Assessment Of Physical Damage Research Articles

Integrating Global Open Geo-Information for Major Disaster Assessment: A Case Study of the Myanmar Flood

Major disasters typically impact large areas, cause considerable damages, and result in significant human and economic losses. The timely and accurate estimation of impacts and damages is essential to better understand disaster conditions and to support emergency response operations. Geo-information drawn from various sources at multi spatial-temporal scales can be used for disaster assessments through a synthesis of hazard, exposure, and post disaster information based on pertinent approaches. Along with the increased availability of open sourced data and cooperation initiatives, more global scale geo-information, including global land cover datasets, has been produced and can be integrated with other information for disaster dynamic damage assessment (e.g., impact estimation immediately after a disaster occurs, physical damage assessment during the emergency response stage, and comprehensive assessment following an emergency response). Residential areas and arable lands affected by the flood disaster occurring from July to August 2015 in Myanmar were assessed based on satellite images, GlobeLand30 data, and other global open sourced information as a study case. The results show that integrating global open geo-information could serve as a practical and efficient means of assessing damage resulting from major disasters worldwide, especially at the early emergency response stage.

Assessment of physical damage of cryopreserved RBCs during thawing by impedance spectroscopy

Background: Preservation of red blood cells (RBCs) is an important task to ensure a long-term, readily available, safe blood supply for transfusion during emergency. Effective preservation procedures are required at various steps for the long-term storage of an RBC product including testing, inventory, quality control, and product distribution. Biopreservation is the process of maintaining the integrity and functionality of cells outside the native environment for long storage times. Hypothermic storage, cryopreservation, and lyophilization are the various methods of biopreservation. Objective: To monitor the physical integrity of erythrocytes after cryopreservation with the help of impedance spectroscopy. Materials and Methods: Cryoprotectants were added to protect the erythrocytes from cryoinjuries. In addition, the erythrocytes viability was monitored through hemolysis test. Afterward, the exact numbers of live or lysed cells were observed by the effect of thawing rate on the cells through impedance spectroscopy, as we know that there is a relationship between impedance, frequency, and temperature. Result: As the frequency increases, the impedance decreases, which indicates that the RBCs are lysed. The impedance starts decreasing at −200 °C and drastically decreased at −140 °C. Conclusion: This study indicates the real viability of the RBCs through impedance measurement by the impedance spectroscopy.

Valoración del daño estético en las amputaciones

Introduction and objectives Aesthetic damage evaluation is a complex work developed by experts in physical damage assessment and for this reason it is essential to have methods to perform this in a simple, scientific and homogeneous way. A proposal is made to ascribe, between minimum and maximum limits, a value to the different kinds of aesthetic damage as regards limb amputations. Method A search was made of the literature since 1982 in several data bases. Several methods have been considered and we have particularly chosen to follow (besides the classification and rules of the current scale on traffic accident injuries), the method developed by Cobo and Aso, assessing its five items and the stratification of severe aesthetic damage. Results Proposal of grades for amputations to assess the aesthetic damage at different levels of legs and arms, following several methods and visibility of amputations. Also to assess aesthetic impairment of amputations of more than one limb. Conclusions a) Greater aesthetic damage of amputations of arms than in legs; b) Aesthetic damage of the second, third and fourth finger loss has been graded greater than thumb loss; c) The difference concerning the location of the amputated region, its extension, and feeling of rejection, and emotional changes that may cause, are the criteria taken into consideration for the assessment; d) Usefulness of Cobo's severe aesthetic damage classification.

Seismic vulnerability and risk assessment: case study of the historic city centre of Coimbra, Portugal

Seismic risk evaluation of built-up areas involves analysis of the level of earthquake hazard of the region, building vulnerability and exposure. Within this approach that defines seismic risk, building vulnerability assessment assumes great importance, not only because of the obvious physical consequences in the eventual occurrence of a seismic event, but also because it is the one of the few potential aspects in which engineering research can intervene. In fact, rigorous vulnerability assessment of existing buildings and the implementation of appropriate retrofitting solutions can help to reduce the levels of physical damage, loss of life and the economic impact of future seismic events. Vulnerability studies of urban centres should be developed with the aim of identifying building fragilities and reducing seismic risk. As part of the rehabilitation of the historic city centre of Coimbra, a complete identification and inspection survey of old masonry buildings has been carried out. The main purpose of this research is to discuss vulnerability assessment methodologies, particularly those of the first level, through the proposal and development of a method previously used to determine the level of vulnerability, in the assessment of physical damage and its relationship with seismic intensity. Also presented and discussed are the strategy and proposed methodology adopted for the vulnerability assessment, damage and loss scenarios for the city centre of Coimbra, Portugal, using a GIS mapping application.

Chronic hepatitis C – Assessment in civil law: A case study

This article describes the case of a 58-year-old man who asked for an assessment of physical damage of a civil nature, having been diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C for which he blamed a blood transfusion, supposedly contaminated with hepatitis C virus (HCV). After studying the documentary information, a number of presuppositions were drawn up with a view to determining the causal nexus, but this could not be proved. The assessment of situations like this is not common in civil law. This article is intended to add to the body of information on the forensic assessment of similar cases.