Proper Evacuation Research Articles

Lessons Learned from the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, 2011

On March 11, 2011, an earthquake occurred off the coast of Honshu, Japan. The quake was followed by a powerful tsunami that caused extensive damage to the east coast of the Tohoku and Kanto regions. This disaster destroyed the medical system in place and thus drastically reduced the ability of the healthcare system to handle the large number of casualties. During the initial response to this disaster, we participated in several types of outreach medical relief teams dispatched to the affected area from the day of the earthquake onwards. The ratio of persons injured to persons missing or dead for the 2011 Japan disaster (0.31: 5,994 to 19,371) was much lower than for the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004 in Thailand (1.01; 8,457 to 8,393) and for the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995 in Japan (6.80; 43,792 to 6,437). The different ratios for the different types of disasters indicate that medical relief efforts in response to natural disasters should be tailored to the type of disaster to optimize the effectiveness of the response and prevent further deaths. From a medical viewpoint, unnecessary deaths must be prevented following natural disasters. Doing so requires appropriate information transmission and an understanding of the mission's overall and specific objectives: 1) rapid search and rescue; 2) early care in the field, evacuation centers, and primary clinics; 3) definitive evaluation at disaster base hospitals; and 4) proper evacuation to unaffected areas. We propose a descriptive device that can guide headquarters in dealing with the commonalities of a disaster.

Local emergency evacuation planning in California, USA: a comparison with the hurricane states

Many of the losses due to wildfires, floods, and other hazards can be avoided with proper evacuation planning. This study examined local emergency evacuation readiness in the State of California of the USA. Emergency planning documents were obtained from 41 of the 58 California counties; only 8 of those were free-standing emergency evacuation plans eligible for evaluation. The plans were evaluated using a tool previously developed for a congressional study of hurricane evacuation plans. The California plans scored relatively well in the areas of decision making and communications but scored poorly on other issues including planning for alternative transportation modes and evacuating special needs populations. Overall, the California evacuation plans did not measure up to those developed in the hurricane states. This study highlights the need to strengthen and standardise evacuation planning in at-risk areas and to improve knowledge about local evacuation preparedness.

Effect of paint on vapour resistivity in plaster

The vapour resistivity of plaster coatings such as paint and their effectiveness as water repellents were studied in several types of plaster. To this end, painted, unpainted and pigmented specimens were tested. Experimental values were collected on diffusion and vapour permeability, or its inverse, water vapour resistivity. The data obtained were very useful for evaluating moisture exchange between plaster and the surrounding air, both during initial drying and throughout the life of the material. They likewise served as a basis for ensuring the proper evacuation of water vapour in walls, and use of the capacity of the porous network in plaster products to regulate moisture content or serve as a water vapour barrier to avoid condensation. Briefly, the research showed that pigments, water-based paints and silicon-based water repellents scantly raised vapour resistance. Plastic paints, enamels and lacquers, however, respectively induced five-, ten- and twenty-fold increases in vapour resistivity, on average.

Simulating Pedestrians in Evacuation Processes: A Novel Approach

Pedestrian simulation is a central issue in evacuation related topics; an issue that has recently received renewed interest. In order to estimate escape time from a building, this paper describes a two-module model which combines Agent-Based Models (ABM) and Cellular Automata (CA). The former model (ABM) simulates pedestrians exploring the building space; the latter (CA) simulates the proper evacuation process. The novelty of the model is represented by the first module’s approach, which is inspired to Ant Colony Optimization (ACO). Using this metaphor, it is possible to simulate the way in which people draw their cognitive map of the building’s space. According to ACO, agents represent “scout ants” looking for the exit. Initially, ants move in random fashion. When an ant reaches the exit, it updates the grid by adding an amount of pheromone. The result is a pheromone trail that follows the shortest possible path from anthill to the exit cell. Running the former module, a map containing distances from each exit point to the exit is obtained. The latter CA module uses this map to estimate escape time.

