Loss Of Life Research Articles

Assessing Post-Fire Damage in Concrete Structures: A Comprehensive Review

Bridge fires present unique challenges due to their potential for catastrophic structural failures, leading to extensive traffic disruptions, economic losses, and, in some cases, loss of life. In the aftermath of a fire incident, assessing the structural integrity and future viability of concrete bridges has become a paramount concern for civil engineers and safety inspectors. The critical decision to rehabilitate or demolish a fire-damaged structure hinges on accurately assessing the extent of damage incurred. Enhancing the fire resilience of concrete structures is a critical endeavor within civil engineering, necessitating accurate evaluation methods to analyze conditions after fire exposure. Focusing on concrete bridges, this study aimed to establish a comprehensive review of research on the effects of fire, providing engineers with the necessary means to develop guidelines for post-fire assessment to enhance safety and operational readiness. It proposes an in-depth examination of various methods as strategic decision-making tools. The assessment involves estimating the temperature, the extent of damage to concrete, and the reduction in the strength of both concrete and reinforcement. To achieve this, a detailed review of the existing literature on the impact of fire on concrete and its steel reinforcements is conducted. Current post-fire assessment tools have also been evaluated to improve the efficiency of the evaluation process. This study establishes a systematic post-fire assessment review framework that incorporates assessment information domains (including non-destructive testing, destructive testing, advanced computational modeling, and digital-twin technology) to provide a practical solution for accurately determining the safety and operational readiness of fire-damaged concrete bridges.

Cyclone Idai Disaster in Zimbabwe: A New Testament ethical analysis of Matthew 24:37–39

The ravaging effects of Tropical Cyclone Idai on Zimbabwe’s Eastern border with Mozambique in March 2019 posed a rude awakening for the country to develop strategic disaster management policies. The loss of 340 lives, with many others declared missing, displacement and distress more than 200 and 70 000 people, annihilation of agricultural, educational, health and residential infrastructure, all combined to endorse the need for sustainable disaster risk management strategies in Zimbabwe. Matthew 24:37–39 cast the story of Noah who adopted a disaster response framework in the form of an ark, which was going to float above the floods to prevent loss of fauna and human lives. Through the lens of New Testament Ethical Analysis (NTEA), this article discusses how deployment of ethics of love, selfless service, charity, social responsibility, justice, sharing, care ministry, good neighbourliness, good relationships with self, others, God, environment and climate constitute an effective way of controlling, managing and reducing disaster risks. The article discusses moral exhortations embedded in Matthew 24:37–39 in relation to disaster response frameworks in Zimbabwe.Contribution: The article contributes to the ongoing debate on how biblical ethics can be deployed to the catalogue of disaster management and risk reduction strategies in Zimbabwe and beyond.

Militias and Armed Conflicts in West Africa

Militias have been a significant feature of many armed conflicts in Africa. Their roles have influenced the outcome of these conflicts in both time and space. While many are deliberately recruited for purposeful tasks and missions, others emerge and mobilize to protect themselves and their communities against the inhumane treatment meted out to them by other armed groups. Militias are recruited, trained, and employed by both state and non-state actors to prosecute armed conflicts. While some have contributed significantly to the victory of their allies many have been defeated. In both cases there have been huge loss of lives and properties and in many cases injuries to innocent civilians. Unlike the military which is professionally recruited, trained, armed, administered, and guided by doctrines, many militias are not. Therefore, they employ crude recruitment, operational, administrative, and logistics methods to prosecute the armed conflict. These methods have evolved and therefore have influenced their operational capabilities and outcomes. This article examines the role of militias in West African conflicts, exploring their origins, motivations, and impacts on both local populations and broader geopolitical stability.

