Natural Causes Research Articles

Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Seismic Risk and Adaptive Capacity to Earthquake: The Case of Anse-à-Veau (Haiti)

Earthquakes were responsible for more than half of all natural disaster deaths worldwide between 2000 and 2019. Populations in developing countries are the most affected. What can help stakeholders to increase people adaptive capacity to earthquake in a context of very limited financial resources? The perception of seismic risk by the stakeholders and the perception of their adaptive capacity seemed to be able to influence the stakeholder’s adaptive capacity to earthquakes as well as that of the population. Haiti, a country at risk of earthquakes and ranked among the poorest in the world, is a relevant place to explore the potential people adaptive capacity to earthquake. In 2020, qualitative methods through face-to-face interviews were conducted with 21 stakeholders in the town of Anse-à-Veau. This paper, therefore, focuses on exploring their perceptions of risk and adaptive capacity, just one year before an earthquake in the region. The results show that stakeholders were mostly aware of earthquake risk. This was identified by their perception of seismic risk related to the zone and the perception of their adaptative capacity to deal with earthquakes. Respondents perceived that some drivers such as self-capacity, motivation, and selfresponsibility can increase their adaptive capacity. Some temporal and physical factors have been highlighted as constraints to stakeholders’ adaptive capacity to earthquake. As expected, training, awareness, and appropriate constructions were identified as effective ways to increase the adaptive capacity of stakeholders and that of the local populations to earthquakes. Currently, earthquake unpredictability was seen as a barrier of preparedness. However, some respondents perceived unpredictability as a factor of motivation for earthquake preparedness. Thus, this observation must be examined to find the way that unpredictability can facilitate stakeholders’ adaptive capacity to earthquake or not. Human resources are targeted as the main resource to cope with an earthquake. Also, training and awareness were recognized as means to increase the adaptive capacity of stakeholders and that of the local populations to deal with such an event, despite the limited financial resources.

Cases of homicide in Senegal in medicolegal autopsies during the period from 2017 to 2021

Introduction: In case of death by homicide or suspicious death, unidentified deceased bodies, a judicial procedure is opened and a requisition for an autopsy is systematically requested from the medical examiner, whose purpose is to identify the causes and circumstances of death. The objective of this study is to determine the epidemiological and medico-legal aspects of violent deaths by homicides involving a medico-legal obstacle in Senegal. Methodology: Our study was carried out in public hospital structures in Senegal. This is a retrospective study based on data collected in judicial requisitions, autopsy reports and in registers from January 2017 to December 2021. It concerned all cases of death that have benefited from a forensic autopsy following a judicial requisition. Results: During the study period, violent deaths constituted the most represented forensic form with 53.4% of autopsies performed, ahead of natural deaths with 42.4%. The average age of the deceased subjects was 37 years with a male predominance in 242 cases (78%).The place of death or discovery of the corpse was in Rural Dakar .Violent deaths by homicides accounted for 12.5% of cases. Thus, in the cases of homicides, intentional assault and wounding by a knife were in the foreground with 71.2% followed by infanticide 15%. Conclusion: Homicide deaths are violent deaths that represent a public health problem due to unemployment, poverty and economic crises. Thus, the information collected from forensic sources provides information about the victims, the causes and circumstances of death. Improving the collection of data on the perpetrators of homicides requires detailed databases on homicides during investigations and after judicial sanctions , to have a more complete overview of homicide profiles and homicide prevention strategies at national level.

An evidence-based algorithmic approach to osteoporosis etiology verification on the example of a clinical case

