Effective Damage Control Research Articles

AntTracker: A low-cost and efficient computer vision approach to research leaf-cutter ants behavior

Leaf-cutter ants play a crucial role in agroecosystems, and understanding their behavior is key to developing effective damage control strategies. While several tracking solutions exist for ants in controlled environments or on aerial images, accurately measuring ant behavior in the wild remains a challenge. In this work, we propose a three-stage processing pipeline that segments individual ants, tracks their movement, and classifies whether they are carrying a leaf using a convolutional neural network. The output of the pipeline includes a timestamped record of the activity on the trail, accounting for parameters such as ant velocity, size and if it is going from or to the nest. We use the recently developed portable device AntVideoRecord to register video of a selected ant trail. To validate our approach, we collected a labeled dataset and evaluated each stage using standard metrics, achieving a median F2 score of 83% for segmentation, MOTA of 97% for tracking and F1 of 82% for detecting ants carrying a leaf. We then carried out a larger use case in the wild, demonstrating the effectiveness of our approach in capturing the intricate behaviors of leaf-cutter ants. We believe our method has the potential to inform the development of more effective ant damage control strategies in agroecosystems.

The scars of COVID19: Preparing for the collateral damages

COVID-19 is a pandemic of disproportionate magnitude. Its devastating effect seems to have a more significant impact on the emerging economies like India and the rest of SE Asia, which also has regions harbouring some of the world's highest population density living under poor socio-economic condition. What seems to have originated from one just one province in China, rapidly speard like wildfire across international territories, affecting millions and crippling the health care system. After about eight months into COVID-19, we realized that the fallout is not only humongous but also stretched across multiple avenues of the society and different aspects of our life. The scars of COVID-19 are much more than the virus itself. With a global shutdown in business and financial institutions, the economy is in free fall. Markets plummeted, stocks crashed and unemployment numbers skyrocketed. Apart from the economy, COVID-19 related shutdown has a tremendous impact on the healthcare system for those with preventable ailments, which were either compromised or delayed affecting millions who need hospitalization for non-COVID causes. COVID crisis also seems responsible for the emergence of a new culture system and mindset that was unprecedented before. With schools and other academic institutions closed, online teaching through electronic media and work from home became the new normal. In this editorial, we summarized the collateral damage on society, economy, and human health in the COVID crisis and few suggestions to chalk out a new plan and strategy to address the challenges for a future episode of similar nature. Though we could still remain vulnerable against similar contagious agents, an advanced planning strategy and preparedness will surely help us better in effective damage control and risk mitigation, not only to reduce mortality, but also from economic downfall.

A New Drilling Fluid System for Temporary Plugging of Low Permeability Carbonate Reservoirs Containing H2S and CO2

Carbonate reservoirs in Asmari block of Missan oilfield are characterized by complex geological characteristics. Temporary plugging is commonly used for effective damage control caused by the working fluid when drilling in such complex multi-pressure reservoirs and for preventing leakage, blowout, and collapse in long open hole wells. In this paper a new temporary plugging drilling fluid formulation system is proposed, designed for the low permeability carbonate reservoir containing H2S and CO2 in the target block. The system contains a specially designed acid-soluble temporary plugging agent DSK-1 combined with HCOONa and modified biopolymer VS-A flow pattern regulator; modified starch water loss reduce agent, and DSP antioxidant. The parameters of the system, including temperature stability, resistance to formation water pollution, inhibition capacity, and stability to acids and acid gases, were evaluated in a series of experimental tests. The plugging ability was evaluated by experiments on cores received from the target block. The results showed that the plugging removal and recovery rate of the drilling fluid system was up to 86.3%, which can effectively meet the target requirements, and provide guidance and reference for the follow-up study of temporary plugging in low permeability carbonate reservoirs.

Legal Barriers and Disincentives to Self-Sufficient Disaster Preparation in the United States

In the wake of Hurricane Harvey and a slew of other natural disasters affecting the United States, all Americans cannot help thinking about effective damage control for current and future disasters. I grew up in Houston, Texas where we went through countless hurricanes, torrential rainstorms, and the resulting power outages, and after surviving each one, we inevitably thought: What can we do to prepare better for the next one? Preparing to be self-sufficient in the aftermath of a life-changing disaster should be a top priority not just for individuals but for the government as well. After all, the more prepared individuals are in the face of a disaster, the less assistance the government needs to provide. Unfortunately, government bodies of all levels are actually part of the problem underlying the devastating effects of natural disasters because, whether by accident or design, the government has disseminated the message that preparing oneself to be self-sufficient far too difficult, or even illegal. Scholars have tip-toed around this topic by discussing ways to minimize disaster risk through macro-level preparation efforts. But this article is the first to address the problems confronting disaster preparation at the individual and more personal level. This article starts by laying out the foundation of why self-sufficient preparation is vital. Then, it walks through a wide variety of actual and apparent legal barriers and disincentives to self-sufficient disaster preparation at all government levels — federal, state, and local. Finally, it briefly touches on existing and prospective legal incentives for self-sufficiency and contends that incentivizing disaster preparation should be the goal of all governments throughout the nation.

