Mass Displacement Research Articles

The involvement of Croatian psychiatrists in helping the displaced persons from Ukraine

AbstractAfter two years of pandemic with COVID-19 Europe is facing a war, which has already caused numerous death and injuries, mass displacement, and aggravated the economic and energy crisis and has left most countries completely unprepared and created a humanitarian crisis. The COVID-19 pandemics crisis pointed out the unpreparedness of the health (including mental health) sectors for the emergency situations. However, we also learnt some of the practices that proved effective – including the fast creation of collaborative networks on a larger scale that also allowed fast spread of good practices and practical organisation of help. The European Psychiatric Association as well as individual national psychiatric association have started an informal network of solidarity for Ukraine on February 28th, 2022 to respond to the needs of people in Ukraine as verbalized by the Ukrainian mental health professionals, but also to the need of surrounding countries where people from Ukraine fled to. Through this network several actions, including financial support, medical donations and education. The Croatian Psychiatric Association took the lead in the organisation of education for first line helpers and volunteers from Ukraine and countries surrounding Ukraine where displaced persons fled to, in collaboration with many partners.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Seismic displacement of earth slopes incorporating co‐seismic accumulation of dynamic pore water pressure

AbstractThe earthquake‐induced displacement of sloping soil mass is an important indicator of co‐seismic landslide initiation. In this paper, an improved Newmark displacement model that considers the accumulation of dynamic pore water pressure (DPWP) in the soil caused by both vertical and horizontal ground motions is proposed. The model can quantitatively describe the dynamic changes of the seismic yield acceleration of near‐saturated infinite soil slopes. Three different types of ground motion time histories are selected to compare the performance of the proposed Newmark displacement model, and the influence of DPWP accumulation on the slope yield acceleration and on the seismic displacement is obtained. The seismic slope displacement analyses indicate that the weakening effect of slope yield acceleration caused by bidirectional earthquake excitation‐induced DPWP is more obvious than when only considering the horizontal ground motion, when the slip surface soils are in near‐saturated state. The effect of initial saturation (Sr0) on the DPWP accumulation caused by vertical ground motion is also investigated. Furthermore, the accumulated seismic displacement can be reasonably explained by the frequency distribution characteristics of the ground motions. Finally, the numerical results of this paper show that the seismic displacement model seldomly considering the effect of DPWP, or only considering the DPWP induced by horizontal ground motion, can significantly underestimate the displacement value when the slip surface soils are in a near‐saturated state.

Discontinuous Deformation Characteristics of Deep Buried Roadway Roofs and Linkage Control of Thick Layer Cross-Boundary Anchorage: A Case Study

After deep mining, the discontinuous deformation characteristics of roadway roofs become more and more obvious, resulting in the emergence of separation fractures in the rock mass, which seriously affects the stability of the roof rock mass. By taking the air return roadway 21204 (ARR 21204) in Hulusu Coal Mine as the engineering background, this article reveals the discontinuous deformation characteristics of deep buried roadway roofs through field research, numerical simulation, theoretical analysis and engineering practice. After roadway excavation, the rock masses in different shallow roof horizons show different degrees of stress unloading, resulting in the occurrence of discontinuous deformation phenomena in rock masses. With the rise of the roof rock horizon, the degree of discontinuous deformation fades away until a continuous deformation zone with small deformation and stable rock strata appears. In addition, with the increase in the roadway buried depth, the extent of the discontinuous deformation of the roof and its extended range tend to increase. In view of the discontinuous deformation control of the roof, the technology of linkage control of thick layer cross-boundary anchorage is proposed. By establishing the thick anchorage ring of the roof, the bolts cross the discontinuous deformation zone to support the stable rock strata in the deep continuous deformation zone, thereby realizing the linkage control of the large and small displacement of the rock masses in these two zones and limiting the progressive damage of the roof rock mass from shallow to deep. The industrial test shows that the scope of the separation fracture zone on the roof is controlled at the shallow stratum of 0.85 m due to the great decrease in the surface displacement of roadway, which effectively restricts the progressive upward extension of the discontinuous deformation zone of the roof. The research results can provide references for the safe and efficient control of roadway roofs under deep mining conditions.