Background. The importance of timely detection of osteoporosis in patients is conditioned by its severe consequences such as osteoporotic fractures. The disease can be both primary and related to the existing other pathology or to the therapy being carried out, i.e. secondary. In young patients, in most cases, osteoporosis is secondary in nature. Diagnosis verification requires doctor’s perseverance and knowledge. Purpose – is to demonstrate an algorithm of finding a possible cause of the osteoporosis development in a young person on the example of a clinical case. Materials and Methods. The medical history of a 32-year-old man is presented. The man was consulted a doctor with complaints of long-lasting aching pain in the back, stiffness in the morning in the thoracic spine and pain during movement, and was diagnosed with a compression fracture of the spine on the background of a decrease in bone mineral density. Results. The article describes the step-by-step algorithm of making a diagnosis by gradually excluding primary osteoporosis and possible causes of the secondary nature of the disease. Information about the possible mechanisms of osteoporosis formation in the most common conditions included to the differential diagnosis is given in the article. The described diagnostic search algorithm can be used in the practice of a doctor of any specialty. Conclusions. Making a diagnosis of osteoporosis must include a differential diagnosis of its forms with the establishment of the ethiology of this pathology. In young patients, in most cases, osteoporosis has secondary nature and requires a mandatory search for its cause by gradually and methodically excluding conditions that can lead to a decrease in the mineral density of bone tissue, including genetic ones. In practice, there are cases of idiopathic osteoporosis, when the examination does not allow to clearly establish the reasons that led to a decrease in bone density. Such cases require the special attention of doctors, because the diagnosis of the main disease that led to the development of osteoporosis in the future can be detected. In this case along with antiresorptive drugs, therapy of the condition, which is the root cause of the development of osteoporosis, is prescribed, if possible. The specified combined therapy will contribute to increasing the effectiveness of treatment and shortening its duration.

A two-step Bayesian network approach to identify key SNPs associated to multiple phenotypic traits in four purebred laying hen lines.

When purebred laying hen chicks hatch, they remain at a rearing farm until approximately 17 weeks of age, after which they are transferred to a laying farm. Chicks or pullets are removed from the flocks during these 17 weeks if they display any rearing abnormality. The aim of this study was to investigate associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and rearing success of 4 purebred White Leghorns layer lines by implementing a Bayesian network approach. Phenotypic traits and SNPs of four purebred genetic White Leghorn layer lines were available for 23,000 rearing batches obtained between 2010 and 2020. Associations between incubation traits (clutch size, embryo mortality), rearing traits (genetic line, first week mortality, rearing abnormalities, natural death, rearing success, pullet flock age, and season) and SNPs were analyzed, using a two-step Bayesian Network (BN) approach. Furthermore, the SNPs were connected to their corresponding genes, which were further explored in bioinformatics databases. BN analysis revealed a total of 28 SNPs associated with some of the traits: ten SNPs were associated with clutch size, another 10 with rearing abnormalities, a single SNP with natural death, and seven SNPs with first week mortality. Exploration via bioinformatics databases showed that one of the SNPs (ENAH) had a protein predicted network composed of 11 other proteins. The major hub of this SNP was CDC42 protein, which has a role in egg production and reproduction. The results highlight the power of BNs in knowledge discovery and how their application in complex biological systems can help getting a deeper understanding of functionality underlying genetic variation of rearing success in laying hens. Improved welfare and production might result from the identified SNPs. Selecting for these SNPs through breeding could reduce stress and increase livability during rearing.

Investigation of ground movements induced by underground gas storages via unsupervised ML methodology applied to InSAR data

The research explores the definition, formalization, and validation of a sound and rigorous methodology for analyzing a vast amount of satellite-based measures to geo-localize and quantify the ground movements induced by the storage of natural gas in underground formations. Time series decomposition analysis and unsupervised machine learning algorithms (partitive and hierarchical clustering) are adopted for processing, categorizing, and interpreting ground vertical movements from InSAR acquisitions. At the surface level, storage operations induce characteristic seasonal and cyclical movements, showing uplift during the injection period and subsidence during the withdrawal one. Consequently, the analysis of the solely sinusoidal component of the vertical movements (obtained via the time-series decomposition) turns out to be the key aspect of the proposed approach for handling the superposition of different ground movement sources, and consequently for clearly and reliably identifying the effects of underground gas storage (UGS) only.The proposed methodology was validated using two independent case studies in the Po Plain (northern Italy), a highly urbanized area affected by ground movements induced by several natural and anthropogenic causes, including underground gas storage facilities. For each case study, the methodology localizes one well-defined and confined area as the most affected by storage operations: this area corresponds to a cluster characterized by a high cohesion and by a seasonality phase coherent with the storage injection/withdrawal periods. The other clusters group areally wide-spread measurement points; the phase of their sinusoidal curves shows no time-coherency (or even phase opposition) with the seasonal storage operations. The results were verified via available independent information about the storage locations and were compared with the findings of previous research.

Mourning in the time of coronavirus: Examining how grief differs in those who lost loved ones to COVID-19 vs. natural causes in Iran.

