Protection Facilities Research Articles

Infection prevention and control compliance of healthcare workers towards COVID-19 in conflict-affected public hospitals of Ethiopia

ObjectiveNon-compliance with COVID-19 infection prevention and control (IPC) is one of the global public health problems particularly among those frontline healthcare workers. However, there are no detailed investigations on COVID-19...

일본에서 사회보장의 아동복지에 관한 연구

The Child Welfare Act aims to ensure the welfare of children so that they can be born healthy and grow up happily and safely. Japan's right to social security has been developed through the reorganization of various social security law-related systems, and the Child Welfare Act has also been institutionalized through various efforts to actively respond to society's demand for child welfare. Therefore, in this study, we would like to examine the Child Welfare Act among Japan's social security rights and find its implications for Korea.
 In accordance with the Child Welfare Act, Japan operates premature birth facilities, nursing care children's facilities, disabled child detention facilities, and maternal and child support facilities for pregnant women, and also introduces a foster parent system. Public involvement in the operation of facilities is high, and the role and responsibility of the state, metropolitan local governments, and basic local governments are clarified for the installation or operation of facilities and the implementation of child protection policies. In addition, in order to efficiently and integrally promote child welfare-related policies, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare established the Child and Family Office in April 2023 for child abuse and transferred it to the direct agency of the Prime Minister.
 Child welfare in Korea is similar to Japan, but there is no dedicated department that acts as a control tower to oversee child welfare because ministries are separated from child welfare targets such as the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, and the Ministry of Education. Children's guardians should raise children healthy and safe at home according to the developmental stage, and the state and local governments should take necessary measures to prevent children from being discriminated against, such as religion, property, or disability of their parents. In order to realize such child welfare, it is urgent to establish an integrated dedicated department, expand child protection facilities, and overhaul a careful and balanced system to implement effective policies suitable for changes in social structure. In this respect, the establishment of the Child and Family Agency in Japan has great implications for Korea.

Environmental economic profiles of expressway construction via life cycle assessment

The construction process of expressway is characterized by high energy and materials consumption, which poses overwhelming potential threat to the physical environment. In order to coordinate contradiction between expressway construction and concomitant environment issues, this study quantitatively assessed environmental impact of different sub-projects and presented an environmental price model to characterize the overall environmental impact of construction materials. The results showed that the bridge, culvert, and tunnel sub-projects produced the most significant environmental impact. Compared with onsite construction and transportation, material production contributed the largest proportion (approximately 90%) of the life cycle environmental impact. Most of the environmental burdens were only associated with a few types of materials (e.g., steel, iron, and cement). Steel, in particular, contributed to 29.73%–80.47% in the four categories of environmental impact (including global warming potential (GWP), fine particulate matter production (FPMF), terrestrial acidification (TA), and ozone formation health (OF-H) in four sub-projects (including bridge and culvert, tunnel, safety measures and embedded pipelines (SMEP), and green and environmental protection facilities (GEPF)).Notably, certain materials contributed significantly to only specific environmental impact categories of environmental impact. Cement, wood, and explosives contributed significantly to GWP, land use (LU), and substance of ozone depletion (SOD)contributing 51.55%, 70.87%, and 54.95%, respectively. Environmental impact ratio can indicate the matching degree between the environmental impact of a material and its production process. For some materials with high environmental impact ratio, such as iron, brick and cement, a focus on green update and iteration of production technologies of such construction materials are required. This study identifies the environmentally sensitive links of different expressway construction sub-projects and provides a decision-making basis for the selection of construction materials and upgradation and iteration of production technologies from the perspective of environmental price, thus providing scientific guidance to green expressway construction.