Considerations in designing trauma-focused interventions for displaced Afghan women.

In light of the 2021 United States military withdrawal from Afghanistan, as well as the humanitarian crises of mass displacement and subsequent health system strain that have ensued, practitioners worldwide will need to develop a more nuanced understanding of the adverse life experiences that women from Afghanistan frequently endorse. As they bear a disproportionate impact of constraints within Afghan society, and as patriarchal systems affect most of their life domains, women from Afghanistan may present with high levels of baseline trauma upon resettlement, and health systems may seek to attenuate this distress; However, the nature of these traumatogenic events may shape women's receptivity to psychosocial interventions, particularly those which are at least partially rooted in Western modalities. In the absence of sufficient literature on evidence-based interventions for this population, a diversity of ethnographic and clinical literature is synthesized, including literature on interventions alleged to be compatible with Afghan norms. As it will be essential to support Afghan women's mental health following social reorganization on a massive scale, considerations arising from the interdisciplinary literature are offered so that they may inform the development of structured, trauma-focused interventions and so that the health systems with which they interface may be better prepared to serve them.

Integrated Approaches for Field Mapping by Traditional Investigation and Satellite PSInSAR Data: Results from the Montemartano Landslide (Central Italy)

The study presents an integrated investigation of a complex landslide based on multitemporal stereo aerial photographic interpretations, existing geotechnical monitoring data, and different PSInSAR datasets. The available information allowed for the quantification of the deformation history, also in periods with no monitoring in the field, making it possible to revise the geometry of the landslide compared to the official landslide mapping. Data from sparse inclinometers are compared with more spatially continuous satellite measurements, showing that the two monitoring techniques are consistent in terms of cumulative deformation trend and in terms of response to prolonged drought and wet periods. Therefore, reliable landslide mass displacements can be monitored using satellite products when ground instrumentations are no longer operating. Understanding the landslide behavior to rainfall conditions offers an important insight into the velocities and cumulative displacements expected during similar stages of enhanced landslide activity. The findings can be helpful to support urban planners in re-evaluating hazard and risk classification and implementing efficient mitigation techniques to reduce landslide damage.

Dynamic correlations in the conserved Manna sandpile.

We study dynamic correlations for current and mass, as well as the associated power spectra, in the one-dimensional conserved Manna sandpile. We show that, in the thermodynamic limit, the variance of cumulative bond current up to time T grows subdiffusively as T^{1/2-μ} with the exponent μ≥0 depending on the density regimes considered and, likewise, the power spectra of current and mass at low frequency f varies as f^{1/2+μ} and f^{-3/2+μ}, respectively. Our theory predicts that, far from criticality, μ=0 and, near criticality, μ=(β+1)/2ν_{⊥}z>0 with β,ν_{⊥}, and z being the order parameter, correlation length, and dynamic exponents, respectively. The anomalous suppression of fluctuations near criticality signifies a "dynamic hyperuniformity," characterized by a set of fluctuation relations, in which current, mass, and tagged-particle displacement fluctuations are shown to have a precise quantitative relationship with the density-dependent activity (or its derivative). In particular, the relation, D_{s}(ρ[over ¯])=a(ρ[over ¯])/ρ[over ¯], between the self-diffusion coefficient D_{s}(ρ[over ¯]), activity a(ρ[over ¯]) and density ρ[over ¯] explains a previous simulation observation [Eur. Phys. J. B 72, 441 (2009)10.1140/epjb/e2009-00367-0] that, near criticality, the self-diffusion coefficient in the Manna sandpile has the same scaling behavior as the activity.