Our study aimed to analyze and compare the grief experiences of individuals in Iran who lost family members to COVID-19 and those who lost loved ones to other natural causes. In this study, telephone interviews were conducted with 640 first-degree relatives, and finally, a total of 395 people remained in the research. Participants answered the Prolonged Grief Questionnaire (PG-13-R) and Grief Experience Questionnaire. The results showed that the most common symptoms and features of grief were feeling guilt, searching for an explanation, somatic reactions, and rejection, with no significant difference observed between the 2 death groups. However, the average scores for these symptoms were higher in the COVID-19 death group. Moreover, the majority of bereaved reported signs and symptoms of prolonged grief, with a higher percentage in the COVID-19 death group, although there was no significant difference between the 2 death groups in terms of the distribution of symptoms and signs of prolonged grief. These findings suggest that the bereavement process can be challenging, and losing a loved one to COVID-19 may lead to more intense experiences of grief. The study reveals high levels of guilt, searching for meaning, somatic reactions, and rejection among COVID-19 grievers. Losing loved ones to the pandemic appears linked to more intense, prolonged grief symptoms.

Improving state medicolegal death investigation: Does system level reform improve public health data concerning drug-related mortality?

In the United States, the governance of unnatural death certification varies greatly by state. Although cross-sectional research has linked mortality data quality with variation in medicolegal death investigation systems across states-especially with regards to drug-related deaths-this relationship has not be sufficiently tested using longitudinal data. This research assesses the impact of system governance reform on the quality of drug mortality data by assessing the impact of transitioning from a coroner system to a medical examiner system on data quality. The research finds no evidence that system-level reform is associated with improved drug-related mortality data quality. These findings suggest that alternative methods should be examined for improving public health data concerning drug-related mortality. These likely include focusing on individual-level characteristics and practices of officials and offices, rather than system-level variables.

Somatische pathologie bij ‘high security’-geïnterneerden

Somatic pathology in high security internees Psychiatric problems of forensic patients have already been identified in Flanders (Belgium), but no research has been done on the occurrence of somatic comorbidity. In order to improve somatic care, the authors aim to map the prevalence and nature of somatic diagnoses and the causes of death. Through a retrospective study, the medical records of all patients admitted and discharged in a high security forensic psychiatric center were analyzed. All somatic diseases were coded dichotomously. In order to obtain the most complete picture possible, various sources of information (file information, measured parameters, laboratory results) were used. The nature of the deaths (natural, unnatural, suicide) and the causes of natural deaths were examined. More than 2/3 of the deaths were caused by suicides. The 3 most prevalent somatic conditions were obesity (38.9%), hypertension (34.4%) and the metabolic syndrome (33.7%). The current study further indicates that certain data were missing in the files, such as registrations of blood pressure measurements, weight and waist circumferences. Therefore, some problems may have remained underdiagnosed and undertreated. As a consequence, there is room for improvement in the detection and monitoring of somatic diseases. This first study demonstrates an important somatic comorbidity in forensic patients with high security needs and may contribute to a better understanding and treatment of physical problems. This aspect of the holistic treatment of forensic-psychiatric patients has been recognized insufficiently, despite its great importance.

Effects of Climatic Variations and Changing Land Use/Land Cover on Flooding in Southern Nigeria

The prevalence of flooding in Nigeria in the past few years (with its devastating consequences) has become a source of concern for policymakers and researchers alike. Scholars have attributed the high frequency of flooding, particularly in the southern region of Nigeria, to several factors; climatic variation and land use/land cover changes are themes that fall under the domain of natural and anthropogenic causes of flooding, respectively. This study examined climatic variations and changing land use/land cover in southern Nigeria with the view of determining their synergistic effects on flooding. We adopted a mixed approach for data collection with the use of Geographic Information System (GIS), retrieval of primary data from meteorological stations in the region, and field surveys. Findings show a significant decrease in rural land uses like arable lands, wetlands, and undisturbed forests; while there was a corresponding increase in urban/peri-urban land uses like settlements and tree-crop plantations over the period from 1999 to 2019. The land use/land cover changes have manifested in the destabilization of the microclimate, distortion of the carbon circle, loss of biodiversity, reduction of ecosystem services of the natural areas, and flooding. The decadal rainfall trends over the past three decades show consistent extremities with mean rainfall duration decreasing while the mean intensity increases; aggravating soil erosion, urban runoff challenges, and flooding. Climatic variations (mainly extreme rainfall patterns) synergize with inefficient land use management to exacerbate flooding in southern Nigeria. While policymakers in this region may not have the standalone capacity to significantly control climate change and the consequential variations in the local microclimate, they can re engineer land use policies to eliminate or substantially degrade anthropogenic factors that exacerbate flooding.

