Mass Displacement Research Articles

Race, Climate Change and the Photographic Negative in Richard Mosse’s Heat Maps

How might the production, transference and registration of heat allow us to see mass displacement differently? Through a close reading of Richard Mosse’s series, Heat Maps (2016) – which uses a heat-sensitive, military grade surveillance camera to capture refugees in camps and detention centres in and around the Mediterranean – this article considers heat as a byproduct of colonialism, and as an elemental force driving global displacement. While Mosse’s photographs visualise unseen (body) heat through shifts in tonal value, these seemingly transparent images risk obscuring the other ways heat is produced through resource extraction, sexual violence and embodied resistance to colonisation. Reading Mosse’s work through the racial anxieties that have historically accompanied the photographic negative, the article attempts to unravel the invisibility of the white gaze in contemporary art’s capturing of the refugee crisis, while at the same time holding out hope for the reparative and imaginative capacities of the viewer.

’We are trying to live in a normal way, but nothing is normal about us anymore…’: a qualitative study of women’s lived experiences of healthcare in opposition-controlled areas of Syria

IntroductionThe Syrian conflict, which has included mass killings, displacement, infrastructure destruction and illegal targeting of health facilities and staff mainly by the Syrian government and allies, is in its 10th...

Participatory science as a decolonizing methodology: Leveraging collective knowledge from partnerships with refugee and immigrant communities.

The major global problems of our day, including mass displacement, climate change, violence, and pandemic, necessitate global solutions. In a world where injustice and inequities are rampant, psychologists stand at the precipice of social change and action, with an opportunity to unambiguously decolonize our research methodologies, and engage in scholarship that provides immediate benefits to communities. Participatory methods offer an opportunity to co-create an empowering, equitable, inclusive, and ethical science in partnership with communities. This special issue on Collaborative and Participatory Research to Promote Engagement, Empowerment, and Resilience for Immigrant and Refugee Youth, Families, and Communities highlights exemplary interdisciplinary work that has emerged in learning from and working in partnership with immigrant and refugee youth, families, and communities. The special issue offers six major components of participatory methodologies that provide a roadmap to decolonizing psychological science, recognize the potentials for innovation and impact, and advance the field. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Diabetes care in times of armed conflict

Recent events in Ukraine emphasise the danger and uncertainty faced by people who are caught in armed conflict. Those living with diabetes face an additional crisis: the complexity of diabetes management during war. This editorial describes the challenges of caring for people with diabetes in this scenario, including the impact on healthcare systems, mass displacement, refocused priorities of wider healthcare, fiscal challenges, and disruption to supply lines, storage of medicines and communications. We consider the effects on people living with diabetes and suggest some strategies for healthcare workers providing care during conflict, including equipping healthcare providers to deal with diabetes emergencies, and adaptation of technological innovations.

Design of a Piezoelectric Pump Driven by Inertial Force of Vibrator Supported by a Slotted Beam

This paper introduces the design, manufacture, dynamic analysis, and experimental results of a piezoelectric pump driven by the inertial force of a vibrator supported by a slotted beam. The piezoelectric vibrator is composed of a mass block, displacement amplifier, and slotted beam fixed with both ends. In the resonant mode, the displacement amplifier drives the slotted beam to work, and produces amplitude and inertial force. In this paper, the design of the slotted beam optimizes the output of the displacement amplifier. In addition, the slotted beam supports the displacement amplifier and increases the elastic output. The pump body adopts polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) check valves and compressible spaces to improve the output performance. This research studies the influence of stiffness and mass on the output performance by qualitatively analyzing the inertial output force of the vibrator. Nine kinds of slotted beams with different stiffnesses and different mass blocks are designed for comparison. Thereafter, an optimal structure of the piezoelectric pump is selected. The experimental results show that under a driving voltage of 700 Vpp , the maximum flowrate is 441 mL min−1 and the maximum back pressure is 25.3 kPa.