Hydrodynamic Loads and Overtopping Processes of a Coastal Seawall under the Coupled Impact of Extreme Waves and Wind

Driven by strong winds, huge ocean waves can cause devastating destruction to coastal regions during harsh weather events. There is growing evidence showing that extreme waves can occur in both shallow and deep waters. To protect the coast against the destructive power of huge waves, coastal protection facilities, such as seawalls, are often built along the coast. The integrity and stability of these coastal protection facilities are essential to the safety of coastal regions. Since huge waves are often accompanied by strong winds in real ocean environments, to fill the knowledge gap left by previous relevant studies, this study numerically investigates the hydrodynamic loads and overtopping of a coastal seawall model on a sloped beach under the coupled impact of an extreme wave group and wind. The influences of several main factors are considered, such as water depth, wind speed, and significant wave height. The research results reveal that strong wind can greatly increase the average overtopping rate and enhance the hydrodynamic loads exerted by the extreme wave group on the seawall.

Prediction of Safe Distance by Radiant Heat Effect Analysis on Plant Concrete Barrier in Fire

As seen in numerous cases of plant accidents, there is a risk of fire and explosion in domestic plants. To mitigate this risk, concrete barriers installed around plant protection facilities are expected to be more effective in reducing fire damage compared to steel barriers. However, it is necessary to assess the temperature and radiant heat effects on the backside of the barriers during a fire. Therefore, in this study, a fire resistance test was conducted on a concrete barrier to evaluate the impact of radiation heat and temperature on the backside of the test specimen, and the range of radiation heat effect was predicted.

The PRO-HOME Project. A multicomponent intervention for the protected discharge from the hospital of multimorbid and polytreated older individuals by using innovative technologies: A pilot study.

Discharge planning from the hospital of frail older patients is an important step to avoid inappropriate long-stay hospitalizations and to prevent the risks related to the prolonged hospitalization. In this frame, we developed an experimental trial-'PRO-HOME', a multicomponent programme of interventions for multimorbid and polytreated hospitalized older patients. The main aim of the study was to develop a protected discharge facility using a mini apartment equipped with advanced architectural and technological components to reduce the length of hospital stay of older participants (aged 65+ years old) admitted to the hospital for an acute event, deemed stable and dischargeable. This is a pilot randomized controlled study, comparing 30 hospitalized participants included in a multidimensional, transitional care programme based on information and communication technologies to 30 patients in standard usual care until hospital discharge. We presented the study design of the PRO-HOME programme, including architectural and technological components, the enrolment procedures, the components of the intervention that is physical activity, cognitive training and life-style education and the evaluation method of the intervention based on the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment to explore the changes in the individual domains that are target of the multicomponent intervention. The final results will suggest whether the PRO-HOME programme represents a useful and feasible intervention to reduce the length of hospital stay of multimorbid and polytreated hospitalized older patients and improve their physical and cognitive performances and overall quality of life. Due to the characteristics of the population of interest of the PRO-HOME study, we involved in the study design and programme of the activities the participants enrolled in a previous smart home-based project named MoDiPro carried-out during a 3-year period. The elderly participants from the local population involved were asked, by means of focus groups, for feedback on their experience in MoDiPro, and their suggestions were integrated into the design phase of the current PRO-HOME project. The focus groups included open group interviews with a qualitative collection of the patients' feedback so that the participants could interact with each other.

Legal design jako podejście do komunikacji prawnej z osobami z niepełnosprawnościami

Legal exclusion is generally equated with unequal access to legal protection institutions and facilities; it is also understood as “a qualified type of discrimination created by law”. It turns out that in the sphere of legal systems, exclusion is largely caused by the law itself. There is a problem of certain social groups (e.g., people with disabilities) not benefiting from the rights granted to them, which is related, among other things, to the low level of legal awareness, the lack of understanding of the law, poor information on the applicable laws, or the high cost of legal counsel. Individuals, especially those with disabilities, do not always (despite assumptions to the contrary) realize that by participating in society, they become links in a chain of social relations regulated by law. One of the main obstacles to combating social problems is inadequate information on existing legislation and poor understanding of institutional and legal intricacies, which make excludable individuals know little about their rights and protections. Serious consideration should be given to simplifying certain solutions (e.g., applying the concept of legal design), which can become a method of preventing social and legal exclusion.

