified as the primary flame extinguishing mechanisms.

Remotely sensed data have been instrumental in improving our understanding of the nature of fires within tropical landscapes. However, most studies have depicted fires in a negative light, highlighting how land-use and land-cover changes make forests more vulnerable to fire damage. In contrast to such fires, indigenous peoples utilize fires as a key part of their livelihood practices, and such relationships have not been extensively examined using remotely sensed data. In this paper, we utilize MODIS Active Fire data to examine the spatial and temporal distribution of fires relative to indigenous lands across Guyana. We employed the DBSCAN clustering algorithm and Voronoi polygons to examine the patterns of fire distribution across the Guyanese landscape. We found that while indigenous territories accounted for approximately 15% of Guyana’s terrestrial landscape, 25% of fires occurred within Amerindian lands, and 71% within 16 km of village boundaries. A strong linear distance decay (R2 = 0.97) was observed between the occurrence of fires and Amerindian village boundaries. Four previously undefined fire regions emerged for Guyana–Coastal, Forest, Forest Edge North, and Forest Edge South–with the Forest Edge regions hosting the second highest number of fires but the highest indigenous peoples’ presence. The spatial distribution of fires relative to each region suggested that Forest Edge indigenous villages had a strong reliance on fires as a part of their toolkit for maintaining the rich ecological processes characteristically observed around their lands.

Abstract Background Timely information on wildfire burn severity is critical to assess and mitigate potential post-fire impacts on soils, vegetation, and hillslope stability. Tracking individual fire spread and intensity using satellite active fire data provides a pathway to near real-time (NRT) information. Here, we generated a large database (n = 2177) of wildfire events in the western United States (U.S.) between 2012 and 2021 using active fire detections from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensor on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) satellite and the Fire Events Data Suite (FEDS) algorithm to track large fire growth every 12 h. We integrated fire tracking data with final fire perimeters and burn severity data from the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (MTBS) program to evaluate the relationship between burn severity and fire behavior metrics derived from the fire tracking approach, including the rate of fire spread and average fire radiative power (FRP) of fire detections for each 12-h growth increment. Results When stratified by vegetation type, FRP and rate of spread metrics were positively correlated with classified burn severity for each 12-h growth increment, highlighting the potential to rapidly identify areas of high and low severity burning. In forests, integrated measures of FRP over the fire lifetime captured persistent flaming and smoldering that compensated for initial differences between AM (01:30) and PM (13:30) fire detections. Predictive modeling of these relationships based on multiple fire behavior indicators and vegetation type from the LANDFIRE program yielded an accuracy of 78% for the separation of unburned/low and moderate/high burn severity classes. Conclusions These results demonstrate the ability to capture within-fire differences in burn severity using NRT indicators from fire tracking to assist with emergency management and disaster preparedness for post-fire hazards, such as landslides, debris flows, or changes in stream flow and water quality. As VIIRS data are available within minutes of each satellite overpass in the U.S., rapid estimates of burn severity based on fire tracking can be made days or weeks before a large wildfire is fully contained.

The article investigates the fundamental principles of designing hotel buildings with particular regard to fire safety, in compliance with the current regulatory framework of Ukraine. It underlines the growing significance of fire protection in the hospitality sector, conditioned by the expansion of the tourism industry, the increasing complexity of hotel infrastructure, and the elevated fire load associated with intensive occupancy and modern engineering systems. The necessity of adopting a systematic and interdisciplinary approach, which integrates architectural, technical, and organizational measures to safeguard the lives and health of residents and personnel, is substantiated. A critical analysis is provided of recurrent deficiencies observed at both the design and operational stages of hotel facilities. These include the misplacement or insufficient number of evacuation exits, inadequacies in smoke extraction systems, the use of outdated or malfunctioning equipment, as well as the limited preparedness of staff to respond effectively in emergencies. Particular attention is devoted to the evaluation of architectural and planning solutions, the careful selection of building materials in terms of fire resistance, and the integration of active and passive fire protection systems. Considerable emphasis is also placed on the role of smoke-free stairwells, internal water supply systems, and other constructive measures aimed at enabling safe evacuation in conditions of elevated risk. The article presents generalized tables that consolidate baseline fire safety requirements alongside typical design and operational errors. These materials are intended to serve as practical reference tools for architects, engineers, and safety officers, facilitating a more accurate assessment of compliance and highlighting priority areas for correction. Moreover, prospective directions for further research are outlined, among them the implementation of adaptive evacuation management systems, the application of intelligent technologies for early fire detection and suppression, and the refinement of personnel training programs to improve professional readiness. The findings of the study possess both theoretical and applied value. They can be employed in the architectural and engineering design of hotel complexes, in the operational practice of fire safety services, and in the development of educational and training curricula for staff of temporary accommodation facilities. By combining a systematic review of shortcomings with evidence-based recommendations, the article contributes to strengthening the framework of fire safety within the hospitality industry of Ukraine.