Cascading Risks for Preventable Infectious Diseases in Children and Adolescents during the 2022 Invasion of Ukraine

Russia’s military incursion into Ukraine triggered the mass displacement of two-thirds of Ukrainian children and adolescents, creating a cascade of population health consequences and producing extraordinary challenges for monitoring and controlling preventable pediatric infectious diseases. From the onset of the war, infectious disease surveillance and healthcare systems were severely disrupted. Prior to the reestablishment of dependable infectious disease surveillance systems, and during the early months of the conflict, our international team of pediatricians, infectious disease specialists, and population health scientists assessed the health implications for child and adolescent populations. The invasion occurred just as the COVID-19 Omicron surge was peaking throughout Europe and Ukrainian children had not received COVID-19 vaccines. In addition, vaccine coverage for multiple vaccine-preventable diseases, most notably measles, was alarmingly low as Ukrainian children and adolescents were forced to migrate from their home communities, living precariously as internally displaced persons inside Ukraine or streaming into European border nations as refugees. The incursion created immediate impediments in accessing HIV treatment services, aimed at preventing serial transmission from HIV-positive persons to adolescent sexual or drug-injection partners and to prevent vertical transmission from HIV-positive pregnant women to their newborns. The war also led to new-onset, conflict-associated, preventable infectious diseases in children and adolescents. First, children and adolescents were at risk of wound infections from medical trauma sustained during bombardment and other acts of war. Second, young people were at risk of sexually transmitted infections resulting from sexual assault perpetrated by invading Russian military personnel on youth trapped in occupied territories or from sexual assault perpetrated on vulnerable youth attempting to migrate to safety. Given the cascading risks that Ukrainian children and adolescents faced in the early months of the war—and will likely continue to face—infectious disease specialists and pediatricians are using their international networks to assist refugee-receiving host nations to improve infectious disease screening and interventions.

And optimal designs of tuned inerter dampers for base motion excited structures with inherent damping

Tuned inerter damper (TID) has recently gained increasing attention as a new structural control mechanism for seismic protection of structures. Currently, theoretical investigations are undertaken by researchers to reveal its fundamentals and to understand its underline principles in altering the structural performances of structures against dynamic loadings. However, the comprehensive study of optimization design of TID for undamped structures is lacking and the majority of the research focuses on the optimization of TID for structures without any damping. This research evaluates the and optimal designs of TIDs on the structures with damping. Using SDOF structure as an example, the frequency response function of the system equipped with TID underground motion excitation is obtained. The and designs of TID for structures without damping are derived considering various response parameters using analytical method. A numerical search method is utilized for the and designs of TID for structures with damping; meanwhile, a set of explicit formulae are obtained by curve-fitting for convenience in the application. Finally, the relative motion response of the inerter is explored, and an optimal design formula of TID which can reduce the displacements of primary mass and inerter simultaneously, is proposed.

Comparison of Postural Control During Sit-To-Stand between Typically Developing Children Aged 4 to 12 Years and Young Adults

Postural control is a fundamental requirement for performing all functional tasks, including standing up from a chair. Although there is a broad literature on postural control development in typically developing (TD) children, there is a lack of specific information on TD children performing the sit-to-stand (STS). Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the development of postural control during STS in TD children of different age groups. Fifty-eight healthy TD children aged 4–12 years and 19 adults participated in this study. They were separated into four groups: 4–6 years, 7–9 years, 10–12 years, and adults. All participants were asked to perform the STS movement with a self-selected pattern. Participants' dynamic stability was quantified according to centre of mass (COM) displacement and velocity in the anterior-posterior, medial-lateral, and vertical directions during the four phases (flexion-momentum, momentum-transfer, extension, and stabilization) of the STS movement. The development of postural control was different in each phase of STS. During the flexion-momentum, extension, and stabilization phases, children aged 4–12 had higher COM displacements and velocities than adults. In the momentum-transfer phases, children aged 4-9 had higher COM displacements and velocities than other groups. In addition, children aged 4¬6 had the highest COM velocity during the extension phase of the STS movement. Children aged 4–12 years and adults used different strategies to control COM during STS movement. Adult-like postural control during STS was not found in children aged 10–12 years.

Book review of Cohen, Robin & Van Hear, Nicholas (2020) Refugia. Radical Solutions to Mass Displacement. Oxon & Routledge. 148 pp.

Book review of Cohen, Robin & Van Hear, Nicholas (2020) Refugia. Radical Solutions to Mass Displacement. Oxon & Routledge. 148 pp.