Geospatial modeling of the location of bomb shelters in residential areas of the city

The purpose of the article is to determine the optimal placement of the bomb shelter in the existing urban development. To achieve this goal, the authors used geoinformation systems. The authors set the task of processing topographic and geodetic data and related information. The authors implemented the task employing spatial analysis using existing ArcGis software modules. The use of the geoinformation system in the article makes it possible to significantly increase the speed of information processing than when using traditional methods. The use of the geoinformation system by the authors allows the creation of geodatabases with all the necessary attribute information. The authors researched the example of 522 micro-districts of the Saltivsky residential area of Kharkiv. The intellectual analysis of the existing information was carried out in this work using the geostatistical method for data transformation from a discrete to a continuous representation. In the article, the authors solved the task of determining the location of civil protection facilities using many factors and requirements. Visualization of the dangerous zones of the explosion of building debris during destruction, determination of the optimal route of movement of the population to the bomb shelter, and determination of the time required for this carried out. The obtained results, presented in the form of an algorithm, will make it possible to use the proposed sequence of actions to solve similar problems in the future. The authors developed an algorithm that significantly reduces the time for processing topographic and geodetic data and related information and solves the task of determining the location of civil protection facilities using many factors and requirements.

Investigation on the working performance of a non-dispersible grouting material for the crack repairment of underwater structures

Underwater structure repair is highly susceptible to various factors, including the pressure of the underwater environment and dynamic water flow. Traditional materials used for repairs are prone to dilution and dispersion, resulting in a subpar repair outcome. To address the limitations of traditional grouting materials, specifically their poor retention rate and vulnerability to erosion caused by dynamic water, an underwater non-dispersible crack repair grouting material was developed. It is composed of liquid epoxy resin, curing agent, and aggregate (ECA). Comprehensive and systematic testing was conducted to evaluate the performance of ECA grout. The results show that optimized ECA grouting material has advantages such as a high retention rate under dynamic water erosion, strong adhesion, high fluidity, high early strength, and suitable setting time. The ECA grout demonstrates excellent underwater working performance. In addition, the microstructure was analyzed using X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). The results show that the addition of aggregates to the epoxy resin does not cause any chemical reaction. Furthermore, the aggregates are bonded together by epoxy resin. Due to the formation of cross-linked microstructures, the microstructure becomes more compact. The addition of aggregates during the curing process has good compatibility and stability, which enhance the performance of the ECA grout. The material has been successfully applied in a restoration project of underwater cultural relics protection facilities, effectively addressing and repairing the existing defects. Its potential value as a reference for similar projects is substantial.

Аналитическая методика обоснования оптимальной периодичности плановых проверок противопожарного состояния производственных и складских зданий

The purpose of the work is to analyze the statistical information about fires to establish the dependence of the number of fires in the industrial and warehouse buildings on the frequency of scheduled inspections and, on this basis, to develop a methodology for justifying the optimal frequency of scheduled inspections of their fire safety status by the federal state fire supervision authorities of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia. For the first time, the mathematical models were obtained to determine the number of fires at industrial and warehouse protection facilities depending on the time elapsed since the last inspection, as well as to determine the number of fires at these protection facilities depending on the frequency of their scheduled inspections. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that for the first time, on a scientific basis, an original method for substantiating the optimal frequency of scheduled fire safety inspections of industrial and warehouse protection facilities was developed and tested. The data obtained allows to substantiate on a scientific basis: the optimal frequency of scheduled inspections of the fire safety condition of industrial and warehouse buildings; the belonging of these objects of protection to the appropriate risk category, depending on the required frequency of their scheduled inspection; the required number of personnel of the federal state fire supervision bodies of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for timely and high-quality inspection of the supervised protection objects. The results of the work also make it possible to justify the need to amend the Regulations on the Federal State Fire Supervision, approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated April 12, 2012, № 290, in terms of establishing an alternative method to the Federal Law dated July 31, 2020, № 248-FZ for justifying the frequency of scheduled control (supervision) activities in relation to the objects of control and their assignment to the appropriate risk category.