Fire is a disaster with a high risk of causing casualties and material losses. World Fire is a disaster with a high risk of causing loss of life and material loss. World Fire Statistics (2022) data recorded more than 3.7 million global fires with losses of approximately USD 50 billion per year. Meanwhile, in Indonesia, there were 10,000 cases in 2021 and 1,624 cases in DKI Jakarta in 2022. This condition emphasizes the importance of fire protection systems in public facilities, including the DKI Jakarta Provincial Health Office Building. This study aims to evaluate active and passive fire protection systems, and life-saving facilities based on Ministerial Regulation No. 26 of 2008 and SNI. The method used was descriptive qualitative with observation, interviews, and document review. The results showed that the fire protection system was in place but not functioning optimally. Active protection was ineffective due to damage to the MCFA, which resulted in the inoperability of alarms, detectors, sprinklers, and hydrants. While fire extinguishers functioned but did not meet placement standards. Passive protection was generally appropriate, but there were deficiencies such as materials and partitions that were not certified fire-resistant, cracks in walls, and fire doors without smoke seals. Lifesaving facilities are relatively up to standard, although evacuation routes remain obstructed, emergency exits difficult to use, assembly points unsafe, and lighting and evacuation signs inadequate. Repairs, maintenance, and regular monitoring are recommended to ensure the safety of building occupants.

Electric wires are crucial components of power systems,playinga significant role in social production and daily life. However, theirwidespread use also introduces considerable fire risks characterizedby strong concealment, rapid burning, and significant difficulty inextinguishing. Existing fire extinguishing systems struggle to detectand dispose of initial fires promptly. This study presents the developmentof a Fire Extinguishing Polymer Composite (FEPC), designed for proactiveprevention and control of initial electric wire fires. Comprehensivecharacterization and testing were conducted to evaluate the protectiveeffects of FEPC on electric wires in thermal environments. A FirePropagation Apparatus (FPA) was employed to simulate the real-worldthermal conditions of electric wire combustion and fire propagation.The performance of FEPC was examined under varying conditions of radiantheat flux, ventilation flow, and layout methods. The findings indicatethat FEPC effectively delayed the time to ignition without exacerbatingthe overall thermal and toxic hazards, though it increased smoke hazardrisks. The efficiency of FEPC decreased with higher radiant heat flux,suggesting its optimal use in the initial stages of the fires. Whilethe quantity of FEPC used did not significantly impact its extinguishingefficiency, its placement did. Optimal results were achieved whenprotecting areas with limited wire quantities. Additionally, FEPCdemonstrated superior fire extinguishing efficiency in confined spacescompared to open environments. This research provides valuable technicalinsights for the active protection of wire initial fires.

Wildland fires are a common and destructive natural disaster in Alaska. Recent active fires in Alaska were assessed and analysed for their associated synoptic-scale climatic conditions in this study. Hotspot (HS) data from satellite observations over the past 20 years since 2004 (total number of HS = 300,988) were used to identify active fire-periods, and the occurrence of Rossby wave breaking (RWB) was examined using various weather maps. Analysis results show that there are 13 active fire-periods of which 7 active fire-periods are related to RWB. The total number of HSs during the seven RWB-related fire-periods was 164,422, indicating that about half (54.6%) of the recent fires in Alaska occurred under fire weather conditions related to RWB. During the RWB-related fire-periods, two hotspot peaks with different wind directions occurred. At the first hotspot peak, southwesterly wind blew from high-pressure systems in the Gulf of Alaska. In the second hotspot peak, the Beaufort Sea High (BSH) supplied strong easterly wind into Interior Alaska. It was suggested that changes in wind direction during active fire-period and continuously blowing winds from BSH may affect fire propagation. It is hoped that this study will stimulate further research into active fires related to RWBs in Alaska.