300 Weight loss and quality of life in a pragmatic lifestyle intervention

300 Weight loss and quality of life in a pragmatic lifestyle intervention

Q-learning based forecasting early landslide detection in internet of thing wireless sensor network

The issue of climate modification and human actions terminates in a chain of hazardous developments, comprehensive of landslides. The traditional approaches of observing the environmental attributes that is actually obtaining rainfall data from places can be cruel and suppressing supervising necessitated for careful infliction. Thus, landslide forecasting and early notice is a significant application via wireless sensor networks (WSN) to reduce loss of life and property. Because of the heavy preparation of sensors in landslide prostrate regions, clustering is a resourceful method to minimize unnecessary transmission. In this article we introduce Q-learning based forecasting early landslide detection (Q-LFD) in internet of things (IoT) WSN. The Q-LFD mechanism utilizes a dingo optimization algorithm (DOA) to choose the best cluster head (CH). Furthermore, the Q-learning algorithm forecast the landslide by soil water capacity, soil layer, soil temperature, Seismic vibrations, and rainfall. Experimental results illustrate the Q-LFD mechanism raises the landslide detection accuracy. In addition, it minimizes the false positive, false negative ratio.

Effectiveness of Using Wire Rope Slings in Improving the Stability of Cantilever Retaining Walls

A slope is a land surface that slopes and forms a certain angle to a horizontal plane. In a place where there are two land surfaces of different heights, there will be forces that push so that the higher ground tends to move downwards which is called the potential force of gravity which causes landslides. Landslides on a slope can cause loss of life and property and can hamper the economy of an area. Cantilever walls are often used as retaining walls to avoid landslides. The cost used in the construction of cantilever wall retaining walls is quite expensive. For cost efficiency of the cantilever wall construction, it is necessary to use cantilever wall reinforcement using wire rope sling. In this study, cantilever wall retaining walls were modelled with or without the use of wire rope slings. The research location is Jl. Gelugur Rimbun, Ps x Kutalimbaru Kab. Deli Serdang. Based on the results of laboratory testing, the soil classification at the location is clay (CL). According to the analysis, the use of wire rope slings contributes to an increase in the factor of safety (FS) of overturning by 12.500% - 50.026%. While increasing the factor of safety (FS) sliding by 4.165% - 16.627%. An increase in the factor of safety (FS) bearing capacity of 17.222% - 36.109%. The greatest effect of the use of wire rope slings occurs in overturning stability by 50.026%. The use of wire rope slings can reduce the dimensions of cantilever retaining walls.

Comprehensive analysis of riverine flood impact on bridge and transportation network: Iowa case study

ABSTRACT Floods have a catastrophic impact on human life in terms of economic loss, infrastructure damage and loss of life. Understanding vulnerable transportation segments is critical to addressing potential disruptions that may be caused by a flood event. This study employs a systematic framework to analyze flood impacts by evaluating bridge inundation, waterway crossings and traffic disruptions across Iowa under 50-, 100- and 500-year flood scenarios. The southeast part of Iowa, which has been designated as a critical area because of the significant bridge inundation during these flood events, is given particular attention. Marion, a moderately populated county in the southeast of Des Moines, stands out as a critical region due to its significant bridge inventory inundation in 100- and 500-year flood cases. Our study also explores the conditions and construction years of bridges, their correlation with inundation risk and their impact on flood-related vulnerability. Additionally, we assess the effects of waterway bridge evaluations for different flood magnitudes on evacuation plans and analyze the vulnerability of the transportation network through the effects of closed bridges on traffic. These insights underscore the intricate interplay between floods and transportation, shedding light on bridge vulnerability, waterway evaluation and traffic disruption.

Strong wind is one of the important factors that trigger landslides

Strong wind is one of the important factors that trigger landslides

"Response to Letter to the Editor from Lin et al.: "Testosterone Treatment, Weight Loss, and Health-related Quality of Life and Psychosocial Function in Men: A 2-year Randomized Controlled Trial".

"Response to Letter to the Editor from Lin et al.: "Testosterone Treatment, Weight Loss, and Health-related Quality of Life and Psychosocial Function in Men: A 2-year Randomized Controlled Trial".

Letter to the Editor from Lin et al.: "Testosterone Treatment, Weight Loss, and Health-related Quality of Life and Psychosocial Function in Men: A 2-year Randomized Controlled Trial".

Letter to the Editor from Lin et al.: "Testosterone Treatment, Weight Loss, and Health-related Quality of Life and Psychosocial Function in Men: A 2-year Randomized Controlled Trial".