A high sensitive, low foot print, SU-8 material-based, light intensity modulated MOMS accelerometer

A high sensitive optical MEMS accelerometer is proposed, which works by changing the effective refractive index of a microring relied on intensity modulation of light wave. The proposed optical sensing system consists of a microring, waveguide, and a proof mass. Acceleration causes lateral displacement of the proof mass. The proof mass is in the optical coupling length of the microring, and the displacement of the proof mass changes effective refractive index of the microring. Changes of the effective refractive index of the microring result in wavelength shift. The mechanical and optical parts of the proposed accelerometer are designed, and the obtained functional characteristics are compared with other accelerometers. Simulation shows functional characteristics of the proposed design are as follows: mechanical resonant frequency of 3.7 kHz, operating bandwidth of 2.6 kHz, mechanical sensitivity of 2 nm/g, optical sensitivity of 0.7%/nm, overall sensitivity of 1.4%/g, foot print of less than 150 μm * 170 μm, measurement range of ∓ 50 g, and mechanical noise density of 3.1 ( mg / Hz ) . These functional characteristics make the design very interesting for a wide range of applications, ranging from consumer electronics and automobile to inertial navigation.

Enhanced attenuation band in active 2D mass-in-mass metamaterial using static output feedback

Active feedback control is implemented between the inner and outer masses of a 2D mass-in-mass metamaterial to widen the attenuation bandwidth by reducing the displacement of the outer mass of each unit cell. The optimal static output feedback control is applied to a single representative unit. The gain is computed from the analysis of a single unit cell and further used along with the Bloch–Floquet theorem for obtaining the dispersion relationship for an infinite 2D discrete square lattice metamaterial. The proposed model is validated by comparing the results against the finite element simulation in ANSYS. The control gain couples the displacements and velocities, which generates the damping phenomenon even in an undamped system. The controller design requires feedback of only a few measured output instead of all the state variables, and offline computation of the feedback gains reduces the time delay. Effective mass analysis and energy dissipation mechanism are performed which sheds light on the physics underlying the attenuation phenomena. An ultra-wide uninterrupted attenuation band can be perceived as the negative effective mass region significantly extends beyond the standard limit by employing the active feedback control. Additionally, the attenuation bandwidth exists in the low frequency due to the damping induced from the active control.

Sleep dependent consolidation of gross motor sequence learning with motor imagery

Acquisition of gross motor sequence learning with physical and mental training elicits gains in performance. However, the effects of sleep or daytime consolidation after both types of practice remain unclear, especially the effects upon the goal- and movement-based components of a gross motor sequential task. The main purpose of this study was to test the effect of physical practice (PP) and motor imagery practice (MIP) on the acquisition and consolidation processes of gross motor sequence learning.Seventy-six participants were tested before and after PP or MIP on a whole-body sequential paradigm, following either a night of sleep (PPsleep and MIPsleep groups) or an equivalent daytime period (PPday and MIPday groups). Control groups without training were tested following similar timespans (CTRLsleep and CTRLday groups). The number of sequential movements and the centre of mass displacement – corresponding to goal and movement-based components, respectively – were assessed.Results showed that relative to the CTRL groups, the PP and MIP groups improved performance during acquisition. Importantly, only the MIPsleep group further improved performance after a night of sleep; participants of other groups stabilised their performance after consolidation. Additionally, the number of sequential movements and the centre of mass displacement evolved conjointly without being influenced by the type of training or the nature of the consolidation.To conclude, these results confirm that sleep contributes to the consolidation of gross motor sequence learning acquired with MIP but not PP. The relationship between the goal- and movement-based components of a gross motor sequential task is discussed.