Location Tracking of Moving Crew Members for Effective Damage Control in an Emergency

In an emergency, the commanding officer may have limited information, and crew members may behave differently compared to how they behaved during training. In an emergency situation, if the commanding officer is aware of each crew member's location and role in that situation, he can disseminate orders expeditiously and precisely. To realise a faster and more precise dissemination of orders through better awareness of each crew member's location and role, real-time crew member tracking is needed. The technical feasibility of a real time crew-tracking system based on a wireless sensor network has been studied, with the intent to improve effective commanding in an emergency. Herein, location tracking was achieved using instrumentation consisting of ZigBee tags, routers, and gateways, which were used to record the location and role data of moving crew members on a full-scale ship. Defence Science Journal, 2011, 61(1), pp.57-61 , DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.61.503

II-1. 追い払いによる被害防除―その効果を高めるには―

II-1. 追い払いによる被害防除―その効果を高めるには―

The liver injuries

The liver is the most commonly injured abdominal organ. Severe hepatic trauma continue to be associated with high mortality. Management of liver injuries has changed significantly over the last two decades. Nonoperative management of hemodynamically stable patients has become the first treatment of choice. In unstable patients immediate control of bleeding is critical. In the management of severe injuries of the liver, particularly for patients who had developed a metabolic insult (hypothermia, coagulopathy, and acidosis), perihepatic packing has emerged as the key to effective damage control (DCS). The surgical aim is control of hemorrhage, preservation of sufficient hepatic function and prevention of secondary complications. Currently available surgical methods include hepatorrhaphy, resectional debridement, anatomical / nonanatomical resection, selective hepatic artery ligation, Pringle maneuver, total vascular exclusion, liver transplatation. This review discusses available diagnostic modalities and the best management options for liver injury, based on literature search and authors experience.

The Use of Temporary Vascular Shunts as a Damage Control Adjunct in the Management of Wartime Vascular Injury

While the use of vascular shunts as a damage control adjunct has been described in series from civilian institutions no contemporary military experience has been reported. The objective of this study is to examine patterns of use and effectiveness of temporary vascular shunts in the contemporary management of wartime vascular injury. From September 1, 2004 to August 31, 2005, 2,473 combat injuries were treated at the central echelon III surgical facility in Iraq. Vascular injuries were entered into a registry and reviewed. Location of shunts was divided into proximal and distal, and shunt patency, complications and limb viability were examined. There were 126 extremity vascular injuries treated. Fifty-three (42%) had been operated on at forward locations and 30 of 53 (57%) had temporary shunts in place upon arrival to our facility. The patency for shunts in proximal vascular injuries was 86% (n = 22) compared with 12% (n = 8) for distal shunts (p < 0.05). All shunts placed in proximal venous injuries were patent (n = 4). Systemic heparin was not used and there were no shunt complications. All shunted injuries were reconstructed with vein in theater and early viability for extremities in which shunts were used was 92%. Temporary vascular shunts are common in the management of wartime vascular injury. Shunts in proximal injuries including veins have high patency rates compared with those placed in distal injuries. This vascular adjunct represents a safe and effective damage control technique and is preferable to attempted reconstruction in austere conditions.

Human Systems Integration and Shipboard Damage Control

ABSTRACTAs the United States and other maritime nations move towards operating combatant ships with fewer people, human‐systems integration (HSI), or human‐centered design, is getting increasing attention in new ship designs. Aboard most ships operating today, damage control is a mostly manual, manpower intensive function. Consequently, it is a key area of concern for ship acquisition programs that need to produce ships that will operate with fewer people. Damage control also is critical to the survival of a warship and the safety of the crew. Consequently, it is very important to ship operators. It is no surprise, therefore, that damage control is a key function of concern when designing new ships to operate with fewer people. This paper discusses the state‐of‐the‐art in HSI and damage control aboard ships today as evidenced by the damage control performance of some of today's ships. The paper draws conclusions about the importance of HSI for effective damage control in new ship designs. The successful application of a human‐centered design approach in the development of a damage control supervisory control system for the U.S. Navy's Damage Control Automation for Reduced Manning (DC‐ARM) Program is described. Finally, major challenges to achieving effective HSI in new ship designs are presented.

The pulmonary hilum twist as a thoracic damage control procedure

Background Damage control techniques have been developed and applied to abdominal, vascular and thoracic injuries. Thoracic damage control techniques must be rapid and simple. Methods This report describes the successful use of pulmonary hilum twist as an effective damage control technique to control hemorrhage for severe lung trauma. Results The procedure involves division of the inferior pulmonary ligament then anterior rotation of the lower lobe over the upper lobe. The technique can be utilized in multiple settings including the emergency center, operating room, and during resuscitation. When vascular occlusion is maintained throughout resuscitation in the intensive care unit, pneumonectomy most likely will be required, but can be performed when the physiologic parameters have improved. Complications are similar to pneumonectomy and can include right-side heart failure, dysrrythmias, and hypoxia. Conclusions Pulmonary hilar twist is an effective technique that should be considered when a damage control approach is needed.