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SUPPORT IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT

The rapid development of digital technologies has driven significant advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) applications, expanding their use across various fields. One notable area is disaster management, where AI is leveraged to strengthen societal resilience and protect communities from disasters. However, some AI projects may fall short of expectations during implementation, often resulting in increased costs, time, and labor due to their inherent complexity. In response, this study presents a model that explores the application of AI throughout the disaster management process, utilizing secondary data sources. The objective is to contribute to both academic literature and disaster management practices by supporting disaster prevention, reducing loss of life and property, and enabling more efficient and timely interventions. Furthermore, this study aims to serve as a valuable resource not only for researchers in the field but also for decision-makers and practitioners, offering a concise reference for more informed, data-driven actions.

Real-time geo-decisional system for risk and disaster management in Madagascar

Abstract Climate change is intensifying extreme phenomena, and the world is increasingly vulnerable to a variety of disasters whose impacts are considerable and varied over time, from one place to another and from one community to another. Due to its geographical location, Madagascar is the most cyclone-prone country in Africa and the ninth most vulnerable country in the world. Almost every year, Madagascar is hit by cyclones, causing loss of life and property for the population. In terms of prevention, Madagascar already has an early warning system to inform the population, but during a crisis, it still lacks a decision support system for rapid, real-time intervention to minimize damage. In this paper, we propose a real-time geo-decision support system based on real-time data integration, real-time ETL and real-time cube building. In the proposed architecture, continuous data ˚ow is required for real-time data integration. The proposed real-time ETL unit is composed of the capitalization of risk analysis experiments to ensure their reusability, as well as the insertion of processing parallelization to optimize the processing time of voluminous data. The real-time SOLAP unit consists of real-time cube formation using a spatial database that stores spatio-temporal data from a given point in time, with query optimization using materialized query technology. Our prototype uses NASA’s weather data streaming service via an API. The ETL is written in a Matlab script and loads the data into a spatial database in Postgresql after processing. A web mapping application queries the constitution of a cube and displays the result for visualization.

Implementation of Geodesign Framework for Development of Flood Resilient Hill Town: A Case Study

Flooding is a natural disaster characterized by the inundation of land areas due to the overflow of water from its usual channels. Various natural and man-made factors are responsible for the occurrence of floods and the damage caused by them. Floods have become more dangerous in the Himalayan region because of complex topographical features and extreme climatic conditions. In recent years, the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh has experienced a number of devastating floods due to its proximity to the Beas River and the hilly terrain which caused collective damage to man-made as well as natural resources, leading to loss of lives and property. Recognizing the urgent need for flood resilience, the present study aims to develop a flood-resilient town through a geodesign framework that will reduce the impact of floods in hilly areas. The study uses a three-stage geodesign framework that involves data collection, data analysis, and geodesign-based flood-resilient plan modeling. In the first stage, the data pertaining to historical floods and geospatial data of the study area was collected. In the second stage, flood susceptibility mapping was done to identify vulnerable communities and assess critical infrastructure at risk based on the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). In the third stage, interactive three-dimensional (3D) modeling was done in ESRI CityEngine to develop a flood-resilient model for the study area which integrates geospatial data, flood simulation, land-use planning, and stakeholders’ engagement. The results of this study show that by focusing on flood resilience, this model offers a valuable insight and practical approach for shaping the development in hilly areas that can withstand and adapt to the challenges of increasing flood occurrences.

Disaster resilience tools - reducing the likelihood of damage

The increasing number of natural disasters as a result of climate change has serious consequences in terms of loss of life, damage to health, loss of property and damage to infrastructure. Disasters affect communities in both developing and developed countries. In the former, however, the phenomena occur more frequently, affect a larger group of people, and the losses are often greater and more severe. Resilience issues are increasingly being addressed in the literature. The purpose of this article is to present the concept of resilience in the context of natural disasters and building development capacity. The study presents the authors’ definition of resilience to natural disasters. For the purpose of this article, a review of the literature and existing data has been carried out. The presentation of available instruments of resilience to natural disasters security tools shows that despite the unpredictable nature of these events, there are ways to minimise the negative impacts.