Interrogating the limits of humanitarian art: the uncomfortable invitations of Ai Weiwei

ABSTRACT Ai Weiwei is one of the most prominent contemporary artists to engage the so-called ‘migrant’ or ‘refugee crisis’ since 2015. His work spans several mediums, from feature-length documentary films to gallery exhibits, public installations, and social media content. Ai has garnered both admiration and criticism for his representations of migrants and refugees, with some critics alleging Ai’s works are tone-deaf and self-serving publicity stunts that disregard the uneven power dynamics between the artist and his subjects. These critiques, however, often overlook Ai’s postcolonial positionality and the ways in which his own experiences with exile shape his approach to representing mass displacement. In this essay, I offer a reappraisal of Ai Weiwei’s work by considering how his documentary practices productively discomfit viewers and invite audiences to interrogate the limitations of humanitarian art. Through close readings of his documentary film Human Flow (2017), gallery installation Laundromat (2016), and the notorious India Today portrait of Ai Weiwei as Alan Kurdi, I show how Ai destabilizes humanitarian documentary tropes typically used to represent refugees. In doing so, Ai calls attention to the constructed nature of his own work and invites viewers to re-examine their practices of looking.

Against Contextualization: An Ethics of Encounter

Against Contextualization: An Ethics of Encounter

Deformations and natural vibration frequency of a three-dimensional truss in a multi-storey building

Introduction. The analysis of deformations arising under the action of various loads and natural vibration frequencies is an integral part of the structural analysis of a multi-storey building. As a rule, this analysis is performed numerically in various systems using the finite element method and specialized software programmes. Analytical solutions are rare, but they are needed to evaluate the numerical ones and calculate simplified models of structures. The task is to find the analytical dependence of the frame deflection in a multi-storey building and its first natural frequency on the number of panels. The mass of the truss model is assumed to be distributed uniformly over the nodes. Only horizontal displacements of masses are taken into account.
 Materials and methods. To calculate the forces arising in the rods of a statically determinate truss using the method of joint isolation in the alphameric form, the software compiled in the Maple math system is applied. The calculation of displacements of nodes is performed using the Mohr integral. The Dunkerley method allows finding the analytical form of the lower estimate of the first frequency of natural vibrations for an arbitrary number of storeys in a building. The analysis of a series of solutions, made in the alphameric form for trusses with a successively growing number of panels allows deriving the final vibration frequency formula. When determining the natural vibrations of the characteristic matrix, the Eigenvalues operator from the LinearAlgebra package was used.
 Results. The resulting formulas used to analyze the deflection (horizontal displacement) of a structure under the action of a horizontal lateral load and the formula for estimating the first vibration frequency have simple forms, convenient for the quick verification of numerical solutions and preliminary evaluation of the behaviour of a designed structure.
 Conclusions. The proposed spatial statically determinate model of a multi-storey building allows deriving formulas for the analysis of deformations and natural frequencies of a structure with an arbitrary number of storeys. Resulting formulas can be applied to solve optimization tasks and serve as the basis for calculating a more complex statically indeterminate model of a structure.

Postural control during turn on the light task assisted by functional electrical stimulation in post stroke subjects

Postural control mechanisms have a determinant role in reaching tasks and are typically impaired in post-stroke patients. Functional electrical stimulation (FES) has been demonstrated to be a promising therapy for improving upper limb (UL) function. However, according to our knowledge, no study has evaluated FES influence on postural control. This study aims to evaluate the influence of FES UL assistance, during turning on the light task, in the related postural control mechanisms. An observational study involving ten post-stroke subjects with UL dysfunction was performed. Early and anticipatory postural adjustments (EPAs and APAs, respectively), the weight shift, the center of pressure and the center of mass (CoM) displacement were analyzed during the turning on the light task with and without the FES assistance. FES parameters were adjusted to improve UL function according to a consensus between physiotherapists’ and patients’ perspectives. The ANOVA repeated measures, Paired sample t and McNemar tests were used to compare postural control between the assisted and non-assisted conditions. When the task was assisted by FES, the number of participants that presented APAs increased (p = 0.031). UL FES assistance during turning on the light task can improve postural control in neurological patients with UL impairments.