Posterior osteosynthesis with a new self-designed lateral mass screw-plate system for unstable atlas burst fractures

BackgroundIn the treatment of unstable atlas fractures using the combined anterior–posterior approach or the posterior monoaxial screw-rod system, factors such as severe trauma or complex surgical procedures still need to be improved despite the favourable reduction effect. This research described and evaluated a new technique for the treatment of unstable atlas fracture using a self-designed lateral mass screw-plate system.MethodsA total of 10 patients with unstable atlas fractures using this new screw-plate system from January 2019 to December 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. All patients underwent posterior open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) with a self-designed screw-plate system. The medical records and radiographs before and after surgery were noted. Preoperative and postoperative CT scans were used to determine the type of fracture and evaluate the reduction of fracture.ResultsAll 10 patients were successfully operated with this new system, with an average follow-up of 16.7 ± 9.6 months. A total of 10 plates were placed, and all 20 screws were inserted into the atlas lateral masses. The mean operating time was 108.7 ± 20.1 min and the average estimated blood loss was 98.0 ± 41.3 ml. The lateral mass displacement (LMD) averaged 7.1 ± 1.9 mm before surgery and almost achieved satisfactory reduction after surgery. All the fractures achieved bony healing without reduction loss or implant failure. No complications (vertebral artery injury, neurologic deficit, or wound infection) occurred in these 10 patients. At the final follow-up, the anterior atlantodens interval (AADI) was 2.3 ± 0.8 mm and the visual analog scale (VAS) was 0.6 ± 0.7 on average. All patients preserved almost full range of motion of the upper cervical spine and achieved a good clinical outcome at the last follow-up.ConclusionsPosterior osteosynthesis with this new screw-plate system can provide a new therapeutic strategy for unstable atlas fractures with simple and almost satisfactory reduction.

A regional scale coseismic landslide analysis framework: Integrating physics-based simulation with flexible sliding analysis

This paper describes a framework for regional scale coseismic landslide evaluation that combines physics-based wave propagation simulation at a regional scale, with flexible sliding analysis at a site scale. The physics-based simulation incorporates fault rupture process, complex topography and dynamic site response. The sliding displacements of flexible masses are calculated by integrating seismic parameter k obtained from the physics-based simulation over seismic resistance.The framework is applied to the case study of coseismic landslides during the 2016 Mw 7.0 Kumamoto earthquake in Japan, which has well documented fault mechanism, geologic information and landslide inventory. The performance of the model prediction is evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. This study highlights the near-fault effect and soil nonlinear effect on landslide distribution, and it is demonstrated that the landslide prediction can be notably improved with the consideration of topographic amplification of ground motions. Empirical correlations between topographic amplification of key intensity measures and parameterized topographic features are developed. Overall, the simulation captures 58% of observed landslides in the inventory (using a displacement threshold of 15 cm), showing the proposed framework is a promising tool for regional coseismic landslide analysis.

Development of a Novel Perturbation Platform System for Balance Response Testing and Rehabilitation Interventions

Abstract Balance perturbations are often used to gain insight into reactive control strategies used to prevent falls. We developed a Perturbation Platform System (PPS) that can induce perturbations in both vertical and angled directions. The PPS was evaluated using human subject testing to verify its function and performance. The final system consisted of two box platforms that can individually perform vertical and angled surface perturbations. Following a perturbation, the system can automatically reset for the next iteration under the weight of the standing participant. The PPS achieves a peak downward acceleration of 4.4 m/s2 during drop events that simulate sudden surface changes. The experimental testing revealed that the perturbation induced a peak limb loading of 280 ± 38 % of body weight (BW) during vertical drops and that participants' center of mass displacements were consistent with previous balance studies evaluating vertical perturbations. The system can be used in a laboratory or clinical setting to better understand balance response and control mechanisms and assist in rehabilitation training to improve balance control and help mitigate the incidence of falls.