INDOFLOODS: A Comprehensive Database for Flood Events in India Enhanced with Catchment Attributes

Abstract Despite floods causing significant loss of life and property, datasets to characterize flooding events in developing countries such as India are not widely available, hampered by limited hydrometric records. Current flood databases are limited to continental river basins, case studies, and government reports, which doesn’t represent the diversity of flooding in terms of climate, basin morphometry, and triggering mechanisms. This first-of-its-kind flood events database called INDOFLOODS is developed using a unique approach of combining long-term station discharge observations with official flooding thresholds for warning and danger water level. Flooding information include start and end time, peak flood level and discharge and its date of occurrence, flood volume, event duration, time to peak, and recession time. Along with metadata such as upstream catchment area, coordinates, shapefiles, river and tributary names, the database is augmented with large number of geomorphological, climatological, event-scale precipitation, landcover, soil, lithology, and anthropogenic characteristics derived at the catchment scale. Preliminary data analysis based on envelope curves shows that the magnitude of extreme floods in India is higher than those reported in the United States. While every dataset has limitations, this collation of flooding events with a plethora of causative hydrogeomorphic factors in a standardized format will be a major asset for the community and serve as an example for how inconsistent data records in developing countries can be turned into useful flood event databases for data-driven studies. This large sample database is expected to cater to a wide range of applications advancing flood research and management, such as trend analysis, hazard and severity assessment, calibration and validation of hydrological and hydraulic models, and developing new metrics for impact assessment.

Interpretation of geotechnical risk maps for Malatya province in terms of earthquake sequence on February 6, 2023

The earthquake sequence that occurred on February 6, 2023, centered in Türkiye caused extensive loss of life and significant damage. In this study, the geotechnical properties of the central districts of Malatya province, one of the provinces affected by these earthquakes, were calculated using data obtained. In the calculations, the correlations suggested by the Turkish Building Earthquake Code (TBEC) and internationally recommended correlations were used. Thus, the difference between the methods proposed by TBEC and internationally recommended correlations was interpreted. Using 1890 drilling data, 1765 seismic data, and 1764 microtremor data, calculations were made to determine bearing capacity values for 3 m x 3 m pad foundation, liquefaction potentials of the soil and soil classifications around this region. The results obtained from the calculations were mapped with geographical information systems-based software. Results of the study revealed that 2.9% of the study area in Battalgazi district and 1.71% for Yeşilyurt district had liquefaction potential. Almost 80% of each district was found to have a soil class of ZD (medium dense gravel and sand or clay layers) according to TBEC. The findings of the study were compared with previous studies, satellite images of the study area and post-earthquake observations. In areas where damage caused by the earthquake sequence was observed intensively, bearing capacity values were relatively low. It was concluded that building on poor soil conditions poses a profoundly serious risk in terms of earthquakes and very serious precautions should be taken by gathering several disciplines during the construction of these structures.

Disaster Preparedness and Management Practices in Academic Libraries in Context

Academic libraries are faced with natural and man-made disasters that can affect service delivery and loss of life to staff and patrons. The study was done to discuss the disaster preparedness and management practices to be observed by academic libraries and identify the enabling and disabling factors towards the successful management of the experienced disasters. The study was conducted as a systematic literature review where articles were retrieved using relevant keywords from Emerald, Sage, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar where 8753 articles were identified, and 39 articles were reviewed after screening. Using the content analysis approach, the practices that should be factored in disaster preparedness and management plans were analysed. The findings showed that academic libraries were affected by fires, floods, digital disasters, earthquakes, cyclones, typhoons, storms, tornadoes, COVID-19, pest infestation, vandalism, theft, unstable electric power, war, and bomb threats. The disaster preparedness and management practices employed included risk assessment, emergency response planning, staff training, collection protection, digital preservation, backup and recovery, communication and outreach, and collaboration and partnerships. The enabling and disabling factors were funding, awareness, infrastructure, staffing, and collaboration. The authors recommend that academic libraries should have disaster preparedness plans, collaborate and establish partnerships, invest in technology and infrastructure, train both staff and users on dealing with disasters, and insure the library buildings and collections. The study would inform academic library administrators, policymakers, and disaster management professionals in academic institutions about effective strategies that can used to deal with disasters.