Beam width and arm position but not cognitive task affect walking balance in older adults

Detection of changes in dynamic balance could help identify older adults at fall risk. Walking on a narrow beam with its width, cognitive load, and arm position manipulated could be an alternative to current tests. Therefore, we examined additive and interactive effects of beam width, cognitive task (CT), and arm position on dynamic balance during beam walking in older adults. Twenty older adults (69 ± 4y) walked on 6, 8, and 10-cm wide beams (2-cm high, 4-m-long), with and without CT, with three arm positions (free, crossed, akimbo). We determined cognitive errors, distance walked, step speed, root mean square (RMS) of center of mass (COM) displacement and trunk acceleration in the frontal plane. Beam width decrease progressively reduced distance walked and increased trunk acceleration RMS. Step speed decreased on the narrowest beam and with CT. Arm crossing decreased distance walked and step speed. COM displacement RMS and cognitive errors were not affected by any manipulation. In conclusion, distance walked indicated that beam width and arm position, but less so CT, affected dynamic balance, implying that beam walking has the potential to become a test of fall risk. Stability measurements suggested effective trunk adjustments to control COM position and keep dynamic balance during the task.

Gait balance control after fatigue: Effects of age and cognitive demand

BackgroundFatigue is a commonly mentioned symptom in older adults, and walking under the influence of fatigue frequently occurs in daily activities. Studies have reported individual effects from fatigue or cognitive demand on gait performance. However, the information on how fatigue and cognitive demand interact to affect gait balance control is still lacking. Research QuestionHow does fatigue affect walking balance control in young and older adults with and without performing a concurrent cognitive task? MethodsWe collected and analyzed motion data from 17 young and 17 older adults, who performed over-ground walking with and without a concurrent working memory test, before and after been fatigued by performing repetitive sit-to-stand movements. Three-way ANOVAs were used for statistical analysis with Age (young and older adults), Fatigue (pre- and post-fatigue), and Task (single-task and dual-task) as factors. ResultsFrom pre- to post-fatigue, an increased gait velocity was observed during dual-task walking regardless of age (p = .02). Only young adults demonstrated a significant increase in mediolateral center of mass displacement (M-L CoM) at post-fatigue (p = .019). Accuracies of the working memory test were not affected by Age, Task, or Fatigue. SignificanceOur findings revealed that gait balance control, as measured by the M-L CoM, deteriorated post-fatigue in young adults. Older adults maintained their mediolateral body sway from pre-fatigue to post-fatigue. Fatigue effects were not further exacerbated during dual-task walking, and similar cognitive performance was maintained as performance fatigability increased.

Dynamic stability of vessels with a suspended load

The transverse stability of a sample vessel with a suspended load in regular beam waves is investigated and quantified. Incorporating several series of experimental and numerical model tests in calm water and in waves, three aspects of influence from the suspended load are identified: GM (metacentric height) variation, lever effects, and swinging pull. As from the result of scale-model tests, a suspended load of 0.66% (nondimensionalised by the model's mass displacement) alters the GM value by about 2% corresponding to a change of the roll natural period of about 4%. In calm water, the suspended load alone at a position with the longest lever stretching out at side heels the model up to 8° and reduces the GZ (righting lever) value by about 40%. In waves, the suspended load with a longer connecting ‘rope’ does not seem to increase or decrease the roll amplitude of the vessel as opposed to the one with a shorter ‘rope’. But it changes the behaviour of the roll motion – from regular sinusoidal-like roll to irregular behaviour at higher wave excitation frequencies but not for lower ones.

Monitoring of Maskun landslide and determining its quantitative relationship to different climatic conditions using D-InSAR and PSI techniques

Climate change has resulted in severe landslides in Maskun, Iran. This study evaluates and monitors the displacement caused by the landslide mass in Bam using Interferometry Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) and Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) techniques, as well as identifies relationships between climatic conditions and mass displacement. Temperature and precipitation data from 2007 to 2019 were combined with satellite images and the DInSAR method was used to determine the mass displacement differences after selecting eighteen radar images from the ASAR sensor of the ENVISAT satellite. Additionally, Sentinel 1 satellite images were acquired and analyzed using the PSI method from November 5, 2014, to June 24, 2019. The highest displacement level at the surface of the Maskun landslide mass was then extracted. The ASAR images show a monthly displacement rate of 7.3 mm. The smallest displacement, on the other hand, occurred between May and September 2009, at a rate of 3.1 mm/month. PSI results also revealed that the maximum Line Of Sight (LOS) velocities detected by PSI are −64.5 mm/yr (away from the satellite) and 32.45 mm/yr (toward the satellite). Rainfall is one of the main triggers for increasing the deformation of the Maskun landslide according to the time-series analysis.