Letter from the editors

Letter from the editors

A Statistical Parametric Mapping Analysis Approach for the Evaluation of a Passive Back Support Exoskeleton on Mechanical Loading During a Simulated Patient Transfer Task

This study assessed the effectiveness of a passive back support exoskeleton during a mechanical loading task. Fifteen healthy participants performed a simulated patient transfer task while wearing the Laevo (version 2.5) passive back support exoskeleton. Collected metrics encompassed L5-S1 joint moments, back and abdominal muscle activity, lower body and back kinematics, center of mass displacement, and movement smoothness. A statistical parametric mapping analysis approach was used to overcome limitations from discretization of continuous data. The exoskeleton reduced L5-S1 joint moments during trunk flexion, but wearing the device restricted L5-S1 joint flexion when flexing the trunk as well as hip and knee extension, preventing participants from standing fully upright. Moreover, wearing the device limited center of mass motion in the caudal direction and increased its motion in the anterior direction. Therefore, wearing the exoskeleton partly reduced lower back moments during the lowering phase of the patient transfer task, but there were some undesired effects such as altered joint kinematics and center of mass displacement. Statistical parametric mapping analysis was useful in determining the benefits and hindrances produced by wearing the exoskeleton while performing the simulated patient transfer task and should be utilized in further studies to inform design and appropriate usage.

Policy and political implications of government responses to COVID-19 in Ethiopia

ABSTRACT In Ethiopia there have been contested political debates over the government’s response to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. The postponement of the sixth national election, constitutional interpretation and the continuation of the terms of the House of People’s Representatives are sources of contentious political debates. All these require policy and political analysis. Political actors argued that the contested political notions have critical political and policy implications that extend beyond the impacts of the pandemic. The country’s political history is marked by political opportunism and power struggles in which force is used to conquer/maintain power, as well as political repression and a lack of political consensus. It is argued that COVID-19 was used as an opportunity by political actors to consolidate their power. Together with identity politics, such political opportunism contributed significantly to the escalation of political tensions that led to civil war throughout the country. It also has more far-reaching effects on people’s sociopolitical and economic lives such as mass deaths, displacements and violations of basic human rights than COVID-19. Furthermore, it altered the country’s diplomatic relations with the international community. Therefore, in Ethiopian politics, the notion that political problems are more pressing than the consequences of COVID-19 is plausible.

Refugia: Radical Solutions to Mass Displacement. By R. Cohen and N. Van Hear. Routledge, 2020, 148 pp.

book review

More-Than-Human Borders: A New Research Agenda for Posthuman Conversations in Border Studies

ABSTRACT Despite a growing interest in posthuman theory within political geography over the last two decades, the sub-disciplinary focus of critical border studies has seen a slower engagement with more-than-human entanglements. In this introductory paper to the special section, we ask whether the militarisation of borderlands, increasing surveillance of mobility, growing violence against refugees and asylum seekers, pandemic bordering, and mass displacement can be fully grasped through a singular focus upon the agency of the human subject. In addressing these questions, we challenge what we see as an anthropocentric preoccupation of existing scholarship in critical border studies and argue that the border is a constantly moving space that is created, maintained and/or dismantled by the entanglements of human and non-human lives and things. Our aim in bringing posthuman conversations into critical border studies is to explore different methods and questions that challenge binary constructions in our understandings of borders. In our response to these challenges, within this opening piece, we map three areas of debate: rethinking the heterogeneity of more-than-human borders; studying the agency of ‘things’ of the border; and finally, considering dehumanising practices of border politics. We suggest that the scholarship on more-than-human borders can be seen as a ‘minor literature’ that calls for a genuine realisation of forgotten and suppressed languages, voices, and knowledges.

Paraspinal muscles atrophy on both sides and at multiple levels after unilateral lumbar partial discectomy.

To identify the changes in cross-sectional areas (CSAs) and fatty infiltration of both sides of the paravertebral muscles and their associations with prognostic factors in patients who underwent unilateral lumbar discectomy. We retrospectively reviewed 27 patients who underwent magnetic resonance imaging before and after 1- or 2-level lumbar discectomy. The CSAs and functional cross-sectional areas of the paraspinal muscles were bilaterally measured from L1 to L2 to L5 to S1 based on T2-weighted axial images. These parameters were compared pre-and postoperatively. CSAs and functional cross-sectional areas decreased also in non-operative, non-surgical levels, not only in operated levels after discectomy. In the correlation analysis, the CSA of psoas major muscle at L1 to L2 was significantly decreased in patients with lower preoperative lordosis (r = 0.598, P = .040). The postoperative CSA of psoas major muscle at L4 to L5 was lower in those with the higher Pfirrmann grade (r = -0.590, P = .002); however, the CSA of quadratus lumborum muscle at L1 to L2 showed the opposite result (r = 0.526, P = .036). Similar results were also observed in the partial correlation adjusted for age and postoperative duration. Patients who underwent discectomy experienced overall paraspinal muscle atrophy in the lumbar region, including surgical and non-surgical sites. Such atrophic changes emphasized the need for core strengthening and lumbar rehabilitation from the early period after partial discectomy.