Tubular hydroforming of automotive side members with extruded aluminium profiles

Side member left and side member right, which go from bumper to bumper in a car body, were at the focus in the present study. These side members were produced using straight round (hollow with a circular cross-section) extruded aluminium profiles as tube material. The tubes were bent and hydroformed. Rotary-draw bending yielded the best result. A spread within 8 mm after bending was found to be acceptable provided that the bent tube was hydroformed with a high maximum internal pressure (1300 bar in this study). Pressure-assisted tool closure (hydroforming tool) should be preferred. Such a tool closure prevents formation of buckles, which may be difficult to straighten out completely during hydroforming. Planeness and parallelity of the press tables and adapters play a significant role, as far as the spread and inplaneness of hydroformed components are concerned. The hydroforming tool must be matched in the press that actually will be used. Proper evacuation (of particularly air) is essential, especially in long hydroforming tools. All cross-sections must be deformed at least 2% (average perimeter enlargement) if the hydroformed components are to exhibit a reasonable spread. The critical (fracture) cross-sections predicted by finite-element simulation corresponded to those found in practice. However, the finite-element simulation was not able to predict formation of wrinkles at the tube ends caused by excessively large strokes. Such wrinkles were obtained in practice.

The Peridural Hematoma after Surgery on the Degenerative Lumbar Spine Disease

Study Design : A retrospective study of neurologic complication with peridural hematoma was performed in the cases of operation for the lumbar degenerative disease. Objectives : To prove the risk factors of the postoperative neurologic complication, and the relationship between the symptom onset, the evacuation time and the neurologic recovery. Summary of Literature Review : There are rarely proven risk factors related with perioperative hematologic change, and the proper evacuation time is in controversy. Materials and Methods : In 1280 operations from 1995 to 1999, there were 20 cases of neurologic complication with peridural hematoma. We considered age, sex, operative method, number of operation segment, hematologic variables, operation time and estimated blood loss as possible risk factors. The mean follow up was 19 months. The recovery was evaluated by comparison with the preoperative motor power, and we considered the time relationship of surgical outcome with the symptom onset and the time to hematoma evacuation. Results : Neurologic sequelae occurred in 1.6%. The only detected risk factor was the increased number of operation segment more than 4. There were two types of onset, less than 12 hours and beyond 30 hours. Neurologic sequelae were completely recovered in 14 cases, 75% in acute onset and 83% in the delayed (p>0.05). According to the evacuation time, rapid hematoma evacuation within four hours made better recovery. Conclusions : We thought that the best way to prevent the neurologic sequelae is close observation and rapid evacuation if peridural hematoma is suspected.

Kock pouch dysfunction during pregnancy

The Kock continent ileostomy is a surgical alternative to a Brooke ileostomy after total proctocolectomy. Complications resulting from an improperly functioning nipple valve are not infrequent and when they occur most often require surgical revision. A 19-year-old female with a functioning Kock pouch of 4 years presented at 6 months of pregnancy with complete bowel obstruction due to nipple valve dysfunction. Operative management was avoided and her bowel obstruction was relieved by endoscopic placement of a stent through the nipple valve and into the abdominal reservoir. The stent was removed at 1 week postpartum with immediate return to normal function of her Kock pouch nipple valve. Temporary malfunction of the Kock pouch nipple valve can occur during pregnancy, probably due to distortion of the valve mechanism by the enlarging uterus. The endoscopic placement of a stent can maintain proper bowel evacuation until delivery and normal Kock pouch function can be expected after stent removal.

Catalytic activity of PAN-based active carbon fibre (PAN-ACF) activated with sulphuric acid for reduction of nitric oxide with ammonia

Catalytic activity of PAN-ACF activated with sulphuric acid was studied in a closed circulating reactor for the reduction of nitric oxide with ammonia at 423 K. Its activity was enhanced by activation to five times that of the original ACF, being the highest of the active carbons examined in the study. Influences of activation conditions in terms of the impregnation level of sulphuric acid and the activation temperature, and the adsorption ability of the fibre against nitric oxide and ammonia revealed that ammonia, irreversibly adsorbed on the acid sites provided by sulphuric acid after its proper evacuation, is the major reactive species for the reduction. Some activation of nitric oxide is also assumed on the oxidized site of the carbon surface for easier fission of its N-O bond, since NO decomposition is enhanced by activation with sulphuric acid. Activity decreased with repeated runs and is discussed from the point of view of products as poisons.