Friends and Foes in the Battle Field: Unraveling the History of Farmer-Herder Conflicts in Jigawa State, 1991-2015

This paper examines the nuanced historical trajectories, causes, and effects of farmer-herder conflicts in Jigawa State. It also examines the role of the state government and other bodies in resolving and managing these conflicts, especially from 1991 to 2015. Arguably, the major factors responsible for these conflicts in Jigawa State include effects of the climate change, overpopulation of herders, indiscriminate destruction of unharvested crops by herders, encroachment on cattle routes, and denial of access to water points by farmers. Other contributory factors include occasional assaults on Fulani women, growth of agro-pastoralism, expansion of farming into pastures due to population explosion and technological advancements, cattle rustling, burning of rangelands, overgrazing of fallow lands, floods, and aggressive behavior from competing parties. The conflicts engendered food shortages and increased food prices, loss of lives, destruction of property, social dislocation, and estrangement. In response, the Jigawa State government took measures and implemented policies intending to curtail the phenomenon. This paper unravels the conflict, its consequences, and steps taken by the government to manage it using historical methods and sources such as published and unpublished materials, interviews, and observations.

Stress regulatory hormones and cancer: the contribution of epinephrine and cancer therapeutic value of beta blockers.

The word "cancer" evokes myriad emotions, ranging from fear and despair to hope and determination. Cancer is aptly defined as a complex and multifaceted group of diseases that has unapologetically led to the loss of countless lives and affected innumerable families across the globe. The battle with cancer is not only a physical battle, but also an emotional, as well as a psychological skirmish for patients and for their loved ones. Cancer has been a part of our history, stories, and lives for centuries and has challenged the ingenuity of health and medical science, and the resilience of the human spirit. From the early days of surgery and radiation therapy to cutting-edge developments in chemotherapeutic agents, immunotherapy, and targeted treatments, the medical field continues to make significant headway in the fight against cancer. However, even after all these advancements, cancer is still among the leading cause of death globally. This urges us to understand the central hallmarks of neoplastic cells to identify novel molecular targets for the development of promising therapeutic approaches. Growing research suggests that stress mediators, including epinephrine, play a critical role in the development and progression of cancer by inducing neoplastic features through activating adrenergic receptors, particularly β-adrenoreceptors. Further, our experimental data has also shown that epinephrine mediates the growth of T-cell lymphoma by inducing proliferation, glycolysis, and apoptosis evasion via altering the expression levels of key regulators of these vital cellular processes. The beauty of receptor-based therapy lies in its precision and higher therapeutic value. Interestingly, the enhanced expression of β-adrenergic receptors (ADRBs), namely ADRB2 (β2-adrenoreceptor) and ADRB3 (β3-adrenoreceptor) has been noted in many cancers, such as breast, colon, gastric, pancreatic, and prostate and has been reported to play a pivotal role in facilitating cancer growth mainly by promoting proliferation, evasion of apoptosis, angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis, and chemoresistance. The present review article is an attempt to summarize the available findings which indicate a distinct relationship between stress hormones and cancer, with a special emphasis on epinephrine, considered as a key stress regulatory molecule. This article also discusses the possibility of using beta-blockers for cancer therapy.

Layered Double Hydroxide Nanosheets Incorporated Hierarchical Hydrogen Bonding Polymer Networks for Transparent and Fire-Proof Ceramizable Coatings

In recent decades, annual urban fire incidents, including those involving ancient wooden buildings burned, transportation, and solar panels, have increased, leading to significant loss of human life and property. Addressing this issue without altering the surface morphology or interfering with optical behavior of flammable materials poses a substantial challenge. Herein, we present a transparent, low thickness, ceramifiable nanosystem coating composed of a highly adhesive base (poly(SSS1-co-HEMA1)), nanoscale layered double hydroxide sheets as ceramic precursors, and supramolecular melamine di-borate as an accelerator. We demonstrate that this hybrid coating can transform into a porous, fire-resistant protective layer with a highly thermostable vitreous phase upon exposure to flame/heat source. A nanosystem coating of just ~ 100 μm thickness can significantly increase the limiting oxygen index of wood (Pine) to 37.3%, dramatically reduce total heat release by 78.6%, and maintain low smoke toxicity (CITG = 0.016). Detailed molecular force analysis, combined with a comprehensive examination of the underlying flame-retardant mechanisms, underscores the effectiveness of this coating. This work offers a strategy for creating efficient, environmentally friendly coatings with fire safety applications across various industries.