Mining-induced displacement and livelihood resilience: The case of Marange, Zimbabwe

Mining activities are increasingly causing mass displacement of people around the world. These displacements largely affect poor rural families, which, are forced to bear the brunt of displacement and the loss of livelihood assets. The loss of land and other productive livelihood assets exacerbates the vulnerability of displaced people to livelihood shocks and poverty. In Zimbabwe, neoliberal extractive investment enclaves have led to the displacement of thousands of families. Much of what we know about mining-induced displacement is the vulnerability and suffering of displacement victims. This dominant scholarship reduces displaced people to passive and helpless victims of displacement. However, little is known about the resilience and ingenuity of internally displaced people. In the absence of adequate compensation and social support from the state, how do displaced people sustain their livelihoods? This article, through an ethnographic study, attempts to address this and related questions by examining the individual and collective resilience of the displaced Chiadzwa people in Marange, eastern Zimbabwe. We show how displaced people use their agency to rebuild local self-support systems that sustain(ed) livelihoods.

The tsunamigenic potential of landslide-generated tsunamis on the Vavilov seamount

The investigation of submarine volcanoes and the tsunamigenic potential of possible movements on their flanks is arduous. In most cases, the lack of specific information about the eruptions' history and their consequences does not allow a comprehensive analysis in terms of hazard. Nevertheless, useful clues on the possible occurrence of mass movements on seamounts can be obtained from a series of research fields. These account for morphological studies, observations of hydrothermal activity, collection of geophysical data (for example, detailed DEM, seismic profiles, magnetic data), etc. In this context, this study presents new bathymetric data of the Vavilov submarine volcano (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) and a detailed morphological analysis of the structure. The latter allows the identification of zones potentially prone to mass movements and the development of numerical scenarios to investigate the tsunami potential associated to these movements on the Vavilov flanks. Results prove that the waves generated by the mass displacements in the proposed scenarios (involving sliding volumes between 0.32 km3 and 1.7 km3) reach maximum values in the order of centimetres, not considering dispersive effects. Eventually, a scenario involving the partial collapse of the west flank of the Vavilov Seamount is simulated, although the occurrence of such an event in the past is still debated due to the uncertainties related to the origin and development of the volcano dome. In this scenario, water elevation as high as 10 m are found in large portions of the Tyrrhenian coasts: waves are large enough to emplace sizeable tsunami deposits onshore, that could have been preserved until today in some specific stretches of the coast and could be detected by a finalised geological search. This study belongs to a series of works devoted to the submarine structures of the Tyrrhenian Sea aiming to disclose the tsunamigenic potential of submarine mass movements on their flanks.