Гігієна планування та забудови населених місць як безпекова детермінанта громадського здоров’я в умовах воєнного стану

Introduction: Martial law continues to operate in Ukraine, in which the primary task of the state is to preserve the health and life of the population. The priority in this regard is the prevention of the harmful influence of martial law conditions on the formation of children's bodies and the creation of conditions for their upbringing and education. Proceeding from the above, the solution to the issues regarding collective civil protection should be carried out through the construction/reconstruction of civil protection facilities, taking into account the specific conditions for both the adult population and the children's contingent. Objective: there is the development of sanitary and hygienic requirements for civil defense structures of public and residential buildings during the period of martial law and their use in the post-war state - as dual-purpose structures, taking into account the experience of warring countries. Research methods: research methods are used in the work: bibliosemantic, analytical, hygienic and sanitary-epidemiological examination of construction projects. The materials of the research were the sanitary, urban planning and educational legislations of Ukraine and other countries in the field of designing civil defense structures of residential and public buildings, construction projects of public and residential buildings. Results: the article highlights the activities of the Laboratory, which is aimed at studying the hygienic urban planning problems of the comprehensive restoration of settlements (territories) that suffered as a result of hostilities, terrorist acts, and the development of hygienic criteria for their reconstruction in order to create safe living conditions of the population, in particular ensuring the conditions of collective civil protection in civil protection facilities of public and residential buildings. Conclusion: The activities of urban planning specialists in the direction of hygienic assessment of urban planning documentation of settlements affected by hostilities and the development of requirements for safe living of the population should be aimed at strengthening the safety determinant of public health by creating optimal conditions for collective civil protection of the population in civil protection structures of public and residential buildings - for the period of martial law and construction - the use of these structures in a dual location.

Van Manen's Hermeneutic Phenomenological Analysis of the Escape Process from Home of Women Affected by Domestic Violence: Focused on Users of Protective Facilities and Short-term Shelters

Van Manen's Hermeneutic Phenomenological Analysis of the Escape Process from Home of Women Affected by Domestic Violence: Focused on Users of Protective Facilities and Short-term Shelters

Trace metal exposure and risk assessment of local dominant fish species in the Beijiang River Basin of China: A 60 years' follow-up study

The Beijiang River, one of the Pearl River tributaries located in Guangdong, China, plays a critical role in providing water and fishery resources for the Pearl River Delta and receiving a large amount of domestic and industrial wastewater. However, due to the lack of historical monitoring data, we are unable to fully understand the relationship between the industrial and agricultural development and the environment. In this study, fish specimens collected from the Beijiang River Basin over a span of nearly 60 years (1963–2021) are used as research objects and the concentrations of ten trace metals (TMs) in two locally dominant fish species were determined by an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. The human health risks caused by consuming fishes were assessed. Results show a correlation between the levels of TMs in fish muscle and the degree of industrialization. The concentrations of Cr, Mn, Ni, and Cu peaked during the period of 1981–1983, when China's industrial development was rapidly expanding while the environmental protection facilities were incomplete. However, with the implementation of Ecological Civilization policy, the levels of Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Cd, and Ba showed a downward trend in the period from 2018 to 2021. Cu concentrations in both fish muscle and viscera exhibit analogous change patterns across different periods, indicating that Cu serves as a significant indicator of TM pollution in the Beijiang River Basin. The presence of TMs in fish muscle often exhibits long-term enrichment, while those in the viscera demonstrate short-term accumulation. Based on the estimated daily intake, the target hazard quotient (THQ), and total THQ value, the overall health risk associated with TMs in fish from the Beijiang River Basin is low. However, certain TMs in the fish rebounded during 2018–2021, posing a potential risk for aquatic biology and ecosystems, which is worth our attention.