Mathematical Formulation of a Co-infection Model and its Analyses for Monkeypox and HIV/AIDS Infections

The dynamics of the co-infection of monkeypox and HIV/AIDS is examined from a mathematical perspective via a deterministic 13-compartment model. This consists of the investigation of the equilibrium points, the basic reproduction numbers and the equilibrium points’ stability. The mathematical analysis reveals that the model is epidemiologically well-posed, and that the basic reproduction number for the monkeypox sub-model is a function of the likelihood of getting infected, the rate of effective contact, the infection coefficient of the monkeypox-infectious class, the monkeypox prevention measure, the progression rate from monkeypox-exposed class to monkeypox-infectious class, the natural death rate, the vaccination rate and the waning rate of the vaccine. It also depends on the recovery rate for the monkeypox-exposed class and the monkeypox-induced death rate. The analysis also reveals that the basic reproduction number for the HIV/AIDS sub-model is a function of the likelihood of getting infected, the rate of effective contact, the HIV/AIDS prevention measure, the infection coefficient of the monkeypox-infectious class, the HIV/AIDS-induced death rate, the natural death rate, the infection coefficient of AIDS-only class, and the progression rate of HIV-only class to AIDS-only. The stability analysis reveals that the disease-free equilibrium of the sub-models are globally asymptomatically stable, when the basic reproduction number is less than unity. Numerical simulations of the model reveal the effect of changes in certain parameter values on the population sizes. Increasing or lowering the values of certain parameters can significantly affect the sizes of some classes. The Maple 18 programming software was used to carry out all calculations and numerical simulations.

Abstract P505: Investigating Sudden Death in a Large North Carolina County: Methods and Findings of a Population-Based Registry

Introduction: Evidence on drivers of sudden death (SD) is needed to understand its persistently high incidence and inform prevention interventions. SD studies have been hampered by data limitations and restrictive SD criteria. We conducted a population-based study of all-cause, out-of-hospital SD using Emergency Medical Services (EMS) data from Wake County, a large North Carolina county with >1 million residents. Methods: We screened EMS records of out-of-hospital deaths between 2013-2015 among persons aged 18-64 years, collected medical and death records, and adjudicated 399 SD cases according to a standardized protocol. Deaths occurring in hospices or nursing homes were excluded, as were those due to unnatural death or cancer. Deaths were not excluded by time last seen or coronary artery disease (CAD) criteria. Frequency matched living controls were identified from the same county and time. We compiled and summarized findings based on peer-reviewed papers and published abstracts in Table 1. Results: Cardiovascular disease risk factors were common among decedents, including hypertension (60.4%, 244 of 371), though only 14.8% (55 of 371) had documented CAD. SD cases had lower adjusted mean total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein levels compared to controls. Furthermore, left ventricular hypertrophy and inflammation suggested nodes on a common causal pathway. Poor health care management was frequent as well as mental health and substance use problems. Environmental factors such as poverty, air pollution and absence of nearby greenways were associated with SD. Conclusions: Conducting a population-based registry of adjudicated SD cases was feasible and provided high quality data for study. Our findings suggest that SD is not only tied to CAD but a syndrome with potentially different environmental and inflammatory etiologies. Future studies should investigate modifiable risk factors for interventions to prevent SD.