Spatial variability of dissolved nickel is enhanced by mesoscale dynamics in the Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico (GoM) is one of the most dynamic marginal seas in the world owing to the intrusion of the Loop Current and the shedding of anticyclonic eddies (LCE) that travel westward across the Gulf. However, the impacts of these mesoscale dynamics on the supply and removal of bioessential trace metals in surface waters remain unclear. We study the impact of mesoscale eddies on the distribution of dissolved nickel (Ni), a biologically active element scarcely studied in the region. The vertical distribution of Ni was determined in the deep-water region of the GoM during summer of 2017, when two anticyclonic LCE (Quantum and Poseidon) were present. Nutrient-like profiles of Ni in the GoM resemble those from the Atlantic Ocean, but they showed high spatial variability within the first 1000 m, which was associated with the impact of mesoscale eddies. Similarly to subtropical gyres, macronutrients were almost depleted in surface waters, while Ni never fell below 1.51 nmol kg-1, suggesting low Ni lability or alternatively, slow biological uptake compared to that of macronutrients. In particular, lowest levels of Ni and macronutrients (PO4 and NO3) were recorded in surface waters of the anticyclonic eddies and the Loop Current area. Anticyclonic LCEs deepened these Ni-poor waters pushing the Ni-rich core of Tropical Atlantic Central Water up to 600 m, whereas its shallowest position (up to 200 m) was recorded under cyclonic conditions in Campeche Bay. This eddy-induced vertical displacement of water masses also affected the integrated Ni and macronutrient concentrations in the upper 350 m but without modifying their stoichiometries. We suggest that a significant decrease in surface inventories of Ni and macronutrient in areas impacted by LCEs is a consequence of the trapping of the water within eddies, the biological uptake of Ni and macronutrients combined with their limited replenishment from below, which likely affects autotrophic groups. In conclusion, the mesoscale dynamic permanently present in the GoM play an important role in modifying the vertical distribution of Ni and macronutrients as well as their availability in the upper water column of this marginal sea.

Yarn-level deformation for weft-knitted stitches

The essential purpose of this research is to exploit and innovate a yarn-level relaxation deformation method for weft-knitted stitches. Each loop formed by knitting yarns was taken as a mass respectively. Spring-mass model at the yarn level was established for several knitting rows and spatial coordinates were assigned to each mass. Based on the intermeshed relationship of loops in the longitudinal direction, the spring-mass model at the yarn level was transformed into a two-layer spring-mass model at the stitch level, with correspondence between the masses of the two models. Each mass was subjected to eight spring forces from different directions. The resultant force was calculated based on the yarn-level mass model, and the mass displacement was solved by the Verlet numerical integration method. According to the coordinates of masses, the geometric models of different knitting types were established, and a matrix operation method for the spatial rotation and translation of control points was proposed, which could quickly calculate the coordinates and accurately simulate the shape of loops. Finally, we simulated the relaxation deformation of five typical weft-knitted stitches. The results show that this method can accurately and effectively simulate the overall deformation effect of the knitted stitches, and the simulation results are similar to the actual results. The analysis results of the pattern size and the simulation efficiency indicate that the larger the pattern, the more loops there are, the overall simulation time is longer and the running memory occupied is larger.

Захистити минуле - щоб зберегти майбутнє (замість передмови)

Dear reader! You are holding in your hands the next issue of the VITA ANTIQUA almanac, the publication of which is accompanied by tragic, but at the same time, significant and powerful events in the life of our country. Ukrainian society is going through one of the most difficult moments of its historical development — the brutal and unprovoked aggression of the Russian Federation on our peaceful towns and villages, which for our people has become a struggle for real freedom and independence. Wars all over the world always have the similar consequences, and the Russian-Ukrainian war is no exception: they lead to terrible casualties among the civilian population, mass displacement, violations of human rights and neglect of international humanitarian law. One of the manifestations of such violations is the destruction of cultural heritage; it becomes one of the most vulnerable segments of social life during war. Considering that the war in Ukraine has been going on since 2014, there are thousands of destroyed or damaged monuments, especially in Donetsk and Luhansk regions and in Crimea. Since Russia started a full-scale invasion in Ukraine in February 2022, the number of damaged and destroyed monuments and archaeological sites has begun to rise across the country. The biggest loss for Ukrainian heritage was the looting of museum collections that ended up in the occupied territories. Irreparable damage was the result of the lack of developed algorithms for the protection of museum collections from bombings and the evacuation of collections from front-line territories. Effective evacuation mechanisms were not developed; there are no clear instructions, materials and organizational support for rescue operations in relation to museum funds. This problem has not been solved even now, despite the constantly changing front line in the south and east of our country. In the conditions of the threat of losing part of the cultural heritage, the meaning of this heritage is being rethought in society and an understanding of the importance of preserving and studying objects of historical, anthropological, ethnographic, and archaeological value is being formed.