A comparative study on dynamic mechanical property and carbonation-hydration kinetics of CO2-cured high performance cementitious composites

High performance cementitious composites with limited carbon emission and enhanced dynamic mechanical property is prospective in developing eco-efficient concrete structures that can both sequestrate carbon and suffer impact loads especially for protection facilities. For the aim, static and dynamic mechanical properties of 2% steel fiber (wt.%), 15% silica fume (SF) and 20% fly ash microsphere (FAM) added cementitious composites with CO2 curing treatment were explored. Spilt Hopkinson Pressure Bar testing system (SHPB) coupled with high-speed camera were adopted, carbonation-hydration kinetics in the process of CO2 curing treatment was also focused using a modified isothermal calorimetry method. It was found that carbonated high performance cementitious composites of C-8 showed the highest 1-d and 56-d static compressive strengths, correspondingly with 63.4 MPa and 114.7 MPa, its dynamic compressive strength increased with strain rates, almost reached to 120 MPa at 111 s−1. Drastic carbonation heat flow with peak value of 0.044 W/g and a normally subsequent hydration process were innovatively revealed in the high performance cementitious composites.

МЕТАЛЕВІ НЕСУЧІ І ГЕРМЕТИЗУЮЧІ КОНСТРУКЦІЇ ДЛЯ ПІДЗЕМНИХ ТА ЗАХИСНИХ СПОРУД

The development of new technologies for the construction of multi-purpose protective structures reflects the current need to improve measures to protect civilian human and material resources (and dual purpose) and increase defense capability with the help of structures, buildings, storage and shelters. For a thorough assessment of known developments on this topic, a review of the history and achievements in the field of production and use of metal materials and structures in the construction of underground and protective structures was carried out, achievements and shortcomings were analyzed. The main attention was paid to the experience of large-tonnage production of cast iron tubing at the enterprises of the former USSR, as the closest to modern times of large-scale production with significant results, useful for study and improvement in design and technological directions. Since the sixties of the last century, 25,000 to 40,000 tons of cast iron tubing were produced annually in the former USSR for fastening underground structures of various purposes, including for protective and special facilities. Almost all the trunks of Metrobud, many trunks of the Ministry of Defense and other ministries of the former USSR constantly used cast iron tubing at their facilities. For the present time, the necessity and possibility of intensification of the construction of protective structures through the use of metal materials, in particular high-strength casting alloys, especially high-strength cast irons, as well as resource-efficient casting methods for the production of construction and protective segments or tubing, have been identified. The most suitable technology for such production of thin-walled lightweight metal products at the present time is the Lost Foam casting process, which, after improvements over the past decades, including thanks to 3D technologies and adaptation to the use of the latest alloys, has the potential to ensure the growth of both stationary and mobile construction protective structures.

Delta Smelt stress responses during fish salvage at the John E. Skinner Delta Fish Protective Facility, California

The John E. Skinner Delta Fish Protective Facility (Skinner Fish Facility) diverts entrained fish from the State Water Project’s pumping facilities in the southern Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (the Delta) and transports them via tanker trucks away from the immediate influence of the export pumps. During this process, the fish are counted and released back into the Delta, generally known as fish salvage. Since fish are caught and released back into the Delta, this whole process involves various points that can be stressful to fish, such as the Delta Smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus), a state and federally listed species. To understand this process and improve fish facilities function, an investigation was conducted in 2005–2006, in which we evaluated sublethal stress associated with the terminal portion of the fish salvage process. This study included fish collection, handling, transportation, and release (CHTR) away from the export facilities. Physiological stress parameters for Delta Smelt were measured in the Skinner Fish Facility. We inserted wild and cultured adult Delta Smelt into the CHTR process and later sampled for plasma cortisol, glucose, and lactate, which typically respond to acute and cumulative stress in fish. To help identify the source of overall stress response, we partitioned CHTR into three test phases: collection and handling, trucking and release, and uninterrupted CHTR. Differences in the delayed stress response between the different phases of CHTR were evaluated. Delta Smelt experienced stress in all phases of the CHTR process and in experimental handling controls indicated by higher plasma cortisol concentrations compared to their pre-experiment levels. Wild Delta Smelt experienced higher levels of cortisol response and took longer to recover than did cultured Delta Smelt.