Abstract P451: Clinical, Demographic, and Geographic Trends in Cardiovascular Causes of Deaths Associated With Homelessness

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for a staggering 928,741 fatalities in 2020. Persons experiencing homelessness (PEH) have a 3- to 5-fold excess risk of mortality from CVD, which ranks as a predominant cause of mortality in this setting, second only to overdose deaths. The elevated incidence of CVD mortality for PEH may be attributable to complex interactions between social determinants and risk factors that include delayed diagnosis, limited healthcare access, heightened smoking rates, and the increased incidence of diabetes and hypertension among other factors. Methods: This study utilized records from the county medical examiner in the third most populous county in the US from 2021-2022, focusing exclusively on CVD mortality in medicolegal cases to analyze the impact of specific risk factors for PEH. All medicolegal deaths involving CVD were analyzed to determine relative frequencies of associated or secondary causes between housed and PEH deaths along with insights into the influence of age, race, and gender. Results: The examination of the CVD mortality in PEH cases in 2021 (n=52) and 2022 (n=71) revealed important trends, yielding an estimated, unadjusted mortality rate of 23 deaths per 1,000 person-years-exposed-to-homelessness (compared to around 2 per 1,000 person-years in population). The mean age for CVD deaths in PEH was 58.6 and 60.6 years in 2021 and 2022 respectively (males increased 57.8 to 61.3 years; females increased 58.8 to 60.6 years), while the proportion of CVD deaths increased among males (30-32%) but decreased for females (29-22%). This widening gap in the percent of CVD deaths occurring among male PEH and female PEH is evident where the gap stood at 1% in 2021 but expanded to 10% in 2022 (p=n.s.). Racial disparities show a rapid increase in CVD deaths for Black/African American PEH (26.1-33.7%). Top conditions associated with CVD deaths were hypertension and atherosclerosis, regardless of housing status at death. Diabetes mellitus (25%), obesity (22%), and chronic ethanolism (16%) round out the top 5 conditions for housed decedents, while among the unhoused COPD (19.7%), CHF (12.7%), and diabetes mellitus (11.3%) were the most common. Conclusion: Exposure to homelessness and housing instability is a major driver of cardiovascular mortality. These findings suggest that PEH face ongoing challenges in the management and prevention of CVD. Additionally, CVD deaths associated with homelessness often point foremost to hypertensive and atherosclerotic vascular changes, contributing to natural deaths. These conditions point to persistent risk factors such as limited healthcare access, high smoking rates (contributing to COPD), and higher incidences of diabetes and hypertension. Additional research is needed on underlying causes of the identified gender disparities.

ANALIZA CZĘSTOTLIWOŚCI ZMIAN I OBJAWÓW CHOROBOWYCH U BYDŁA I ŚWIŃ W POLSCE NA PODSTAWIE WYNIKÓW BADANIA SANITARNO-WETERYNARYJNEGO W 2019 ROKU

Lesions or signs of disease found before and after slaughter provide information about the health and well-being of the animals. The testing of slaughter animals and meat is a tool to reduce the risks to the safety and health of consumers and should be carried out systematically. The aim of the study was to analyze the results of post-mortem inspection of pigs and cattle in Poland in 2019. The data from the sanitary and veterinary examination taken from the annual reports prepared by the Chief Veterinary Inspectorate in 2019 were analysed. In the assessment of the causes of lesions and unfitness for consumption, the following diseases were taken into account: tuberculosis, actinomycosis, as well as qualitative deviations: emaciation and watery muscles, icterus, organoleptic changes, incomplete loss of blood, natural death, slaughter in agony, pus foci, contamination and congestion, as well as other changes and parasitic invasions: cysticercosis, echinococcosis, fasciolosis and trichinellosis. The collected material was compiled according to the frequency of pathological changes found in the sanitary-veterinary examination of pigs and cattle in individual provinces in Poland, and then their percentage structure was determined. In 2019, veterinary supervision covered over 1.9 million cattle and over 21.5 million pigs. During the ante-mortem and post-slaughter inspection, diseases or lesions were found in over 7.3 million animals, i.e. 31.4% of the examined slaughter animals. The percentage of carcasses unfit for consumption in cattle was 0.22%, and in pigs it was 0.14%. Among the lesions registered in pigs and cattle, the most numerous group consisted of foci of pus, contamination and congestion – 22.4 and 8.51%, respectively. The presence of foci of pus, contamination and congestion in pig and cattle carcasses was found in all voivodeships. The highest percentage of these changes in cattle carcasses was recorded in the following voivodeships: Kujawsko-Pomorskie (50.71%), Podlaskie (19.29%) and Zachodniopomorskie (11.74%). In all voivodeships, foci of pus, congestion and contamination in pig carcasses were also found. In the Lubuskie voivodeship, such changes were registered in over 90% of the examined pig carcasses, and in the Podlaskie and Kujawsko-Pomorskie voivodeships in over 49% of the examined pig carcasses. In 2019, the number of animals for slaughter showing abnormal health status or symptoms and lesions remained high in Poland. A large number of congestion and contamination proves insufficient care for the conditions of slaughter animals, as well as for hygiene and conditions for slaughtering and carcass cutting and processing.

Jurisprudential Analysis of Applicant Subordination in the Declaratory Death System

The system of declaration of death leads to a series of changes in civil legal relations, such as the annihilation of marital relations and the creation of inheritance. China's civil code stipulates that can apply for the declaration of natural person's death for the interested party, but have the right to apply for the declaration of death of the order of the interested party is still debated in the academic community, the controversy lies in the applicant should have the order of the applicant. This paper analyzes the jurisprudence on whether the applicant for the declaration of death should have the right of precedence, and finds that the focus of the debate on the right of precedence is on the protection of property rights and interests or identity rights and interests, and finally proposes that the identity relationship of spouses be separated from the property relationship in the declaration of death, and that the declaration of disappearance be made as a pre-procedure of the declaration of death, in order to protect the legitimate interests of the interested parties.

Cast analysis – floodings in Piracicaba, Brazil (summer 2020)

There have been several flood events in our country, notably in the Southeast Region, in the last decades, where the public management faces natural causes, such as storms with heavy rains and winds, causing landslides, flooding in urban centers and, consequently, losses. According to Leveson (2019, p. 34): CAST (Causal Analysis Based on Systems Theory) is a structured technique to analyse accident causality from a systems perspective. CAST is an analysis method, not an investigation technique. But performing the CAST analysis as the investigation proceeds will assist in identifying what questions need to be answered and what information needs to be gathered during the investigation in order to create a comprehensive explanation as to why the loss occurred and to help formulate recommendations to prevent related accidents in the future. The CAST, as an approach after the occurrence, links to STPA (System-Theoretic Process Analysis) methodology (prior to the accident). This aims to analyse an event – which may or may not result in an accident – the way that its parts, acting systemically, can be studied, reaching the confrontation of the insecure condition(s) through effective actions. The /CAST methodology was herein applied to the event “Floods in the summer of 2020 in Piracicaba/SP”. This event provides analysis completeness, according to this model. Several intervening factors are sought in this study; the accident considered here are the floods that generated material losses in the city: e.g. destroyed buildings, streets and houses flooded, leading to losses.

Differential Entropy-Based Fault-Detection Mechanism for Power-Constrained Networked Control Systems.

In this work, we consider the design of power-constrained networked control systems (NCSs) and a differential entropy-based fault-detection mechanism. For the NCS design of the control loop, we consider faults in the plant gain and unstable plant pole locations, either due to natural causes or malicious intent. Since the power-constrained approach utilized in the NCS design is a stationary approach, we then discuss the finite-time approximation of the power constraints for the relevant control loop signals. The network under study is formed by two additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channels located on the direct and feedback paths of the closed control loop. The finite-time approximation of the controller output signal allows us to estimate its differential entropy, which is used in our proposed fault-detection mechanism. After fault detection, we propose a fault-identification mechanism that is capable of correctly discriminating faults. Finally, we discuss the extension of the contributions developed here to future research directions, such as fault recovery and control resilience.

Suicide risk after discharge from in-patient psychiatric care: A 15-year retrospective cohort study of individual patient data

BackgroundSuicide rates are known to be increased in patients after discharge from in-patient psychiatric treatment. However, evidence on risk factors for suicide within this patient group are contradictory. Thus, this study aims to investigate suicide after discharge from a sizeable psychiatric care facility to determine associated risk factors. MethodsData on individual patient level from a 15-year single-centre cohort were linked to data from the national death registry and cumulative incidence rates were calculated applying competing risk models. Independent variables included the patients' sex, age at admission, diagnosis, and length of admission. For each of these factors, subdistribution hazards ratios were calculated using a Fine-Gray model. ResultsIn our sample of 18,425 discharges, when using patients with the diagnosis of substance-use-disorders as a comparator, a significant increase in hazard of post-discharge suicide for male sex (SHR = 1.67;p = 0.037) as well as the discharge diagnoses of affective disorders (SHR = 3.56;p = 0.017) and neurotic stress and somatoform disorders (SHR = 3.73;p = 0.024) were found. Interestingly, the hazard of suicide significantly decreased in more recent discharges (SHR = 0.93;p = 0.006). No statistically significant association of the length of admission with the suicide risk was found (SHR = 0.98;p = 0.834).Limitations.Suicides may have been mis-identified as natural death in the national death register. ConclusionMale sex and distinct diagnoses were associated with an increased risk for suicide after discharge from a psychiatric care institution. The markedly increased suicide risk within this patient collective highlights the need for the development of tools to assess suicidal behaviour in this group of patients reliably.