Evaluation of shock migration performance for a multi-stable mechanical metamaterial

Studies on multi-stable metamaterials mainly focus on the quasi-static performance and the viscoelastic properties of the substrate are ignored, which could cause great deviations in shock migration performance evaluation. In the study, a multi-stable mechanical metamaterial prototype with 2 × 4 cells are investigated and fabricated by thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU). An analytical, experimental and numerical model was developed to evaluate the dynamic characteristics of the TPU substrate from 0.001 s−1 to 33 s−1, which illustrates significant higher stress levels at higher strain rates. A generalized Maxwell viscoelastic constitutive model was constructed for numerical analysis. Experiments involving quasi-static compression and drop-impact were done to evaluate the prototype's energy absorption and shock reduction capabilities. Quasi-static compression tests and simulations revealed that the peak force of the prototype is about 2.20kN, which presented great repeatability at different loading velocities. The prototype showed significant shock mitigation ability, which could reduce shock acceleration amplitude from 147.02 g to 22.54 g. But the peak reaction force obtained through the acceleration response curve was 3.21 kN, which was 50 % larger than those obtained by quasi-static experiments and simulations. Numerical simulation considering viscoelasticity of the substrate could accurately predict the response of this type of prototype with different shock amplitude, which demonstrates an effective method for the design of protective facilities with specified requirements.

Optimization of fire safety measures at the agribusiness protection facility with a mass stay of people

Studies have shown that when assessing safety conditions, it is possible to use methods for calculating the consequences of exposure to damaging factors of fire and explosion: thermal radiation of a strait fire; thermal effects of combustion products of a vapor-air cloud in the event of a flash fire; shock wave during combustion of a vapor-air cloud; thermal radiation of a fireball. At the same time, additional research is required in order to adjust the regulatory framework in the field of fire safety.

Preparedness for Fire Emergency in the Nutrition Laboratory at University X in Semarang: as a Safety Education for University Students

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) indicates that academic laboratories are 11 times more dangerous than the industrial sectors. The nutrition laboratory is a place that has a high potential to cause fire because there are cooking activities, where these activities are very risky because they deal directly with fire and gas cylinders there. If the gas cylinder has a leak, it can cause a fire risk. This study aims to look at the preparedness of fire disaster management in the Nutrition Laboratory at University X in Semarang city. The research design used in this research was a descriptive qualitative. There were 3 informants, namely the person in charge of the nutrition laboratory and 2 students of the Nutrition Study Program. Data collection techniques used in this research was in-depth interviews. The results showed that the nutrition laboratory at University X in Semarang city already had management related to fire prevention such as the availability of fire extinguishers, evacuation routes, and assembly points. It is recommended that related parties complete active and passive protection systems, improve fire prevention teams, train and socialize, and conduct regular testing of active protection facilities in the Nutrition Laboratory.

MICROBIOLOGICAL PURITY IN FOOD CHAIN

In addition to microbiological criteria for food (food safety criteria and hygiene criteria in the production process), microbiological purity criteria are a very important link in the microbiology of the food chain. Swab samples of equipment, devices, accessories, work surfaces, work clothes and hands of workers engaged in production, processing and traffic in facilities and vehicles that come into contact with food, and where there is a risk of the appearance and spread of an infectious disease, were used for testing. The examined samples originated from facilities for the production, processing and distribution of food, restaurants and other catering facilities where food is served, educational and social protection facilities (accommodation facilities) and vehicles that come into contact with food. The study was carried out during year 2020 and included 2,958 samples. Laboratory analysis of swab samples was performed using BAS EN ISO 4833-1:2014, BAS EN ISO 21528-2:2018, BAS EN ISO 11290-1:2018 and BAS EN ISO 6579-1:2018 methods. The aim of the study is to assess the microbiological purity in the food chain. Of the total number of analyzed swab samples, 94.22% were satisfactory, and 5.78% were unsatisfactory. Observed in relation to the total number of analyzed samples, 77.19% of the samples were unsatisfactory due to the increased number of aerobic microorganisms at 30°C, and 22.81% due to the increased number of Enterobacteriaceae. Pathogens Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes were not isolated in any swab sample. The obtained results indicate that the general level of hygiene in the production and distribution of food is at a high level, especially due to the absence of pathogens Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes, but that there is still a risk of contamination by Enterobacteriaceae, which are indicators of the hygiene of the production process.