Optimal control of susceptible mature pest concerning disease-induced pest-natural enemy system with cost-effectiveness

Abstract This article addresses the pressing issue of pest outbreaks in India, which poses significant challenges for farmers and ecologists. A novel system is proposed for effective control that leverages natural enemies. Here, the pests are classified into juveniles and mature individuals, further categorized as susceptible or infected. The study introduces harvesting, incorporating external efforts and natural phenomena, in a pest-epidemic prey–predator system featuring a prey-stage structure. The model reveals three equilibria: trivial, boundary (indicating the absence of natural enemies), and interior equilibria. Notably, the trivial equilibrium is consistently unstable. As demonstrated by stability analysis, the survival or extinction of natural enemies hinges on control variables, including the harvesting rate, disease transmission rate, and natural death rate. Local stability is assessed using the Routh–Hurwitz criterion, while global stability is explored through the Lyapunov method. Furthermore, optimal control theory and Pontryagin’s maximum principle are applied for model optimization, unveiling crucial optimality conditions and determining the optimal harvesting rate for susceptible mature prey. Numerical computations validate theoretical insights, offering valuable guidance for formulating policies that optimize the control of susceptible adult pests within a disease-induced pest-natural enemy system, ensuring sustained cost-effectiveness.

Identifying the push and pull factors for migration patterns vis-à-vis smart cities’ context

Purpose While the causes of migration across a range of diverse societies have been studied in the extant literature, a systematic study encapsulating the extant literature pertaining to the push and pull factors for the phenomenon of migration has not been conducted so far. The purpose of this study is to present a gist of the push and pull factors that are responsible for migration patterns across different contexts. Design/methodology/approach Inferences from the literature review and documentary analysis show that, on the one hand, the push factors for migration entail the enforced reasons like natural causes, wars, health and the like; the pull factors are, by and large, the affirmative ones related to better job opportunities, anticipation of improved well-being, etc. Findings It may also be deduced that both the categories of migration causes are analyzed at the individual, group, societal as well as regional levels. Originality/value Hitherto, the migration research has focused on understanding the antecedents and consequences of migration in temporal–spatial context, but a syncretic understanding of the push and pull factors behind migration vis-à-vis smart cities is required. The present study seeks to fill this gap. Besides contributing toward the mainstream literature on migration in general, the present study also adds to the literature pertaining to the specific factors responsible for migration patterns.

Deformation mechanisms and their role in the lack of ductility in the refractory-based high entropy alloy AlMo0.5NbTa0.5TiZr

The deformation mechanisms in the refractory high entropy alloy AlMo0.5NbTa0.5TiZr have been investigated, with their potential impact on ductility. Specifically, the modes of plasticity active in the B2 matrix and in an alloyed version of the phase Al4Zr5 found at grain and subgrain boundaries were explored by use of nano-indentation. For the B2 phase, a combination of weak-beam dark-field and superlattice imaging revealed dissociation of 〈111〉 superdislocations into two superpartial dislocations, bounding an anti-phase boundary (APB), following the reaction: a〈111〉= a/2〈111〉+APB+a/2〈111〉. The dislocations in the B2 phase exhibited long, relatively straight screw segments and short edge segments, such that the mobility of the edge dislocations appears to be higher than that of the screw segments. Evidence of a B2 to bcc slip transmission process has been observed through use of stereo-pair imaging and anaglyph construction. This process involves the transmission of slip from the B2 matrix, followed by the decorrelated motion of the two a/2〈111〉 dislocations in the bcc precipitate, demonstrated by the increased separation of the dislocations within the bcc phase. Regarding the deformation of the Al4Zr5 intermetallic phase, it was found that indentation of this phase resulted in no evidence of dislocation generation and motion, and cracking at the edges of the given indent. It has been concluded that the lack of plasticity of this phase is the cause of the room temperature brittle nature of this alloy.